Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Awatere Valley Riesling 2010

Apologies to my readers (if I have any left) for the long absence . Personal circumstances have necessitated it. I've moved my family twice in the last year and we've ended up in a lovely house with no good wine shops around. Also, I don't need to tell anybody about the expense involved with buying and renovating a house, and buying good wine just couldn't be justified.

However I'm trying to get back off the wagon so to speak, and this is a good one to start with. I've always been a fan of New Zealand Riesling and when we did a recent Sainsbury's online order I saw this on offer.

I wouldn't say it's a classic but it's certainly enjoyable. It's a young wine (2010) so it doesn't have any of those secondary flavours that we Riesling geeks love. It's very fresh and has plenty of acidity, almost too much, but also some pleasant honey character. I would like to see what it would be like after a couple of years of bottle age when the acidity is tamed and some secondary flavour sets in. Maybe one for the cellar?

At £9 it may seem steep, but I got it on offer for a couple of pounds less (can't remember the price exactly). If it evolves well it's a bargain.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Awatere Valley Riesling 2010

Marlborough, New Zealand

Sainsbury's

£8.99

3/5

Castelvero Barbera d'Asti 2007

This innocuous looking bottle is quite frankly the best wine bargain that I've experienced at Sainsbury's for ages.

Lovely cherry fruit, a bit of that Italian leather character, some grippy tannin, it's all here. For £4.65.

Buy some. Buy loads. You won't get a better deal anywhere. Ever.

Castelvero

Barbera d'Asti 2007

Piedmont, Italy

Sainsbury's

£4.65 (£6.99)

3/5

Campo Al Moro Chianti Classico 2009

Chianti Classico for less than £7? Worth a try. It's OK, but kind of falls short of what I'd expect from a Classico. Slightly plummy and baked I felt, and lacking the bright, juicy acidity that you'd get with the similarly priced Piccini offerings. Not bad for the price but if you think you're getting something fancy, think again.

Campo Al Moro

Chianti Classico 2009

DOCG Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy

Sainsbury's

£6.65 (£9.99)

2.5/5

Terres de Galets Cotes du Rhone 2009

It's been far too long since I've posted here - about a month and a half. My apologies. I bought a case of wine from Majestic for Christmas, as did my brother-in-law, whose family was spending the holidays with us. All in all none of the wine impressed. I was so disappointed in their ordinariness that I couldn't even bother to post about them.

We're also trying to save money. We've just bought a new house that needs renovating, so every pound saved is valuable. My wine consumption has plummeted, and most of the wines we do drink are favourites that I've blogged about before.

However, it's time to get back in the saddle. I picked up this Cotes du Rhone from Sainsbury's because it was cheap, and had a sticker from the International Wine Challenge on it. The sticker was gold coloured but it didn't say "Gold" on it. I was pretty sure it was meaningless but I bought the wine anyway because I think the 2009 Rhone vintage was supposed to be pretty good.

The wine isn't bad really - you could do much worse for the price. It had obvious spicy Rhone character and quite an impressive nose. Palate-wise it decent..it could use a bit more body and length but it did the trick on the night. Nothing wrong with it really (except if you paid £9.99 for it).

FYI the winemaker seems to be Gabriel Meffre in Gigondas.

Terres de Galets

Cotes du Rhone 2009

Cotes du Rhone AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

3/5

Heidsieck £ Co. Monopole Blue Top Brut NV

I saw this at Sainsbury's for £11.99 and decided to give it a try. I knew it was the introductory house blend, and I also have some vintage 'Gold Top' from the same producer. I'm not mad about the Gold Top, purchased last Christmas from Majestic. It's OK but didn't leave much of an impression. Maybe it needs more time, maybe I don't like Pinot-based blends so much, who knows. Either way I thought for £11.99 this was worth a try.

I actually quite liked it. It is a Pinot-based blend and is rich and honeyed, almost sweet, and has characteristics of bottle aged wine in the blend. I was pleasantly surprised. I served the 2 bottles I bought to guests at my son's birthday party (the parents, not the kids), and everyone seemed to really like it. The only reason I'm not running out and buying a case of 12 is because I haven't decided what to buy for my Christmas wines and don't want to blow the budget.

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole

Blue Top NV

Epernay, Champagne AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£11.99 (£27.99)

3.5/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Vintage Cava Brut Rosé 2008

This is a good bargain. Made for Sainsbury's by Codorniu, it is a deep pink colour with good red-fruit flavours and a noticeable richness about it. Interestingly the main grape varieties are the Champagne Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Only these two are mentioned on the label but there's a good chance it also includes some Spanish varieties.

Considering Sainsbury's also sells Codorniu NV rosé Cava for £11.99, do you think it's any better than this? I seriously doubt it.

