A fascinating example of what happens if you take an international variety (Cabernet Sauvignon in this case) and ferment/mature it in a qvevri – in this case the wine was also matured in oak. Cabernet’s minty blackcurrant footprint is clearly present, together with herbaceous, spicy and balsamic hints. This is a big wine, with very ripe fruit, but super fresh and really rather elegant. Perhaps not entirely authentic, but original and stays true to the qvevri style. I drank this with Christmas roast goose and all the trimmings – a tough gig, but it held up.
2009 Vinoterra Saperavi, Kakheti
( €15.90, 13%, Geovino )Trademark Saperavi produced by Gogi Dakishvili at Schuchmann Wines – Saperavi is perhaps the most important indigenous red grape variety in Georgia today. Peppery, raspberry and prune fruit with an attractive balsamic note. Spicy, tannic but well balanced. Feels effortless.
2009 Alberto Longo Le Cruste Rosso, Puglia
( £17.95, 13.5%, Lea & Sandeman )Nero di Troia is the least well known of Puglia’s three main red varieties, but to me it’s the one with the most finesse. This is remarkably light and refreshing for a wine from the south of Italy, reminiscent of a Tempranillo, with elegant red fruits, a nip of tannin and impressive length on the palate. It hangs around. And you’re grateful.
2010 Vega Ariana, Rioja
( £5.99, 14%, Waitrose )Blended by Waitrose’s Spanish buyer, Nick Room, this is a tasty introduction to Spain’s best-loved wine style, a Tempranillo-based red with a hint of sweet, coconutty American oak, lots of soft red fruits, bright acidity and supple, palate-caressing tannins.
2010 Minarete, Ribera del Duero
( £5.49, 13.5%, Aldi )This wine was a hit when I recommended it on Saturday Ktichen recently, so I thought I’d give it another outing. It’s impressive value at just over a fiver and works really well with lamb dishes. The Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) in Ribera is fresher than in Rioja because it’s grown at altitude, and that’s the case here: fine tannins, bright red fruits and good balance.
2008 Château Doisy-Daëne Blanc Sec, Bordeaux
( £19.95, 12.5%, Tanners )Who says Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t age? When it’s made by Denis Dubourdieu, an academic and hands on winemaker who specialises in the variety, it can be spectacularly good. This is like a mini white Graves, with toasty, bottle-aged complexity, zesty acidity, tangy grapefruit-like flaovurs and a smoky undertone. The wine is delicious now but has more ageing potential if previous releases are a guide.
2010 Domaine Morin, Cuvée Ovide, Sancerre, Loire Valley
( £18.95, 13%, Roberson )The old vine concentration (we’re talking 50 years and counting) is immediately apparent on the nose and palate here. It’s a very subtle, minerally, focused style of Sauvignon Blanc that tastes as if it’s been drained through a bed of limestone. Pithy, restrained, saline, yet very concentrated wtih a finish that skips across your tongue. Drinking this, Ovid would have been moved to poetry.
2009 Kumeu River Coddington Vineyard Chardonnay, Kumeu
( £20, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich crafts some of the finest whites in New Zealand, wines that wouldn’t look out of place in Burgundy but also have a Kiwi edge to them. This is typically fresh and refined with adeptly integrated oak, a hint of toasty, a creamy texture and pure, focused, citrus and mineral flavours. These wines age extremely well, too.
2011 Cramele Recas Paparuda Pinot Noir
( £5.70, 13.5%, Adnams )This is the first wine I’ve ever reviewed on this site from Romania, but it’s a gift to Pinot Noir lovers. Quite simply, this is the best cheap example of the grape in the world. There’s a hint of smoky oak (from a chip or a stave, no doubt), but it’s the fruit that really sings: cherry stone and raspberry with supple tannins and a core of sweetness. Not complex, but bright, cheerful and very drinkable.
2007 Domaine Saint Gayan, Gigondas, Rhône Valley
( £15.95, 15%, Yapp Brothers )A wine that needs a cold day, snow on the ground and frost on the windowpanes, to show at its best, preferably with a stew bubbling on the stove. It’s a rich, compact, full-throated southern Rhône red with masses of savoury, peppery sweetness, warming alcohol and dense, sun-soaked flavours, with tapenade, clove and blackberry to the fore. Great now, but will age too.
2005 Château Pierre-Bise, Coteaux du Layon Rochefort, Loire Valley
( £17.50 for 50cl, 11.5%, Stone, Vine & Sun )Sweet wine heaven! I often prefer the Chenin Blancs from the Loire to Sauternes and, sure enough, this is a candidate for my dessert wine of the year. It’s very rich, yet elegant and poised at the same time, with only 11.5% alcohol. Honey, apple, quice and vivid acidity combine to perfection on your tongue. A remarkable wine that only seems to get better with age.
2007 Nikolaihof Steiner Hund Reserve, Kremstal
( £45, 12.5%, Berry Bros & Rudd )This brilliant biodynamic estate is based in the Wachau on the “wrong” side of the Danube, but this wine hails from vineyards in neighbouring Kremstal. It’s an incredible Riesling: intense, focused and minerally with remarkable texture, density and concentration. Honey, white flowers and a stony undertow, with spice, creamy lees and a finish that lasts for minutes. The wine will develop for at least another decade in bottle.