Virgin Wines Winter Press Tasting 2011

I'm always curious about 'wine club' wines. Laithwaites, Virgin, Naked Wines, Sunday Times Wine club, etc. They are a gateway for people to get into wine. They offer mixed cases of wines to uninformed people at a reasonable price (that sounds snobbish but I mean that in a good way - we need it). However, often the wines themselves aren't so great, despite the marketing hype behind them. Sure, they are not necessarily a rip-off, but you can usually do better once you accumulate your own knowledge and can make informed choices.

The wines themselves at this Virgin tasting are best described as 'safe'. They are definitely a step up from say, a Laithwaites-driven wine club introductory case, which from my own experience is rubbish (although to be fair they do offer good wines as well if you seek them out). There weren't many duds, and there was also a couple of pleasant surprises. The individual bottle prices I think are a bit steep, but as part of a mixed case they are reasonable. As a result I've left the prices out, but they are mostly in the £9-12 range, with the odd exception.

There seemed to be heavy emphasis on Spain, Australia, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. Not a criticism - they just seem to be catering to popular taste and good value.

Tom and I compared notes, and here's what we found. We didn't both taste all the wines, but between us we had them all covered.

Thanks to Louise for being such a gracious host.

Discovery Club Festive Selection

This is an introductory 'festive' case. Tom didn't get a chance to taste these, so here are my thoughts:

Indomita Arte Reserve Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc 2011. Fresh, good acidic bite, no dodgy lingering aftertaste (which I find can happen with Chilean SB). 3/5

Transit of Venus Sauvignon Grenache Roussanne 2010. Fresh but slightly muted flavour. Good if you like your Sauvignon Blanc with a bit more subtlety. Interesting blend. 3/5

The Lost Arrow Reserve Western Australian Chardonnay 2010. Fresh and good acidity, would be a great food wine. 3/5

Pary Dumont Viognier 2010. Slightly peachy, but again a bit muted, although proper Viognier character. 3/5

Indomita Reserve Casablanca Pinot Noir 2011. I quite liked this - a surprise for me as I usually don't like new world Pinot Noir. Fresh, fruity, a bit of tannic grip. And best of all no dirt/straw character. 3.5/5

Star & Vine Lodi Shiraz 2010. California Shiraz that for me paralleled the Chilean style, which I like. However if seemed a bit one-dimensional. 2.5/5

Don Diego Escolano Reserve 2007. Back to a more traditional and reserved style with this Spanish red. Good. 3/5

Ravensthorpe Padthaway Shiraz Grenache 2008. I thought this was rather plonkish. 2/5

First Class Discovery Club Festive Selection

This is supposedly a classier version of the Discovery Club Festive Selection. The wines are a pound or two more. Both Tom and I tried these, so I'm just going to offer a Siskel & Ebert-style thumbs up / thumbs down (a thumbs up being '+' and a thumbs down being '-').

Ralio Gillo 2010. Nice characterful Italian white. I've been looking for an Italian white like this for a long time. Tim+

Tom+

Atalaya do Mar Gordello 2010. Similar to previous, but the Spanish version. Tim+ Tom+

Red Ocean Reserve Barrel Chardonnay 2011. Disappointing lack of oaky, butter character (which is apparently intentional). Not my thing. Tim- Tom-

Coteau Chatrie Vouvary Demi-Sec 2010. Honey sweetness balanced by good acidity.Tim+ Tom+

Artazuri Garnacha 2010. Another pleasant surprise. Racy, fruity, almost fizzy. Could have glugged it all evening. Not Tom's thing though. Tim+ Tom-

Desert and Dunes Reserve Shiraz 2011. Doesn't stand out. Pretty boring Aussie Shiraz. Tim- Tom-

'The Big Mo' Barossa Valley Shiraz 2009. Spicy oaky vanilla Shiraz. Tim- Tom+

Stars of Tomorrow

This is a selection of 'test' wines that Virgin would like to sell, but are awaiting the response of the consumer before permanently adding them to their catalogue. More interesting wines for sure, although I think they could do better in terms of quality/price.

