Best fill up a basket
Christine Austin is happy to report that Morrisons is on form again after tasting her way through 121 wines following changes to the supermarket chain’s buying team.
IN the last couple of years there have been a few changes in the buying team at Morrisons, and it always takes a while for buyers to settle down in their new roles before they start to buy smarter. And that is what is happening now. At the recent Morrisons tasting, there were several new labels, a lot of new vintages and a more positive attitude towards the market.
Charles Cutteridge, who buys wines from France, South Africa, Australia and other parts of the world, explained that the wine department is concentrating on providing quality and good value, so some top appellations have been replaced by lesser-known names which give great flavours at competitive prices.
I managed to get through all 121 wines with my taste buds and teeth intact. Here are the highlights, mainly from Morrisons’ own label range, which they modestly call “The Best”. Remember this is their descriptor, not mine.
WHITES
■ Morrisons The Best Riesling 2022, Pfalz, Germany, £8.50: Every supermarket range should have a Riesling, even if it doesn’t sell as much as it should. This has light, floral aromas and the classic sweet-sour balance of good Riesling, with just an edge of sweetness, perfectly balanced by lime and grapefruit acidity.
■ Septimo Sentido Verdejo 2023, Spain, £8.75: The name means “seventh sense”, but the important word is Verdejo, which is the grape variety. Pronounced ver-decko, it is close in style to Sauvignon Blanc, but with more meadow-grass tones with underlying citrus.
■ Capeography Co. Old Vine Chenin
Blanc 2023, South Africa, £9.50: Made from 46-year-old vines grown in the warm, sunny Paarl region of the Cape, this brings together honeysuckle aromas with peach and white pear flavours and a citrus finish. Team with grilled fish.
■ Remastered Fiano, Terre Siciliane, Italy, £9: Fiano is the grape that grows quite happily in the Campanian region of southern Italy and Sicily. However, a huge Australian company has decided to “remaster” it. The result is a step up in aromatics and a slight increase in sweetness. It seems like a wine that has put its makeup on, ready to party, so expect more immediate fruit, flavour and depth than other Fianos.
■ Morrisons The Best Viognier 2022, Languedoc, France, £9: Laurent and Catherine Delaunay have revolutionised the Languedoc by using their Burgundian winemaking skills on southern French grapes. This Viognier has soft, creamy, apricot-filled flavours, with a terrific balance of acidity. Try it with roast chicken.
■ Morrisons The Best Alvarinho 2022, Vinho Verde, Portugal £9.50: Some Vinho Verdes can be a bit too brisk and fresh, but this has creamy, rounded, peachy fruit as well as enough weight to accompany a sunshine lunch.
■ Morrisons The Best Assyrtiko 2022, Greece, £10: Assyrtiko is a fresh-tasting grape, with lime zest flavours, sometimes a touch of peach and a definite streak of minerality. Grapes grown on the beautiful island of Santorini are trained to form a basket-like structure so as to protect them from strong sea breezes. This is expensive way to cultivate grapes. When the same grapes are grown on mainland Greece, they don’t need this special treatment, and so Greek Assyrtiko wines are less expensive. This wine has all the right zesty,
citrus flavours with a definite crunch on the finish. Perfect to drink in sunshine.
REDS
■ Morrisons The Best Chilean Carmenère 2022, Maipo, Chile, £8.50: Carmenère is a grape that arrived from France in the late 19th century and was wrongly labelled as Merlot. So for decades no-one liked Chilean Merlot because it was picked too early, along with proper Merlot (charmingly called Merlot Merlot by the Chileans) and it had an unripe, green taste. Then they discovered it was a completely different grape and allowed it to ripen properly. The result is a robust, deep, plum and blackberry style wine with soft, rounded tannins that go really well with meaty food.
■ Morrisons The Best Marqués de los
Ríos Rioja Reserva 2018, Spain, £9: There is something about a well-made Reserva Rioja that allows it to sit alongside cheese, meat and pasta with complete confidence, and this is such a wine. The oak has been dialled back so that it is in a supporting role, under the soft, strawberry and black cherry fruit with savoury, balsamic notes.
■ Morrisons The Best Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, South Australia, £10: This has been in the Morrisons range for some time, and I am astonished how they keep the quality so high for the price. Deep black cherry and blueberry flavours, layered with pepper and chocolate and enough lush, soft flavours to wrap themselves around a midweek burger.
■ Morrisons The Best Gran Montana Uco Valley Malbec 2021, Argentina, £11: High altitude with clear sunshine gives this wine deep flavours with a fresh style. Seriously good with bags of damson and mulberry fruit, backed by silky tannins and a long spice-sprinkled finish.
■ Morrisons The Best Vinsobres 2022, Rhône, France, £12: This is a new addition to the range, replacing a more famous Côtes du Rhône Cru, but still providing well-made flavours. I gave this top marks for its positive, chunky forest-fruit and structuring, foodfriendly tannins.
■ Moillard Bourgogne Rouge 2023, Gamay, France, £14: Bourgogne Gamay is a relatively new appellation, covering wines from top Beaujolais crus, from the Gamay grape, but can be made within the wider Bourgogne region. It should still have all the bright juicy, raspberry-edged fruit of good Beaujolais, and this does. Perfect with charcuterie.
■ Ch Haut Lavignière 2020, St Emilion Grand Cru, France, £15: Incredible flavour for money in this wine. It has classic blackcurrant fruit and gentle, silky tannins, with poise and elegance. It is rumoured to drop in price in a few weeks time. I’ll keep you posted, but when it does, buy a case and sample a bottle anytime there is lamb on the menu.