Syrah/Shiraz

Private Beach Rosé 2017, Vin de France (£9.99 Laithwaites) Some vague peach and raspberry flavours here but not much else, OK and I’d finish a glass, but overall a bit meh. C- Château Terrebonne Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017, France (£12.99 Laithwaites) Manages to be fresher and crisper than the […]

Four Rosés from France & Italy

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A whistle-stop tour of some of Spar’s new wines for 2018 – more details about them HERE Villa Cerro Garganega Pinot Grigio 2017, Veneto, Italy (£6.50 Spar) Simple fresh glugger with hints of citrus fruit and apple, what I call ‘fair enough’ wine. C Wildflower Pinot Grigio 2017, Romania (£6.50 […]

Spar’s new wines for 2018

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April 17th is Malbec World Day (yes, that’s what the organisers call it, no idea why, imagine if we had Book World Day). So to get the party started, a varietal Malbec, plus a Malbec-heavy blend. Doña Paula ‘Paula’ Malbec 2017, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina (£9.99 Spirited Wines, strictlywine.co.uk) […]

In celebration of Malbec World Day 2018…

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…beginning in Portugal Quinta Nova Reserva Terroir Blend 2015, Douro, Portugal (£16.48 Portugal Vineyards) Smells like a port winery at vintage time, the air thick with heady aromas of berries, cassis, violet and herbs, buoyant, spicy dark fruit flavours in abundance and a backbone of citrus freshness and ripe tannin […]

A mixed bag of reds from around the world…

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Mirabeau Pure Côtes de Provence Rosé 2016, France (£12.99 Mirabeau Direct, Waitrose, CellarVie Wines, Ocado) Juicy, fresh style, ever-so-slightly confected cranberry & peach aromas, but nicely textured and dry with an almost salty/sandy edge to the cooked apple and raspberry flavours. B+ Mirabeau Etoile Côtes de Provence Rosé 2016, France […]

Provence Rosé – not just for summer

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Seven Springs Syrah 2013, Overberg, South Africa (~£15 contact North South Wines) Ripe and juicy, with an almost savoury, cooked tomato character alongside more conventional blackberry, blackcurrant and plum, showing some leathery maturity, but still has a backbone of spicy tannin. S- The Restless Wine Merchant Shiraz 2016, Wrattonbully, Australia […]

Two Southern Hemisphere Shirazes

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