Favourites - Bird and Dozen !!

After two day of working hard on my Dad's front garden (he passed away last year and we're renovating the house) I came home to a very much needed glass of my favourite bird - sorry not Quirky Bird but Famous Grouse.......Ginger Grouse !!

It has a light amber colour with a slight head on pouring. It's quite sweet but not overly so and the ginger has a good kick. Although there is no whisky in Ginger Grouse there is a slight hint of the Scottish liquor lingering in the mouth. It's a lovely drink, best served chilled and enjoyed outside on the patio.

I'm not actually a whisky drinker - bourbon is more my tipple - I just love the Grouse Bird and look forward to his antics every Christmas.

And so to my favourite dozen - well it could well be .....

After the Tesco Wine Fair we order a case of Tesco Finest Four Star Whites and Tesco Finest Four Star Reds. They are a fantastic way of trying new wines from around the world - all of which have high recommendations.

Finest dozen

I was impressed by the list when I ordered but even more impressed when the wine arrived - I am really looking forward to trying all of these:

Tesco finest Block 13 Shiraz Grenache 2011.

This wine is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre and is from South Australia.

It's one the Tesco Community have been loving and I have been waiting to try - I can't believe it but I missed it at the Wine Fair.

Tesco finest Douro 2011This wine is from Portugal and is a blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa and Touriga Nacional. We are actually enjoying this wine this evening - our first glass with a beef roast dinner and now a second as we settle down for the evening. We decanted it in our stylish new decanter from Dunelm and are drinking it from our gorgeous new glasses from Franglais Vins (Calais).

It has a nose of red cherries with a fruity taste and a hit of spice on the finish. There is some tannin but it's very slight.

Tesco finest Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011.

An Italian wine aged in oak.

Tesco finest Argentina Malbec 2012.

Argentinian Malbecs are appearing more and more on wine programmes and in wine reviews, I'm planning beef with this with maybe a pepper sauce.

Tesco finest Cabernet Sauvignon Carménère 2012.

This wine is from Chile and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère.

Tesco finest Nero d’Avola 2012.

Finally another Italian wine, this one is from the south of Italy.

And so to the whites - I always considered myself someone who preferred white to red but over the last year tasting more and more wines recommended by friends on the Wine Community I am enjoying reds too. In fact the reds disappear from our wine rack quicker than the whites.

Tesco finest Côtes de Gascogne 2012.

This is a French blend of Gros Manseng and Sauvignon Blanc grapes;

it's one I have had before and love with a crisp chicken salad.

Tesco finest Picpoul de Pinet 2012.
Another French wine from Languedoc- Roussillon;

 and another that I just adore. It is best served well chilled and in my opinion enjoyed on it's

own on a hot summer's evening sitting outside.

Tesco finest Tapiwey Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Especial 2012.

This is a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile.

Tesco finest Gavi 2012
This is an Italian wine.

Tesco finest Bergerac Blanc 2011
This wine is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon and is again from France.

Tesco finest Pinot Grigio 2011
This Italian Pinot Gris is the final wine in this case.

I am very, very pleased with the white selection, although some may have preferred wine from more of a variety of countries - being a French fan I'm more than happy.

As you can tell there are some new wines to me and Hubby - I'll be making tasting notes and sharing our finds in my future blogs. Thank you for reading my news - I read and appreciate all your comments, thank you.