"Strawberries are the ultimate summertime treat," says Jamie Goode and his wine selections are intended to reflect this. His first choice is "utterly delicious", if slightly predictable - it is the 2007 Shiraz Ros Casillero del Diablo (5.99, widely available). Next up from Britain's best-known wine blogger is the 2006 Carmenere Luis Felipe Edwards (6.19, Tesco), which gains plaudits for its "deliciously intense, dark-fruited" nature. The "blush-coloured" 2007 Syrah Ros from Santa Julia (5.19, Somerfield) also makes an appearance.
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Supermarkets are beginning to catch on to the biodynamic craze as consumers develop a taste for wines free from pesticides, says Anthony Rose. There is still some scepticism around the subject, he admits, but believes it is healthy as "it questions the practices and the effects without swallowing them hook, line and sinker". And whether or not you feel burying a bull's horn in a vineyard will improve the taste of its wine, there are still some great recommendations this week. The "stylish" 2007 Watervale Riesling KT & The Falcon (19, Berry Bros & Rudd) features as does the 2006 Sustainable Shiraz Cederburg (Waitrose, 7.50) whose "black cherry fruit is neatly rounded out with a touch of oak".
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"Vin de pays often offers good value and a more subtle alternative to the generally bolder flavours of the New World," says Anthony Rose. One of the main reasons for this is that vin de pays wines are able to mention the grape variety on the label thus better communicating with the consumer, he adds. Rose's choices this week include the 2006 Domaine de L'Hortus Grande Cuve Blanc, (14.70, Les Caves de Pyrne) and the 2004 Domaine Guillaume Vin de Pays du Franche Comt, (22, Theatre of Wine, Greenwich).
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WILLIAM REED PRIVACY & COOKIES POLICY
Updated as at 1 July 2012
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Joanna Simon admits she dislikes the low alcohol "nanny tendency as much as anybody," but concedes it makes sense to know how much you are drinking given the stronger wines available nowadays. And for all those ridden by guilt by their weekend activities, she helpfully points out a 250ml wine glass is only one fluid ounce off a half pint. It's not all doom and gloom though, as Simon suggests consumers swat up on low-alcohol wines. Ctes de Gascogne, Riesling, English and German wines, Vinho Verde, Australian Semillon, Prosecco, Cava and Txakoli from Spain all feature on the worthy wine drinkers list.
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The link between music and wine is an interesting one to Tim Atkin MW, particularly after hearing a recent record by Austrian winemaker Willi Opitz. The imaginatively-titled The Sound of Wine' became a bestseller in Austria and was "one of the weirdest bits of music I have ever heard," he said. The article is in reference to recent research, which found the style of music we listen to affects the way we taste wine. Atkin ran this past an Oxford academic friend of his and they were sceptical. Nevertheless, just in case the findings hold any stock he picked several wines that "taste equally good with anything playing in the background. Even the Spice Girls". The 2007 Watervale Riesling KT & The Falcon (14.95, Berry Brothers) is an "intense" wine while the 2006 Ribera del Duero Nos Riqueza (9.99, Marks & Spencer) is "sweetly oaked and well structured".
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It's English Wine Week until June 1 - something that has not escaped Susy Atkins' notice. "I recommend everyone else gets out over the next few days and makes their way to the nearest English winery (preferably by foot, bus or taxi, so you don't have to do that awful spitting-out)," she quips. If you fancy trying a local tipple, Atkins picks out the 2006/07 Madeleine Angevine Sharpham Estate (9.95, Waitrose), which is "a modern, young white with notes of lemon and grapefruit".
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Jancis Robinson MW is aware everything is laid on for wine writers so on a recent trip to Napa she decided to rough it with the hoi polloi and "pose as a wine tourist to see what is available to the casual visitor". The main theme from her piece is that the term casual' is in fact misplaced as "the wine tourist has to organise things well in advance". And her top prize for Napa Valley wine tourism experience? The Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, of course.
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Jamie Goode's choices are nothing if not extravagant this week with a "state banquet" theme providing his inspiration. The 2004 Corton-Charlemagne Bouchard (79, Waitrose) comes highly recommended, as "no state dinner would be complete without a serious white Burgundy". Elsewhere, he flags up the "stunning" 2000 Barolo Mascarello (43.50, Berry Bros & Rudd) with its "lovely fresh acidity and grippy tannins".
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"Ros is capable of being so much more than just an alcoholic refresher," Victoria Moore tells us. This is especially true when talking about the buying level, "more or less a fiver or a tenner", at which we operate, she adds. Her personal favourites this week include the "big beast" that is the 2007 Ros Vinha da Urze (5.99, M&S) and the 2007 Malbec Ros Altosur (5.99, Majestic) with its "rich, summer pudding flavours".
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Sauvignon Blanc "rarely improves with age, so almost all should be drunk young," says Joanna Simon. For her this is one of the main attractions, she adds, but this is not the case amongst her UK sommelier friends. Regardless of their views, Simon selects a few of her current favourites. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Clos Henri (14.40, Les Caves de Pyrne) has a "smoky, gooseberry intensity" with potential to age while the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Iona (9.99, Waitrose) has "exceptionally pure fruit".
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"The South African wine industry is aware there is a problem, even if it's not very good at detecting it," says Anthony Rose. He is referring to a recent industry talking point concerning an "unpleasant off-odour and taste in some bottles" of South African wine. Described variously as burnt rubber, rhubarb or sun-dried tomato, Rose states the problem is not a new one. A British MW trip to the Cape in 1976 "set the Pinotage cause back by years" when they discovered a rusty nails smell to the wines, he reveals. It's not all bad news though as the issue is being looked into, Rose assures us, while he praises the region on its progress over the last decade. "It's heartwarming to see that a new generation of savvy winemakers has expanded the frontiers of wine to select the right match between location and grape variety."
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Given the paucity of talent when it came to last summer's Tetrapack and PET wine offerings "[it's] no wonder discerning festival-goers took to decanting their best outdoor swigs into plastic bottles," says Jane MacQuitty. All is not lost this summer, however, with some eco-friendly options getting her thumbs up. La Baume's one-litre pouches for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc (7.49, Waitrose) come most highly recommended. MacQuitty rounds off with the ultimate compliment for alternative packaging. "Even the notoriously traditional French, who so hate screwcaps, have embraced wine cartons with gusto," she concludes.
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Recent UK market research has found British consumers to consider German wines "cheap, sweet and basic". Anthony Rose admits it's "tough for German wine to extricate itself from the mire" but thankfully "the quality of its trump card, estate-produced Riesling, has never been better". Good vintages could be seen in 2003 and 2005 but it is 2007 that is "producing wines of great purity, balance and class". For this year, Rose recommends consumers should investigate dry styles from Leitz and Knstler in the Rheingau, Karthuserhof in the Mosel, Wittmann in the Rheinhessen, Mller-Catoir and Brklin Wolf and von Buhl in the Rheinpfalz.
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If we sideline Jane MacQuitty's rant about the stratospheric prices for the "mediocre" 2007 Bordeaux vintage, there remain some interesting recommendations this week. The 2006 Malbec Alamos (5.24, Bibendum) is a "tasty, top dog Argentinian red" while the 2004 Burgundy Meursault Jean-Marc Bouzereau (19.99, selected Tesco stores) is "complete with lots of burnt, buttered toast flavours on the finish".
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