MAY 2014 WINE BLOG – May Day

Holiday Weekend Reds & Whites

There's a bit of heat in the air, the sun is shining and the May day holiday is imminent. Fancy something special for the weekend then look below for some fab wines in the £5 to £15 range. Don't forget to email this to your phone as a reminder when shopping.

Reds

On the wine front, you really can't go past Rioja for flavour and value. Remember to decant the wines below as they may be carrying a sediment.

 Morrison's have Lagunilla Gran Reserva 2006 on special just now for £8.99. Make sure it has a black label and not a blue label which is the reserva. 2006 was a good to very good year in Rioja.

A Rioja from Tesco's finest range is Viña Mara Reserva Rioja 2008 at around £8.50. This is a gold medal winning wine which rich and complex and you have to look at the back label to see the word Tesco.

If you want to impress go for the Faustino I Gran Reserva 2001. Sold by Asda at £12.98 and Sainsburys at £17.99. This was declared by Decanter magazine as its top red wine of 2013, so it can't be bad. This is a subtle and sophisticated wine which is just brilliant. As an alternative Faustino V is good but avoid the Faustino VII.

Travelling to the new world and a veering little off piste try a Carmenère from Argentina or Chile (2012 or older) Asda have Cono Sur and Majestic have Errazuriz Carmenère which are both quality Chilean brands and won't disappoint at around £8. You could also try Chilean Sangiovese by Mayu at Asda, which is a really good, smooth red and not too expensive at only £5.50.

You can really go left field at Aldi where their medal winning Toro Loco (Crazy Bull) Reserva 2010 from Spain is only £4.99. The Reserva has a black label and is predominantly made from the Tempranillo grape, but more importantly 6 months ago Olly Smith selected this wine as his red wine of the week.

Whites

If you are looking to impress on white, try a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or a Viogner from Australia or Chile (Viogner sits somewhere between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and has a lovely floral character).

Tesco have Wairau Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2012 on special again at around a fiver. I really like this branded wine which has a beautiful zesty flavour and goes perfectly with smoked salmon. They also have a lovely sauvignon blanc from Chile which is younger but has much more fruit, Tesco Finest Tapiwey Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2013 at £5.99. Cono Sur have an excellent Viogner in their Bicicleta range for around £7.50 at both Morrisons and Asda.

On the other hand if you are looking for an excellent citrusy chardonnay from down under nip down to Asda for the Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2012 from Adelaide Hills. Recently identified by Decanter magazine, as an excellent wine from one of the best  Oz major brands, you just can't go wrong with this peach of a wine.

Whichever wine you choose this weekend and into the month of May enjoy and drink sensibly (of course).