A blend of Garnatxa, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that flirts with high volatile acidity and some green notes but still manages to work. Serious tannins, slightly dry, with capsicum and blackcurrant flavours.
Red Varietal: Syrah/Shiraz
2009 Castillo Perelada, Finca Espolla, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €14, 14% )Combining Syrah and Monastrella (Mourvèdre), this is made in a modern style. There’s a marked minty note on the nose and palate (almost eucalyptus) that adds another dimension to the spicy, blackberry fruit.
2005 Pere Guardiola, Clos Floresta, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €12, 14% )A good example of a mature blend of Merlot, Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet, with fresh, grassy acidity, medium weight tannins and a chewy undertone. Drink up, as the fruit is starting to fade a little.
2011 Terra Remota, Camino, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €15, 14% )A stylish, well-balanced blend of Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon couched in an international style. Aromatic, raspberry and bramble fruit with sweet vanilla oak, bright acidity and smooth tannins.
2010 Espelt Viticultors, Coma Bruna, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €20, 14.5% )The top wine from this exciting winery is a blend of Cariñena and Syrah, with heady, spicy perfume to the fore and sweet, spicy vanilla oak. The bite and rusticity of the Cariñena kicks in on the palate, giving the wine acidity, tannin and a hint of what Australians call grunt. Complex stuff.
2009 Tim Adam's Shiraz, Clare Valley
( 14.5%, £12.99 , Tesco )Tim “bonecrusher” Adams is equally adept at making whites and reds, but it’s the latter that really stand out for me. This is a big wine, but it’s not ponderous or over done: minty and aromatic with rich, bramble and blackberry fruit, subtle oak and soft, palate-caressing tannins. A wine that, on past form, ages well, too.
Cornas: the sweet smell of success
by Matt Walls
Of all the red wines of the Rhône Valley, there is one that has an unfortunate reputation. Cornas has often been accused of having a rustic or ‘animal’ side to...
The Swartland Revolution
by Tim Atkin
Every revolution needs a spark, a catalyst that changes things forever. It might not compare with the storming of the Bastille or the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the...
2010 M Chapoutier, Les Meysonniers, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley
( £15.99 down to £11.99, 13%, Sainsbury's )2010 was a great vintage in the Rhône, as it was elsewhere in France, and this is a Crozes that wouldn’t look out of place in more prestigious Hermitage, up river. Smoky, tapenade notes on the nose segue into flavours of black pepper, clove and blackberry, with no oak to interfere with the fruit purity. Deliciously poised and complex.
Canada: you can’t build an industry on Icewine
by Matt Walls
I wonder how many people buy themselves a second bottle of sparkling Icewine. Fun to try once, but it can feel a little bit… gimmicky. Let’s face it, who even...
2011 Mas Las Cabes, Jean Gardiés, Côtes du Roussillon, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £9.50, 13.5%, Oddbins )Jean Gardiés is one of the leading names in the Roussillon, making balanced, herbal reds that have a true sense of place. Violets, thyme and rosemary combine appealingly here on the nose, backed up by flavours of raspberry and mulberry, medium weights tannins and a long finish.
2011 Trinity Hill Syrah by John Hancock, Hawkes Bay
( £13.50, 12.5%, Great Western Wine )This is only the “entry point” wine from Hawkes’ Bay producer, Trinity Hill, but what a cracker is it. The addition of a splash of Viognier gives a little more aroma, but it’s the Syrah that drives the wine and gives it focus. Violets, plums and cracked pepper on the nose and palate, with spicy tannins and oak adding extra complexity.