Fetzer Shiraz 2009

Ages ago I heard somewhere that this wine was good. I can't remember where, and I have been meaning to try it ever since. It's not a 'great' wine, but a potential bargain.

I find it very difficult to enjoy red wine in this hot weather (it's 25C in my house at the moment), so it's not in optimal conditions that I try this. But try it I did.

It's OK. Very strong nose of red berries, plus hot alcohol (although that might have something to so with the heat). Interesting chocolate notes too. All in all not bad for the money.

For those that are interested, Fetzer is an organic winery (the largest in California), they power their operation with 100% green energy and they employ a number of other 'green' practices.

Fetzer

Shiraz 2009

California, USA

£5.69 (with 25% off)

Waitrose Wine Direct

2.5/5

Fleur du Cap Merlot 2008

Bought this on a whim. I've had Fleur du Cap wine before and thought it was good so this seemed a safe choice.

I do like it. It's rich, fruity, and well-structured. The bottle has been open for a while now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It's matured in small oak casks, which surely imparts some of the structure. It also has a pronounced green pepper/sour/zinginess to it which is uniquely South African. Not quite the South Africa rubbery character, but something else. Some might find this a bit full on, but I like it. I would definitely buy this again.

I think the offer may be finished today which is unfortunate or else I would have run out and bought loads of this. It's a bargain. Oddly, the bottle I had was 2008 (which I bought yesterday), and on the Waitrose website they are currently advertising the 2010. Did they skip a vintage?

Fleur du Cap

Merlot 2008

W.O. Coastal Region, South Africa

Waitrose

£5.99 (£7.49)

3.5/5

Mayu Selected Vineyards Syrah 2008

I was pleased to see this on offer from Waitrose. I am a big fan of Chilean Syrah, and quite frankly we don't see enough of it in the shops.

Mayu's Reserva bottling is frequently bandied about as a 5 star wine, and it's dirt cheap as well (I think it's around £12 if you can find it). It looks like I didn't give it a particularly great review (3/5) but I remember it being good at least. Some of the more recent Syrah I've had from Chile has made more of an impression though.

Either way this was worth trying and I did like it. Chilean Syrah has it's own character. Yes it has the pepper and spice and all that, but it also has a sharp, almost sour (in a good, savoury way) character to it that I always recognize, and it immediately makes my mouth water. It can be a bit rich - it's good for slow sipping. It has some chocolate notes as well which makes chocolate the first food match to come to mind when trying to pair a particularly rich example.

As far as this example goes, I think it's a good wine at a good price and would recommend stocking up before Feb. 15th when the offer ends.

Mayu

Selected Vineyards Syrah 2008

Elqui Valley, Chile

Waitrose

£6.99 (£9.49)

3/5

The Naked Grape Riesling 2009

This Riesling is from the Pfalz region of Germany, and is made be none other than Ernst Loosen of Dr. Loosen fame. It's an entry-level wine, and it seemed a perfect contender as an everyday table wine that I could pair with my home-made Chinese dishes.

The benchmark for this level of Riesling is the Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling, which is a brilliant bargain. How would this stand up to it?

I know it's not a contest, but at this price point competition is fierce, for me anyway. The clear winner is still Dr. L.

This was OK, but I felt it lacked the purity of the Mosel-made Dr. L. The Naked Grape had some residual flavours that made it a bit unappealing, like some grapey flavours and 'cheap' notes on the finish. From the first sip I knew it wasn't going to be a favourite.

It's not bad though, and if you can't get hold of Dr. L then by all means this is a good entry-level introduction to quality German Riesling. It's just really hard to beat Dr. L, which is also actually cheaper at £6.99 (at Sainsbury's).

The Naked Grape

Riesling 2009

Pfalz, Germany

Waitrose

£7.49

2.5/5

Bassermann-Jordan Pfalz Riesling 2009

I went to Waitrose the other day to buy a good Riesling. I had the Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten in mind, but its price had crept up to £13.50. Next to it on the shelf was this one from Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan, at just under £10. It wasn't really the price that made me choose it - I have had the Dr. Loosen before and I know it is good. I just felt like trying something new.