Soaring Kite Viognier Riesling 2007. Promising, intriguing blend. Has bottle-age Riesling character (petrol), but finish is fairly flat. Past its best? Tim- Tom-

Castell del Remel Blanc Planell Costers del Segre 2010. I though this was competent. Fresh, tart and restrained. Tim+ Tom-

Domaine les Grands Presbyteres Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie 2009. I liked this - crisp and refreshing, and no dodgy yeasty aftertaste like you get with some of these Muscadets. Tim+

Nico 'The Blend' Sauvignon Blanc 2009. Some stony and sour character in this South African Sauvignon Blanc. Interesting take on this grape. Tim+

De Martino 347 Limari Chardonnay 2010. A lot of unoaked Chardonnay at this tasting. I thought that bugbear was behind us? Well made but not my thing. Tim+

Domaine d'Aiguillon Viognier 2010. Perfectly safe, drinkable white. Tim+

Domaine Andre Brunel Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2010. Spicy, balanced but maybe a bit over-oaked. Tim+ Tom+

The Grid Triple Barrel Shiraz Private Bin 2009. Over-oaked, poor fruit character. Tim- Tom-

Novas Winemakers Selection Casablanca Syrah 2008. Typical Chilean dark chocolate notes. Fairly full-on. I like it but Tom doesn't. Tim+ Tom-

Mas Oller Blau 2009. Good fruit and oak. Tim+ Tom+

Finca Laderas Del Espiagno 2009. Fruity but I found it boring. Tim- Tom+

Wilson Family Vineyard Comald Victorian Merlot Cabernet Shiraz 2010. Well-done Bordeaux blend (with Aussie Shiraz twist). Tim+ Tom+

Top 12 All Star Wines

Customer Favourites. It was interesting to compare our thoughts to those of Virgin's customers. The result is a mixed bag.

Les Audrelles Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Didn't get past Tom. Tom-

Oroura Station Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Sour apple, shellfish, scallop and crab character? Um...ok. Wish I had tried it now. Tom+

Pax Verbatim roackwater Fountain Viognier 2009. One dimensional. Tom-

Coltbridge Reserve High Eden Valley Chardonnay 2010. Minerally unoaked Chardonnay. Again, not my thing but well made. Tim- Tom+

Vina Leyda Gewurtztraminer Reserva 2010. I felt this had poor Gewurtz character. A let-down. Tim- Tom-

Domaine Clos de Chevigne St. Veran 2007. Syrupy, unpleasant. Tom-

Pasion de Bobal 2009. Hot-climate baked character. Good depth and tannic grip makes up for it. Tim+ Tom+

Arva Vitis Cuvee del Pago 2006. I felt it had an unpleasant rubbery nose, but had depth and a length finish. Tim- Tom+

The Comeback Kid McLaren Vale Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2008. Tom thought it was a 'Coca-Cola' wine, but I liked it for what it was - a rich, fruity, full-on slow sipper. Tim+ Tom-

The First Chapter Shiraz Viognier 2010. Fruity and restrained. Good. Tim+ Tom+

Dauvergne Ranvier Costieres de Nimes 2010. Hands down the worst wine of the tasting. Complete plonk. Terrible. Tim- Tom-

Perez Cruz Winemaker's Selection 2009. Good, as the price should indicate. Well made, balanced and classy. Tim+ Tom+

Virgin Wines tasting

Another press tasting to report. This time it was one put on by Virgin Wines, who have the tag line ‘Life’s too short for boring wines’. So are their wines exciting or is the wine drinker's life too short to order from Virgin?

The tasting was very friendly and informal, with plenty of time to mull over the wines on offer. There were 40 odd wines on parade and they were grouped by recent special offers, featured producers (although the latter do not seem to be on the website yet) as well as wines featured in case selections, such as ‘Discovery Club’, which is designed to introduce members to ‘off the beaten track wines’.

