Two red, two white

A real mix this week, two red wines and two white: non opened for any celebration but all chosen for a reason.

The first being this month's tasting on Cuvée Reserve, the online wine forum I happily host. This month it was my Hubby's turn to choose our wine for reviewing: it must be available from a mainstream supermarkets and under £10.

Nick's choice was Asda Extra Special Carménére; originally this French grape was grown in the Bordeaux region and mainly used in blending.

Its name derives from carmin (crimson in French) and refers to the colour of the vine leaves in autumn. Carménére is now one of the most popular grapes grown in Chile and is used to produce single grape wines as opposed to just blending.

We both enjoyed this deep claret coloured wine with its oaky, faintly vanilla nose. There was a hint of liquorice too on the nose which was also evident in its flavour. A very smooth wine, full of sour cherries, spice and subtle tannins from being in American oak barrels.

It was a very drinkable wine and great value, certainly one we'll buy again although not all members of Cuvée Reserve agreed. Wine is such a complex subject and we all have such varied tastes - the monthly tastings are a superb chance to try wines we would perhaps not of chosen ourselves.

I wonder what March's will be.

The second red we tried this month was also Hubby's, this time a gift on his recent retirement.

We really enjoy Aldi Wines (the focus of our latest great wine tasting based on Quirky Bottles) but had not tried their Exquisite Collection Malbec: another from South America this 2017 Argentinian wine was a little surprising.

Initially we were unsure, very little fruit on the nose or the palate although a great deep red in the glass.

However after an hour or so it suddenly sprang to life - plenty of dark fruit, quite jammy with a smoothness of chocolate.

Its finished lengthened the longer it rested in the glass, certainly a wine that needs decanting and time to develop. It's a great price and allowing it breathing time puts it another on our to buy again list.


And so to the two whites - both from Majestic and as with the reds both new wines.

Tu Meke Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favourite wines from Majestic but I have not tried their Chardonnay. It is currently on offer at an unbelievable price, an ideal time to add one to our basket on a recent trip.

Chardonnay is such a different wine to my favoured Sauvignon Blanc in many ways, the first being the colour in the glass. A much deeper yellow, giving a thicker impression but still having sparkling highlights.

Nicely chilled its nose was quite peachy with a hint of citrus. This was echoed in its flavour; plenty of peaches, nectarines and white stone fruit it had a lovely creaminess to its body. It's finish was dry with some length and was a perfect match for my chicken stir fry meal.

Another beautiful wine from Tu Meke - their Pinot Grigio is another I have yet to try.

My second white and final of the four is another from Majestic - Carrro de Santa Maria. I'm not particularly fond of Spanish wine, especially red, but as this was also on offer it seemed rude not to try .... and I'm glad I did.

It was specially produced for Majestic with some input from their Head Buyer. I've tasted Verdejo grape before but not Viura so I was quite keen to try this wine.

A lovely golden yellow in colour with a mineral nose that I found quite inviting. Plenty of apple, plenty of citrus with a bright acidity this wasn't too dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc, I really enjoyed it.

Two reds and two whites all different, all enjoyed. As I said before there is a world of wines and so many I have yet to discover, helped by attending Wine Shows - our next is Love Wine at Guildford on 24th March where I am sure we'll find many treasures!