This was really good actually. It is from the Rheinland-Pfalz state in Germany which has a rich wine-growing history. Read all about it here. The wine has solid structure with its acidity, and it had a bit of weight behind it - really moreish. Random Aussie Bloke and I finished it off rather quickly, and it went surprisingly well with a ripe French Brie. I have always felt that white wines match so much better with cheese than red...

It was just under £10 in the shop (can't remember exactly - £9-something).

Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan

Riesling 2009

Deidesheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Waitrose

3.5/5

Vina Fuerte Old Vine Garnacha 2009

Following on the last post in with the Grenache theme, this was the other wine I tried along with the Australian one. It was bound to be different, being Spanish and much younger, and it was.

It was deep red in colour and much fresher. It was a bit grapey, which is what you can get with warm-climate Grenache, but not overwhelmingly so. It was rich and had acceptable structure, but still simple and arguably one-dimensional. Not a bad thing though - a good example of affordable, good wine, although I wonder if the full price of £6.99 isn't a little steep.

Vina Fuerte

Old Vines Garnacha

DO Calatayud, Spain

Waitrose

£5.24 (£6.99)

3/5

Peter Lehmann Back to Back Grenache 2006

I felt like drinking some Grenache the other day, after a friend of mine and I were talking about it at lunch. It's one of his favourite wines and when I was in Waitrose later in the day I noticed they had a couple on offer. They were different enough from each other that it warranted buying both and trying them at the same time.

This Peter Lehmann wine is Australian and has some bottle age, while the other one was Spanish and quite young - an interesting contrast I thought.

The Back to Back tasted like a Peter Lehmann red. It reminded me of the Clancy's blend. Reddish-brown in colour, tomato character on the nose and palate, and I thought a bit past its best. Some sourness, but also some hints at the powerful fruit it possessed at some point. If you read the Clancy's post, I praise the wine, but in truth I bought some a few months after that post and I thought it was over the hill. I feel similar about this - what would it taste like a couple of years younger?

Peter Lehmann

Back to Back Grenache 2006

Barossa Valley, South Australia

Waitrose

£5.59 (£6.99)

2.5/5

Chateau Liversan Haut-Médoc 2007

Someone recommended this - was it you Marc? Anyway I grabbed one while it was still on offer in the Waitrose French Wine showcase.

Despite the dodgy vintage it's a pretty good wine. To be honest it would hold its own against wines twice the price. Our tasting club recent did a Bordeaux tasting, and several of the £25 bottles just weren't that exciting. Tom reckoned that Haut-Medoc is the best left-bank appellation if you want a bargain. Recommended.

Chateau Liversan

Haut Médoc 2007

Bordeaux, France

Waitrose

£8.99 (£11.99)

3/5

Bouchard Pere et Fils Savigny-Les-Beaune 2007

If this is good Pinot Noir, then I don't understand people who go nuts for this variety.

This wine regularly goes for £15.99. I haven't bought wine by the case for a few months and sort of felt like splashing out on something - nothing crazy but just a nice wine to have with our dinner. I decided on this Burgundy which is featured in Waitrose's French Wine Showcase.

It's perfectly drinkable, but just nothing at all special. It has a sort of mouth-puckering acidity (almost tart/sour), but no pronounced fruit flavours or anything outstanding at all. Why does this cost £16?

Bouchard Pere et Fils

Savigny-Les-Beaune 2007

Burgundy, France

Waitrose

£11.99 (£15.99)

2.5/5

Freixenet Elyssia Gran Brut Cava NV

This upmarket Cava is a blend of the Champagne-variety grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well as traditional Cava varieties Parellada and Macabeo.

Nice packaging and presentation, but would the wine measure up? I don't really think it did. It had an elusive, lemony (some said peachy) nose and I thought it had a faint whiff of rubber, which I've noticed before in cheaper Cava. On the palate it was pleasant but unspectacular - the mild fruitiness never building up to much and fading on the finish.