Sainsbury's

Taste the Difference Vintage Cava Brut Rosé 2008

DO Cava, Spain

£6.99

3/5

Grande Reserve Bergerac Cabernet Merlot 2009

This can probably be thrown on to the 'it's only worth it's offer price' heap. I thought it was worth a try because of Bergerac's proximity to Bordeaux and the 2009 vintage being an excellent one.

I didn't like it so much though - forgive the lack of technical terms here, but I just didn't like the taste.

When I think about it, there aren't too many cheap French reds that I like, except the odd one from Southern Rhone or the Languedoc, if it's on offer. They seem to lack the bright fruit flavours that cheaper New World wines have that make them so gluggable. That's just my opinion and taste however.

Grandissime

Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2009

Bergerac AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

2/5

Sainsbury's Brut Rosé Champagne

Continuing on with our tradition of drinking rosé wine while watching the Formula One race, Random Aussie Bloke upped the ante by bringing over this Sainsbury's own-label pink Champagne.

It's actually made by Duval-Leroy, of which I am a fan. To be honest, I've only ever had their 2002 vintage Blanc de Blancs, but I thought it was one of the best value sparkling wines I've ever had (at the offer price that is).

This rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and is pretty good, notable the lively acidity and strawberry flavours. I'm not a Champagne expert, but I think it's safe to say that it's good value at £19.99. Rosé Champagne can be a bit overpriced I think, but this certainly isn't.

Sainsbury's

Brut Rosé Champagne

Champagne AOC, France

£19.99

3/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Primitivo del Salento

This is one of the wines on available with Sainsbury's '2 can dine for £10' offer, the others being white and rosé Pinot Grigio. Primitivo is the Italian name for Zinfandel.

It's very much a warm-weather red. It's produced in Puglia in south east Italy, which is the 'heel' in the boot.

What I meant by a warm-weather red is that it has a lot of grapey, raisiny flavours. Certainly gluggable, but not my cup of tea.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Primivito del Salento

Puglia, Italy

Sainsbury's

2.5/5

Sainsbury's House Côtes Du Rhône

Here's another wine from Sainsbury's house range. I actually bought the boxed version of this to make mulled wine with for our Hallowe'en party, with an intent to evaluate it on its merits as a table wine. Again, this seems to be a non-vintage wine.

Well, it tastes like a Côtes Du Rhône at least, with typical spiciness and Ribena-ish flavours. It has some earthiness but is still light, not too bad really. If you're partial to this region this might be a winner.

Sainsbury's

House Côtes Du Rhône

Rhone Valley, France

£14.49 (3L box)

2.5/5

Sainsbury's House Claret

This is a non-vintage budget claret from Sainsbury's. I will eventually work my way through this range, as I'm curious to see if any of them would make a good everyday wine.

It's dirt-cheap and to be frank it tastes dirt-cheap. I wasn't expecting a world-beater, but I'm not sure it even tastes like a claret. It could be any number of things. It's drinkable, but have it with food and stick to the one bottle.

Sainsbury's

House Claret

Bordeaux, France

£3.79

2/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Côtes De Provence Rosé 2009

Random Aussie Bloke instructed his wife to pick up some rosé from Sainsbury's. He wisely told her to 'get the most expensive ones they have'. She came back with a Sancerre rosé, and this other one from Provence. I would have made the same choices.

However, unlike the Sancerre wine, this one was terrible I thought. I've had it twice I think, and the first time I remember being a bit underwhelmed. The second time though it was clear that it isn't a very good wine, so I feel compelled to share. Not much to say really, it's harsh and has an unpleasant finish. It reminds me of wines I tried in when I visited Brussels last summer - you could get Provence rosé from the supermarket in similarly shaped bottles for under 4 euros, and they were grim.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Côtes De Provence Rosé 2009

Côtes De Provence AOC, Provence, France

Sainsbury's

£7.99

2/5

Sainsbury's 'House' Chianti 2009

My brother-in-law came home with a bottle of this the other night. I had a small taste of it, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, although it was the night we were drinking Grenache most of the evening, so the old palate may have been a bit muddled.

I bought another bottle of it yesterday to re-try. We drink a lot of Chianti as an everyday food wine (usually Piccini half-price stuff), so I thought this was worth checking out.

It's not quite the brilliant under £5 miracle I was hoping for. It's very acidic, and has a lot of green, unripe character to it. It still tastes like a Chianti though, and would probably do in a pinch, and then only with food.

Sainsbury's

'House' Chianti 2009

DOCG Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

2.5/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Malbec 2008

During one of our recent tasting club evenings, we were discussing themes for future events. Someone mentioned Malbec, and I pompously dismissed it as plonky. You see, I've had too many plonky Malbecs, and Argentine Malbec seems to be one of those wines that non-wine lovers like, so how can it be any good?

I was at Sainsbury's on the weekend looking for something that would go with a BBQ. I have to say, Sainsbury's wine selection is going, or has gone, straight downhill, at least in my local newly-revamped branch. It's so mediocre that it took me 10 minutes to decide what to buy, and I settled on this Malbec. The reasons I did buy this are all clichés - Malbec is good with BBQ, cheap (2 for £10), fancy, heavy bottle, etc. The one reason that's not cliché is that it is a Taste the Difference wine, and I think TTD wines are usually good quality.

