A trio of attention-grabbing red wines | Alistair Gibson
First up is a Spanish organic red which has recently been added to the Co-op’s ever increasing range of eco-friendly wines.
Extreme Bobal 2018, Manchuela (Co-op £10) is made for the Co-op by Bodegas Altolandon, which is a winery I have increasingly taken note of over the past few years.
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Hide AdIt is situated inland, north-west of Valencia, and organic methods are used to manage all the their vines. The wines are produced in as natural a way as possible, with minimal intervention.
The wine takes its name from the extreme altitude at which the vineyards for this wine are planted – around 1,100 metres – and this is a lovely fresh, red for spring.
The nose shows some ripe red berry fruit, along with some red cherry and some dried herbs, before a medium bodied palate with some crunchy red fruits and some ripe tannins before a reasonably powerful finish which is typical of this variety.
This would work really well with a fairly rustic dish such as a sausage casserole.
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Hide AdI am fortunate to be going off to Cape Town on a wine trip shortly, a region I think produces some of the best value, as well as some of the most interesting, wines in the world right now.
Cape Town Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2018 (Aldi £7.99) is a really great example of the value that can be found and is produced by Diemersdal Estate, which is one of the oldest wine farms in the Cape.
A take on a Bordeaux blend, this is made very much in an easy drinking, modern style and shows ripe red berry fruit, some dark chocolate, and a little spice on nose followed by more red fruits and spice and some subtle tannins on the palate.
Serve this with an Easter leg of lamb.
The red wine region I return to again and again is the Rhône Valley, in southern France.
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Hide AdThere are always bottles of Côtes du Rhône in my wine rack.
Côtes du Rhône ‘Belleruche’ 2018, .Chapoutier (Majestic £11.99 or £9.99 as part of a mixed six, Hermitage Cellars £10.30) may be made in relatively large volumes by one of the biggest names in the region but it is consistently well made.
A blend of grenache and syrah, this offers dark fruits, dried herbs and some earthy spices on the nose, medium bodied with more dark fruits, ripe tannins and a very satisfying finish.
One of my favourite wines with confit duck leg.