I’ve had more more Italian white wines this year than ever – and no, I’m not talking about Pinot Grigio. This stunner from Montefocso, near Naples, comes from chalky soils and shows lovely, pithy minerality on the palate, backed up by notes of orange zest and citrus fruit and impressive weight.
Food Match: Chicken
2011 Palacio de Fefiñanes Albariño, RÃas Baixas
( £15.99 down to £11.99, 13%, Waitrose )The website is still showing the 2010 vintage, but both are very tasty, so don’t worry. This is my summer white when I’m on holiday in Spain, but it still tastes good in the autumn and winter, provided the dish is right. Spritzy and refreshing with delicious bite and crunch, this is aromatic and fine with notes of lime, fresh apple and white flowers.
2009 Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay, Kumeu
( £18.99 down to £14.24, 13%, Waitrose )Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich makes some of the most elegant Chardonnays in the southern hemisphere. This is a precise, beautifully articulated wine that could brush shoulders with a Puligny-Montrachet. There’s a hint of creamy fatness from fermentation lees, understated toasty oak and a backbone of freshness and acidity. These wines aget very well in bottle, so don’t be afraid to keep this.
2010 BLANKbottle The White Black, Western Cape
( £18.50, 13.5%, Stone, Vine & Sun )Yet another name to add to the list of stunning white blends that are emerging from South Africa, Pieter Walser’s delicious cuvée of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Clairette and a splash of Chardonnay tastes as good as it looks. Honey, apple and stone fruit flavours are nicely framed by gentle vanilla oak, with richness, spice and minerality all adding to the overall complexity of the wine. Long and well balanced, this is a remarkable buy under £20.
2010 Bellingham The Bernard Series Roussanne, Paarl
( £9.99 down to £7.49, 14.5%, Sainsbury's )There ought to be much more Roussanne planted in the hotter areas of the Cape than there is, given its suitability to such a climate. This one from Bellingham’s excellent Bernard Series is dry, and creamy with a smoky, spicy undertone and a herbal, refeshing finish. Let’s hope it’s an inspiration to others.
2006 Taste the Difference Hunter Valley Semillon
( £9.99 down to £7.49, 10.5%, Sainsbury's )Thsi has been on the shelves for a while at JS, which suggests that (baffling though it is to me) it isn’t selling. This is the weekend to rectify that, because it’s an amazing wine at the price. Light-bodied, in classic Hunter style, with notes of toast and lemon sherbet and a tangy finish from early picked grapes. Essence of the Hunter.
2012 Yalumba Y Series Viognier, South-Eastern Australia
( £8.99 down to £6.74, 14.5%, Sainsbury's )This is only the entry point Viognier from Yalumba, but winemaker Louisa Rose’s magic touch with the variety is gloriously apparent here, making this the best value example of the grape in the country right now. Aromatic and creamy, with hints of aniseed and white peach and a luscious, almost decadent finish. Yum, yum.
2010 Domaine Joly Puligny-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy
( £29.99 down to £24.49, 13%, Sainsbury's )If you feel like treating your nearest and dearest (or just yourself) on Christmas Day, I’d buy a bottle of this very smart white Burgundy from one of the best vintages of the last 50 years. Focused and rich, with lovely oak integration, mealy, buttery notes and a foundation of minerally, limestone-related acidity. The wine is great now, but will happily sit in your wine rack for another five years or more.
2010 Joseph Drouhin, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Burgundy
( £15.99 down to £11.99, 13%, Waitrose )Drouhin is one of my favourite Burgundy négociants, equally adept at producing reds and whites. There may be some 2009 of this wine in the stores (as there is on line) but both recent vintages are superb. This is light, graceful and fragrant with fresh, crunchy acidity, a touch of minerality and balanced, nuanced red fruits’ flavours. Very impressive for a “mere” village wine.
2008 Benanti Pietramarina Etna Bianco Superiore, Etna, Sicily
( €16.50 Ex-cellar, 13%, Les Caves de Pyrene )This wine has the kind of taut, fresh yet delicate feel that I associate with high altitude – and Etna Bianco Superiore wines can only be made in the commune of Milo, with Carricante grown between 900-1100m above sea level. This is superior by name, and by nature. Scents of white flowers and acacia lead to generous, rather sauvignon-like fruit. The finish is mineral and flinty with an attractive bitterness that makes it very thirst quenching and rather morish.
2006 Parcel Series Riesling, Eden Valley
( £6.99, 12.5%, Majestic )A 92 point wine for only £6.99? You betcha. I can’t believe that this mature parcel of Eden Valley Riesling is so cheap. Sourced from McWilliams (better known for their aged Semillons), this is a delicously developed wine, showing classic flavours of lime and toast. It’s fresh, beautifully balanced and complex, with amazing length on the palate. Get on line, drive to your local Majestic, do whatever it takes, but make sure you buy this stunning wine.
2010 Vivera Salisere Etna Bianco, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 13%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )Carricante made in quite a modern style, with a sauvignon-like nose of gooseberries and grapefruit, a hint of quince, and dry, salty tang. This wine spent 10 months on the lees, which has given it attractive weight, but not at the expensive of the freshness or the fruit. Organically produced.