South Africa

…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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…beginning with sherry Barbadillo Manzanilla Pasada Pastora En Rama (2017 bottling), Spain (£9.99 per half Amazon, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Taurus Wines, Roberts and Speight, The Dorset Wine Co, Mumbles Fine Wine) Has the classic bracing briny edge of Manzanilla, but this is deeper in colour, and weightier, with pungest yeasty […]

A selection of sweet and fortified wines…

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Beginning in Italy with Prosecco. Or not… Rivolto Zanotto Vino Bianco Spumante Extra Dry NV, Veneto, Italy (£10 Vino Beano) Fresh, satisfying fizz, not massively complex but scores for its dry caramel and green apple flavours, dangerously moreish… B+   And another Italian I didn’t film… Il Serraglio Saliceto Buzzalino […]

Sparkling Wine Round-Up

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(late update – found another Chardonnay in need of exposure, see at the end…) Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé 2015, Burgundy, France (~£25 Hailsham Cellars, Warlingham Wines, Saxty’s, North and South Wines, FL Dickins, Chester Beer and Wine, Fine Wine Sellers, Exel Wines, winedirect.co.uk, Amazon) Gentle, generous style of wine, the warmth […]

Chardonnays from Burgundy & the Languedoc (plus a late addition…)

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Seven Springs Unoaked Chardonnay 2014, Overberg, South Africa (~£12 contact North South Wines) There’s a slightly bitter pithy edge and a lemony character here that reminds me as much of Semillon as Chardonnay. It’s still fresh and juicy, but it’s too rich to fall into the ‘pure’ camp and too […]

Chardonnays from South Africa & New Zealand

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