90

2011 Canyon Park, The Guardians MRV, Danube Plain

( £14.95, 13%, The Wine Society )

With a name like Canyon Park, let alone a price tag close to £15, the last place you’d expect this blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier to come from is Bulgaria, but the country that gave us impossibly cheap Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1980s is emerging from the Eastern European doldrums at last. This is smoky, savoury and perfumed, with aromas of jasmine and honeysuckle, ripe, pear and apricot flavours and subtle oak integration. A sign of very good things to come? 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £10-£20, 86-90, Bulgaria, White, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier
92

2008 Domaine Bessa Valley, Enira Reserva, Bessa Valley

( £17.95, 14.5%, Salisbury Wine Shop, The Fine Wine Company )

It’s a real pleasure to see such impressive wines emerging from Bulgaria, a country that has lost its way over the last 20 years, but is now back on the right path. This wine is the flag bearer of the new wave. It’s a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, made by a group of owners that includes Stephan von Neipperg of Château Canon La Gaffelière, and it has a smooth, international feel to it. Minty, fruit sweet and stylishly oaked, it combines flavours of cassis, fruitcake and red berries with a sheen of vanilla oak. Good now, but will age for another five years with ease.

Drinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £10-£20, 91-95, Bulgaria, Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah/Shiraz

Spend less, drink better

by Matt Walls
The UK is a nation of bargain hunters. There are more pound shops on Britain’s high streets than bookstores. When it comes to wine we’re no different; most of what...