I also purchased a bottle of the Pinot Noir rosé version, which has a sticker on the bottle that proclaims 'Best Cava in the world'. Not sure what that's all about, but will be sure to investigate!

Freixenet

Elyssia Gran Brut Cava

DO Cava, Spain

Waitrose

£9.99 (£14.99)

2.5/5

Chateau Maris Organic Syrah 2007

Waitrose is running their French Wine Showcase at the moment, where a selection of French wines are being sold at 25% off. I went in to see what was available, and there are a few interesting ones - notably a few from the Languedoc.

This is actually a Syrah/Grenache blend, from the biodynamic estate Chateau Maris. It's claimed on the website that this is from the Minervois AOC, but it's labelled as Vin de Pays d'Oc. I guess this blend doesn't satisfy AOC regulations, which is absolutely fine.

There is a lot of wine here for the price. It's very fruity, lots of alcohol (15%), a bit grapey (their website includes ' stewed fruit' in their tasting notes - accurate I'd say), but backed up by some good tannins. It's obviously a warm-climate wine and it's really enjoyable. I'd say it's the first red I've enjoyed for a while (although I've hardly been drinking any reds recently). My budget is tight these days, but maybe I can squeeze in a couple more of these.

Chateau Maris

Organic Syrah 2007 Vin de Pays d'Oc

Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Waitrose

£6.74 (£8.99)

3.5/5

Melini Borghi d'Elsa Chianti 2009

I've seen this wine a million times in supermarkets, and never tried it. It seems like a supermarket stalwart - kind of just always there. Unspectacular looking, and normally just a pound or two too much to take a gamble on.

It is on offer in Waitrose, but it took about 5 minutes of me waffling, staring at it and the other Italian wines around it, for me to make the decision to buy it. I'm not sure why - it just looks boring. However that is no way to judge a wine.

So I bought it, after all it was only £5.32 (from £7.99). It tasted young, and had a characteristic 'cheap' taste which I've learned to equate with young wines, not necessarily cheap ones. There were flashes of 'Oh - this is OK actually', only for them to disappear with the next sip. Should have gone for the Barbera - it was on offer as well. Maybe a year or three in the cellar for it to mellow out?

Melini

Borghu d'Elsa Chianti 2009

Chianti DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

Waitrose

£5.32 (£7.99)

2/5

Felsner 'Moosburgerin' Gruner Veltliner 2009

I'm kind of losing patience with this variety. It tastes like pears, like a non-fizzy version of Prosecco. I'm not sure why it's so fashionable. Perhaps it can be viewed as neutral - it does resemble a well-made Pinot Grigio (not a bad thing).

I have to say I like that quote from the Psalms on their website...

Felsner

'Moosburgerin' Gruner Veltliner 2009

Niederosterreich, Austria

Waitrose

£7.49 (£9.99)

3/5

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Autumn Riesling 2008

Being a Riesling junkie, I couldn't not try this. Good producer (although they do make plonk as well), cool bottle, offer price...

Apparently this wine has a dash of 'Traminer' grapes in it. Interesting. Can't say I noticed it though.

I found this a bit disappointing. It has good initial Riesling character - limey zestiness and the like, but it tapers off into a disappointing, vegetal finish. Supposed 'honey' character is more like crystal sugar (although I wouldn't say it's sweet), and it's just a bit of a bore. I'm probably being too harsh - it's not bad and I would drink it again if it were offered, but you can do better at this price with a bit of nosing around.

Penfolds

Autumn Riesling 2008

South Australia

Waitrose

£6.99 (£8.99)

2.5/5

Vidal Syrah 2007

Not much to say on this one, besides that it's yet another good value wine from Waitrose. At 25% off, you get a Syrah with good fruit and structure for under £8. I'm getting into Syrah lately, with good examples from Chile getting my attention as well. It's interesting because I've so far not been enamoured with French Syrah (i.e. northern Rhone). Perhaps my budget is too tight to enjoy more than on-offer Crozes-Hermitage...

Apparently this is made in the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawkes Bay, which is a region to keep an eye on for New Zealand reds.

