Rightly awarded Five Stars in the recent edition of South Africa’s Platter Guide, this is a sublime Cape Chenin Blanc. It’s made in a Chenin meets Chardonnay style, with vanilla-scented barrel fermentation and some nice texture from the lees. The Chenin part provides fresh acidity, notes of apple and subtle tropical fruit and a fine finish. The wine should develop further over the next two or three years.
Retailer: The Wine Society
2011 Von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
( £13.50, 8%, The Wine Society )Saar Kabinett at its light and most pristine, this charming, floral, medium sweet Riesling is very delicate on the nose and tongue, with notes of apple and stone fruit, crunchy, Granny Smith acidity and all the fruit you’d expect from a warm vintage like 2011. Max von Kunow has taken over from his father, Eberhard, and there is a perceptible shift here towards a slightly drier style, but the quality of the wines remains as high as ever.
2009 Nicosia Fonda Filara Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily
( £11, 13%, The Wine Society )Nicosia are making some of the best value Etna Rosso available, and this is a terrific effort. Sweet, red fruit and herbal notes are underpinned by a seductive texture, fine-grained tannins and a fresh, saline finish. This is a steal at £10.95
2009 Nicosia Fondo Filara Nerello Mascalese IGT Sicilia, Etna, Sicily
( £9, 13%, The Wine Society )This Nerello Mascalese won a gold medal in the Decanter 2012 awards, and it’s not hard to see why. The fruit is lithe and ripe, with an attractive smoky hint. There’s an overwhelming sense of freshness, vitality and elegance in this wine – and the Etna trademark minerality is present and correct, together with a lemon-candy note on the finish. At £8.50 this is one of Etna’s few bargains – It’s no surprise therefore that the Wine Society has sold out. Let’s hope they can secure some more soon.
2010 Thymiopoulos Jeunes Vignes de Xinomavro, Naoussa
( £10.50, 13.5%, The Wine Society, Theatre of Wine )This is only the young vines version, but it gives you an idea of how classy Xinomavro can be as a grape. It’s part Nebbiolo, part Pinot Noir, part Nerello Mascalese, but also has a savoury note that is all its own. Scented red fruits, mid weight tannins, a whisper of oak and pine resin. Not many countries can deliver quality like this at just over a tenner.
2011 Semeli Mantinia Nassiakos, Mantineia
( £10.95, 12%, The Wine Society )Greece’s answer to Gewürztaminer? This perfumed, floral white, made entirely from the Moschofilero grape, is just the thing for a late summer tipple: crisp and zesty with rose petal notes and a refreshing finish.
2011 Lagar de Costa Albariño, Rias Baixas, Galicia
( £11.50, 12.5%, The Wine Society )The old vine (60 years to be precise) concentration really comes through in this refreshing Galician white. Focused, minerally and very long on the palate with notes of lemon zest and lime and a hint of spritz. A really classy Albariño that’s worth paying a little extra for.
2011 Contesa Pecorino, Colline Pescaresi, Umbria
( £8.95, 13%, The Wine Society )A delicious, great value white from Umbria, with fresh, almost savoury fruit notes, crisp minerality and a hint of grape skin bitterness on the finish. A white wine that works best with food, possibly even with the cheese of the same name.
2011 Château Rouquette sur Mer, Cuvée Arpège, La Clape, Languedoc
( £9.95, 13.5%, The Wine Society )If you’re looking for a rare southern French white with lots of personality, this blend of Roussanne and rare Bourboulenc from cosatal La Clape deserves a slot in your wine rack. It’s rich and slightly honeyed with notes of wax and pear and a spicy, textured finish with just a hint of grape skin bitterness. A white wine with grip.
2011 Auzells, Costers del Segre, Catalonia
( £9.95, 13%, The Wine Society )Made from no fewer than eight varieties (with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Muscat among them), this is an intriguing nothern Spanish white that combines perfume with fruit intensity. Grapey, fresh and lime-scented, it’s a focused, floral dry white with a hint of bitterness on the finish.
2010 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas White Wine, Beiras
( £10.95, 12%, The Wine Society )A taut, minerally, screwcapped white blend from a producer whose white wines age really well and are just as good as his more famous reds. Fresh, unoaked and slightly smoky with hints of jasmine and ginger spice and a long, satisfying finish. Portugal’s answer to Chablis, with a hint of Riesling thrown in, this proves that local grapes like Bical and Cercial are capable of producing thrilling, bottle-matured white wines.
2008 Château Trillol Corbières, Corbières, Languedoc
( £8.95, 14%, From Vineyards Direct, The Wine Society )If you’re a fan of wild, Medieterranean herb-scented reds from the hills of the Corbières, this should be right up your grande rue. The oak is subtly done here, allowing the spicy, heady fruit to express itself. The tannins are svelte and nicely integrated, the fruit dense yet supple, the finish long and refreshing. The altitude of the vineyards is what gives the wine its balance and length.