In this case I was right. I was frankly surprised at how good this was. Sure, it's oaky and high in alcohol, but it also has quite good depth and complexity. My teeth were fuzzy by the end of the bottle due to the pronounced but welcome tannins. It also has a nice, gravelly finish. The oak, acid, tannin and fruit are so strong that I wonder if a couple of years of bottle age wouldn't go amiss. Not necessary mind you - this is the style.

Sainsbury's

Taste the Difference Malbec 2008

Mendoza, Argentina

Sainsbury's

2 for £5 (£6.99)

3.5/5

Grandissime 'Grande Reserve' Bergerac Rouge 2009

This is a Bordeaux blend, red version of this.

This wine had some character but wasn't really my cup of tea. Red wines this young always smell young - and to me it's a cheap smell. I recently learned this particular aroma is not just partial to cheap wine - it's young wine. I noticed it at a 2009 barrel tasting of Bordeaux wines hosted by Bibendum, where the wines were anything but cheap.

Anyway, there was depth and structure to this wine, also a noticeable tartness, which isn't something you usually find in red wines. It was definitely a food wine, and improved with time in the glass.

Not bad for a fiver - it would be interesting to see how this would age. I reckon a few months or a year or so to take the edge off would do it some good.

Grandissime

Grande Reserve Bergerac Rouge 2009

AOC Bergerac, South West France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

2.5/5

Grandissime 'Grande Reserve' Bergerac Blanc 2009

Bergerac is a French wine region not too far from Bordeaux, and it produces wines from the same grape varieties. I'm not too experienced with it, but I suspect it may be a source of good-value wines that may have similar characteristics to the wines of Bordeaux.

This one for example (I'll ignore the half-price thing for now) is a perfectly acceptable white wine for a fiver. Very similar to a white Bordeaux (Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion blend), it's crisp, clean and light.

There is a red on offer as well, and I bought a bottle but have yet to try it. A friend of mine who has though keeps going back and buying more.

Grandissime

Grande Reserve Bergerac 2009

AOC Bergerac, South West France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

3/5

Louis Jadot Meursualt 2007

Sainsbury's has come up with the deal of the year. This wine normally goes for about £25, and it's on for half-price. That's not inflated either - this is proper wine.

Everything adds up here, almost. Louis Jadot is a good name. 2007 was a good vintage. It's a Meursault.

We loved it - slightly buttery (unsalted apparently), long, good acid. Would like to drink this stuff all the time. Great at £12. Wouldn't pay £25 - I think it's over-priced. I have had new-world Chardonnays for much less that I'm happy with. That's what this stuff costs though - deal with it.

Louis Jadot

Meursault 2007

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

~£12 (~£25)

4/5

Chateau Palmer 'Alter Ego' 2004 Margaux

A big thanks to my sometime co-blogger Tom for bringing this over. It's on offer at Sainsbury's for just under £30. This is the second wine of Chateau Palmer, a third-growth Bordeaux.

The full price of almost £45 is over-inflated, as it can be obtained for about £35, but to be able to pick up a single bottle for this price is convenient.

It's a lovely wine. Lush fruit-driven, good structure. Cedar mainly, a bit floral. Long finish. Complex and elegant. If you want to splash out, this is a good bet.

Chateau Palmer

Alter Ego 2004

Margaux, Bordeaux

Sainsbury's

£29.99 (£44.99)

4/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2008

This is a terrible wine. I think I mistook it for this. How I did that I'm not sure.

It's almost the colour of a rose (not really unusual for a Pinot Noir), but it's also thin, acidic, and just generally grim. Really disappointing.

I don't remember the price exactly but I think it was £6 or £7 marked down from £8 - £10. Nothing short of a disgrace.

Sainsbury's

Taste the Difference Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2008

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

1/5

Chateau Simard St. Emilion 1995

A rare indulgence here. A 15-year old St. Emilion from Sainsbury's. I've mentioned it before, but my Sainsbury's has a 'fine wine' section, and I trust it - they have pretty good stuff in there. We decided to splash out on this - it was a good vintage and it was affordable (in a special occasion sense).

I was actually a bit hesitant when it came to opening it - I thought it might be over the hill or disappointing. My fears were unfounded though - I thought this was in really good shape for a 15-year old wine. Only just starting to turn brown, it had a good core of fruit and was actually quite fresh. I will say it has quite a strong cedar character - is that something you either like or dislike? I always notice it - and I'm not sure it's my favourite Bordeaux characteristic, at least not if it's dominant.

Anyway, it's drinking quite well, so if you like right-bank claret with bottle-age maybe you should check this out.

Chateau Simard

St. Emilion 1995

Sainsbury's

~£20

3.5/5