An ambitious, Xarel-lo-based Cava that spent 30 months on lees before disgorgement, this is rich, toasty and savoury, with creamy bubbles, a dry finish and bags of nutty, honeyed complexity. A first class alternative to cheap Champagne.
Price Range: £10-£20
2011 Celler de Capçanes, Mas Collet, Barrica, Montsant
( £12, 14% )An oak-aged blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Capçanes co-operative that shows why Montsant is such a good value alternative to neighbouring Priorat. The oak is just a top note here, despite the name of the wine, adding complexity to the flavours of plum, cassis and hot stones. The wine finishes with a dry, mineral flourish that ties it all together, like a bow on a gift-wrapped present.
NV Les Pionniers Selected Cuvée for the Co-operative, Champagne
( £19.99, 12%, The Co-operative )A strong candidate for the best value supermarket bubbly under £20, this is a special blend of mostly Pinot Noir with 20% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay. It’s a malty, comparatively dry style with lots of reserve wine richness, flavours of raspberry and milk chocolate, a hint of toasty autolysis and a creamy, well-balanced mid-palate. Smart fizz at the price.
2010 Harvey Nichols Sauternes, Sauternes, Bordeaux
( £15 per half, 14%, Harvey Nichols )Any retailer that sources its Sauternes from Château Coutet (in Barsac) is aiming high and this is a delicious sticky from a vintage that is better known for reds than whites in Bordeaux. This is richer and sweeter than Coutet often tends to be, but it’s still a treat, with flavours of pineapple and barley sugar, medium acidity, subtle oak and rich, honeyed mouthfilling complexity.
2013 Filipa Pato FP Branco, Beiras
( £11.75, 12.5%, Oddbins )Filipa Pato is one of the most dynamic winemakers in Portugal right now, crafting wines that are every bit as good as those of her father, Luis, albeit in a different, more modern style. This blend of Arinto and Bical, this is tangy, sappy and refreshing, showing the Atlantic influence that colours the wines of Portugal’s coastline and flavours of fresh herbs and citrus fruit. Just the thing to drink with a seafood platter, especially if you’re in Portugal.
2011 Cape Chamonix Pinotage, Franschhoek
( £16, 14, Oddbins )If you’d rather drink Piat d’Or than most Pinotage, this off-beat example from the Franschhoek Valley might change your mind about this controversial South Africa grape. Gottfried Mocke’s red is made in an unusual (unique for the Cape?) style that uses the ripasso technique of refrementing the wine on its skins and it’s brilliant, with flavours of plum, spice and mulberry, subtle oak and just the right amount of tannin for backbone.
2011 LaFou El Sender, Terra Alta
( £10.15, 14.5%, Contact the winery for details )The use of oak is restrained here (one of the distinguishing features of this impressive Terra Alta winery) allowing the fruit to express itself. It’s a subtle, finely crafted blend of mostly Garnacha with 30% Syrah and 10% Morenillo (yup, I had to to look that one up, too), showing, sweet red fruits, subtle vanilla spice, bright acidity and polished tannins.
2012 LaFou Els Amelers, Terra Alta
( £12.82, 13.5%, Contact the winery for details )Made entirely from Garnacha Blanca, this delicately oaked white is creamy and herbal, with lovely texture, pear and honeysucke fruit. a touch of aniseed and a taut, minerally finish.
2012 Steitz Grauer Burgunder Trocken, Rheinhessen
( £13.00, 13%, Chix and Buck )You might be surprised to learn that Germany sells more Grauer Burgunder (aka Pinot Gris) in the UK than Riesling. The statistic is less depressing when you taste a wine like this soft, pear, fig and apple-like example from the Rheinhessen, however. A very appealing dry white with more acidity than is immediately apparent.
2008 Château Ollieux Romanis Atal Sia, Corbières Boutenac, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £17, 14%, The Wine Society )Sourced from the best area of the Corbières, this Carignan-based blend is a stunner, exhibiting aromas of lavender, mint, rosemary, plum and blackberry, with serious, ageworthy tannins and an unmistakeable whiff of garrigue. Essence of the south of France. And another wine that has aged extremely well.
2010 Château Sainte-Eulalie, Minervois La Livinière, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £11.50, 14.5%, The Wine Society )Syrah, Grenache and Carignan combine to very good effect in this dense, spicy, garrigue-scented red from the best part of the Minervois appellation. It’s a sun-kissed number with ripe, yet full tannins, flavours of blackberry, rosemary, thyme and liquorice and a chalky undertone from its vineyard source. Inky and ripe, but fresh and fine at the same time.
2010 Château Clément-Pichon, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux
( £12.50, 14%, Fine + Rare )A cru bourgeois that punches well above its weight, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot typifies the best feautures of the 2010 vintage: freshness and concentration of flavour. It’s ripe, yet well balanced with flavours of cassis and plum, a hint of damson and fine, structured tannins. Needs time.