First thing to say is that there was a nice range of wines on offer and the producers featured made a refreshing change from standard supermarket selections. Of the marketing promotions the Can Rafols Gran Caus 2001 looks amazing value at the offer price of £9.99 (even at £19.99 full price) and the Zinio Garnacha Rioja 2009 was a very nice young wine, full of fruit (offer price £8.75). However, the 2009 Chateau des Cedres Bordeaux rouge (offer price £8.99) did little for me and just reinforced my belief that cheap Bordeaux seldom works (although at £13.99 at full price this is getting to mid-range).

Of the featured wines, I was impressed by the reds from De Martino, especially the single-vineyard offerings of La Aguada 2008 and La Cruces 2007 (both £17.99). While a little more pricy these were packed full of ripe fruit with well integrated toasty oak. I was less overwhelmed by the 2011 De Martino Sauvignon Blanc (£8.99) but there were a few note-worthy Sauvignon Blancs on offer from Levin Winery of Loire: an entry level wine at £11.99 that was very enjoyable with unusual fruit flavours, and their ‘Mr L’ which, while appealing, was a little steep at £23.99. The Levin Rosé 2009 (£11.99) was blackcurranty and very refreshing but the Madame L Gamay 2009 seemed very overpriced at £23.99.

To me though the stand out was the selection of German Rieslings. These were from Losen-Bockstanz and Ulrich Langguth, both of the Mosel. There was a good Eiswine from the latter (not cheap at £29.99) and some well priced Spätlese (Wittlicher Lay and Wittlicher Portnersberg 2009s) from the former (£9.99). A 2003 Riesling Spätlese Piesporter Goldtröpfchen (£15.99) from Ulrich Langguth had fantastic petrol notes. Also good was the Langguth dry Spätlese Enricher Ellergrub 2007 at £14.99.

A bit more hit and miss was the Discovery Club (£79.99 a case) selection. Like so many of these mixed cases available there were one or two good wines, but bulked out with some far from exciting offerings. In the Discovery Club case most were rather unexciting, but at £6.66 a bottle maybe that’s all you can expect. The El Primer Picado 2009 stood out with plum and well integrated oak and the Carnival Padthaway red Blend 2008 was decent. The First Class Discovery Club case (£99.99 a case) certainly had better wines and surprised me with a decent mid-price Bordeaux in the shape of Chateau Roc de Pellebouc. The Vina Leyda Sauvignon Gris was also very appealing and had a wonderful nose.

Overall I think there are some good wines on offer here, although there are some that disappoint. I’d certainly give the wines I mention a go, and as long as you avoid a few overpriced and average offerings, Virgin Wines are certainly worth a close look.

Koopmanskloof Percheron Sauvignon Blanc 2010

A South African Sauvignon Blanc today, and a Fairtrade one at that.

I didn't particularly like it. Its main flavour signatures seemed to be pear and wood smoke, neither of which I really like in my wine. The two flavours dominated and then tapered off to a rough finish.

Fairtrade or not, you can do better than this for South African Sauvignon Blanc, especially at this price.

Koopmanskloof

'Percheron' Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Virgin Wines

£9.99

2/5

Rijk's 'Touch of Oak' Chenin Blanc 2009

This is the South African Chenin Blanc that I've been looking for. After incessant moaning about its shortcomings, I've finally found one worth raving about.

It's lively, zesty and has good depth of fruit, unlike the others I've tried that are just zesty if you're lucky. All sorts of winemaking jumping through hoops was done here - with great results. Combinations of oak and stainless steel fermentation (90% new oak, 60% with natural yeast), French and Hungarian oak, etc. The end result is a combination of citrusy zest and waxy body, with good fruit too. Impressive.

Rijk's Private Cellar

'Touch of Oak' Chenin Blanc 2009

Coastal Region, South Africa

Virgin Wines

£15.99

4/5

Espiago Alonso 2009

This is a Grenache based red from the Calatayud DO in Zaragoza, Spain. It's not an overly complex wine. It's soft and fruity, with decent if not light underlying tannins. It has more depth than the average Grenache glugger, but I'm getting the impression it's a bit one-dimensional.