Vidal

Syrah 2007

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Waitrose

£7.49 (£9.99)

3/5

Vinchio Vaglio 'I Tre Vescovi' Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2007

Like the Brachetto, this is part of Waitrose's Mediterranean showcase, on for I think the next month.

I like Barbera. It produces good, reliable, everyday red (and also more expensive wines - see this month's Decanter magazine for details). It's usually fruity and has good acidity, and you don't need to spend a lot of money on it. I guess it's similar to bargain Chianti in that way.

This is on for £5.99, and is a good candidate for a case purchase. It has bright, cherry fruit and good aromatics. It's very short on the finish though, to the point where it seems a bit odd. Complex it isn't, but that's not really the point of these wines.

I may have to buy another bottle or two for further evaluation...

I just realized I've had something similar here.

Vinchio-Vaglio Serra

Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2007

Piedmont, Italy

£5.99 (£7.99)

3/5

Araldica Brachetto d'Acqui 2007

This a new one for me. It sounded interesting enough - an indigenous grape variety (Brachetto) to Piedmont, Italy, one of my favourite wine regions. Pink, slightly sparkling, sweet, and made by a producer I respect.

Unfortunately I didn't really like it. It's what you'd call cloying. Or sickly sweet. I like sweet and off-dry wines, but they are balanced with acidity. This isn't - it's just sweet like a soft-drink. It had good fruit flavours, but not enough to convince me it's any better than bad Lambrusco.

Araldica

Brachetto d'Aqui 2007

Piedmont, Italy

Waitrose

£5.99 (£7.99)

2/5

Finca Flichman Gestos Shiraz 2008

This is the second Shiraz from Argentina that I've had recently, and didn't enjoy.

Right off the bat it has a cheap smell, and a harsh, woody palate. Cheap oakiness combined with a rough, smoky flavour makes for a memorable experience - for all the wrong reasons. My fiancée wouldn't even drink it. She had one sip and it sent a shiver through her, and not in a good way. I bravely choked it down, reluctant to pour £6 down the drain. It didn't really get any better.

I don't feel I'm informed enough to generalize, but maybe Shiraz/Syrah isn't Argentina's thing? Or maybe it's not my thing. They obviously have their Malbec, and they do good blends, but I thought why not try something off the beaten path once in a while? Well, here's why not.

Finca Flichman

Gestos Shiraz 2008

Medonza, Argentina

Waitrose

£5.49 (£6.99)

1.5/5

Casillero del Diablo Malbec 2008

We all know that Malbec is Argentina's (or Bordeaux's) grape, but why not try a Chilean one? That was the rationale for buying this (just kidding, it was on offer). The Cabernet is also on offer, which is often touted as the best value Cabernet that ever existed.

I guess these wines are good value if you actually like them. I did buy the Cabernet as well, and although very drinkable, it tasted like oak. The Malbec is worse - it doesn't have the structure that the Cabernet has.

I would gladly sit around and quaff these wines - don't get me wrong, but they are the epitome of dullness.

Casillero del Diablo

Malbec 2008

Rapel Valley, Chile

Waitrose

£5.49 (£6.99)

2.5/5

Jacob's Creek Riesling 2008

I guess it's either informed or snobby to avoid the entry-level Jacob's Creek wines. I can't say I regularly drink them, and to be honest they are getting to be a price where they have to start performing a bit better. The regular price of this is £6.99, which is my bread-and-butter price range. You can get some very nice wines in this range if you know what you're doing and take advantage of special offers.

Of course I didn't pay £6.99, I paid £5.19 (it's a big difference, price point-wise believe it or not). Jacob's Creek produces some good Riesling, from the award winning Reserve Riesling to the legendary Barossa Valley Steingarten Riesling. Why not try the entry-level wine? It's not too bad - it's not the type of Riesling that I love, but it's appley and crisp. It approaches plonk as it warms up in the glass though - you may want to keep it numb.

Not worth £7, but not too bad for a fiver.

Jacob's Creek

Riesling 2008

South Eastern Australia

Waitrose

£5.19 (£6.99)

2.5/5