It would make a fine glugger, one that I would gladly serve, but at the same time a bit pricey for that purpose.

Espiago Alonso

Espiago 2009

Calatayud DO, Zaragoza, Spain

Virgin Wines

£10.99

3/5

More Naked and Virgin Wines

I didn't get to spend as much time evaluating these wines as I would have liked. Miriam had some guests over on Friday night, and being short of 'party wine' we had to raid the wine rack, and among all I had on hand were these samples from Virgin and Naked Wines.

So I will be brief. The Grasshopper Rock Pinot (£17.49) was a typical NZ Pinot, rich and fruity. Pricey at £17.49 though, and I don't like this style of Pinot enough to warrant a purchase, and that's just pure preference on my part.

La Livineire Minervois 2008 (£11.99) from Benjamin Darnault was interesting. I served it too cold - my wine rack is in the kitchen of our currently rented house, and it's freezing. Anyone living in the UK knows what I mean with the weather the way it is now. Anyway, it was muted at first because of the low temperature, but after a while it opened up with notes of violets. It definitely had some depth and character, and is one that I'd like to try again.

From Virgin Wines, Cuvée Les Trois Merles Cabernet Franc (£7.99) was the one that got the least attention from me, because it was 1:30 AM and I was dying to go to bed. I have no idea where in France the wine was made, thanks to there being no information on the bottle or the Virgin Wines website. I will say though that it had a bit of structure to it, and didn't seem like the light, fruity summery reds like you get from the Loire Valley.

Du Clos Gavin Crisfield Coteaux du Languedoc 2007

Another good wine from Virgin tonight. This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from the Languedoc.

Intense fruit on the nose with detectable depth and trademark spiciness of this type of blend. Tastes more expensive that it is and is drinking well now. It's apparently an 'old-vines' version of the cheaper 'Les Salces' bottling also available from Virgin.

The label on my bottle is different than the one in the image, but no matter. I'm increasingly looking toward the Languedoc-Roussillon for good value French reds - I'm thinking about buying my Christmas reds from this region. They can be 'big', but they are great for winter. They offer ripe fruit but also lots of character and you can get some really enjoyable wines for under £10.

Du Clos

'Gavin Crisfield' 2007

Coteaux du Languedoc AOC, France

Virgin Wines

£9.99

3/5

Pra Morandina Valpolicella Superiore 2006

Another wine from my Virgin Wines sampler case.

This is a class above what I usually drink on a Monday night. It's rich and almost sweet, with notes of cherries, smoke and liquorice, with some herby and gravelly notes on the finish.

I almost thought it was a Ripasso because of the apparent sweetness and richness, but nothing I could find about the wine indicated so. There is a lack of information about the wine on the Virgin Wines website, and some superficial Googling didn't turn up much.

Good stuff, and should be at this price.

Pra Morandina

Valpolicella Superiore 2006

Veneto, Italy

Virgin Wines

£23.99

4/5

Le Dolci Colline Prosecco Brut NV

I was unable to attend a recent Virgin Wines press tasting, so they were kind enough to instead send me a 'highlights case' from the tasting to try out. Over the next few weeks I'll be making my way through the case, and sharing my findings here.

We had the first one last night, a Prosecco. Encouragingly, the wine is apparently made by Claudio Manera, who is the managing director of Araldica, a co-op that in my opinion makes some pretty good affordable wines.

The wine is quite light, and doesn't have the overwhelming pear characteristics that some Prosecco has. It also has some slight bitterness on the finish, perhaps something that accompanying food might help with.

At £7.99 it's a reasonable buy, but I can't help but think there are better alternatives out there.

Le Dolci Colline

Prosecco Brut NV

Veneto, Italy

Virgin Wines

£7.99

2.5/5