Wines in the press - August 26-29

Published: 31 August, 2010

Guardian
Victoria Moore is talking to New Zealander, Sam Harrop MW who thinks we're spending thousands on cases of en primeur Bordeaux when there's a region producing red wines showing better terroir, and with more vibrancy for a fraction of the price.

Victoria Moore is talking to New Zealander, Sam Harrop MW who thinks we're spending thousands on cases of en primeur Bordeaux when there's a region producing red wines showing better terroir, and with more vibrancy for a fraction of the price.

Harrop is talking about the Loire and specifically its Cabernet Franc, says Moore. He's not unbiased she adds, as he's just spent four years advising Loire wine-makers on how they might improve their wines for the British palate.

But he does have a point. Moore thinks Cabernet franc is under-valued, not just at the top level, but all the way down to the supermarket shelf. In the past Loire reds were often over-extracted, green and stalky-tasting - something Harrop's Project Cabernet Franc has attempted to remedy.

Moore recommends Les Nivières Saumur 2009 (£6.99, Waitrose) or Domaine de la Paleine Cuvée de Printemps Saumur 2008 (£9.60, Tanners).

Telegraph

In the belief that certain bottles are seasonal, Susy Atkins says these are the last few weeks to drink pink. "Never mind that the marketing folk bleat on and on about 'thinking pink' all year round. I don't want to. Chilled rosé goes with alfresco lunches, salads and barbies, hot summer parties and light early evenings. It doesn't go with roast turkey, crackling log fires or, yeuch, hot dogs on Bonfire Night."

Atkins' favourites come from Bordeaux, Provence, Navarra and Rioja; regions that tend towards a well-balanced, subtle style. She says drink them cold with savoury food; dry rosé is fab with salty snacks, charcuterie, cold chicken and prawns.

Her recomemndation is Domaine de Sours Rose 2009 Bordeaux, France (Sainsbury's, £6.59).

The Times

Chardonnay has suffered several humiliations says Tim Atkin MW. Unknowingly, the likes of Hardy's and Orlando bought Chardonnay mixed with sultana juice from the now defunct Rivers Wine.

To some people, particularly those who belong to the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement, this latest humiliation is no less than the variety warrants, he adds.

Atkin thinks it deserves better. "Yes, there are plenty of dull examples around, but when the stuff is good it's stupendous." Part of its problem is ubiquity, but before the early 1970s, it was almost unheard of. Its rise to prominence in the New World is comparitively recent.

It used to be easy to tell white Burgundies and their New World imitators apart, but the gap has narrowed.

If you like Chardonnay there has never been a better time to enjoy what it has to offer. Margaret River (Australia), Limari and Casablanca (Chile), the Sonoma Coast and Santa Barbara (California), the Willamette Valley (Oregon), Walker Bay and Constantia (South Africa) and the Uco Valley (Argentina) are increasingly making wines that have the freshness of good white Burgundy.

Daily Mail

This summer's World Cup champions Spain have a lot more to celebrate than just their footballing prowess as their wines have never tasted better, says Olly Smith. The country is a marvellous hotbed of contradictions wine-wise, producing everything from sherry in the far south to Rioja in the north. There's also Cava which is made via the same traditional method as Champagne and tastes unique thanks to the use of local grape varieties, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo.

If you're after young, fresh wines, Albarino from Galicia is one of Smith's favourite summer tipples. He recommends Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Albarino 2009 (£6.99).

Spain is equally famous for its reds. Jose Pizarro, the "godfather of Spanish cuisine in Britain", is passionate about the connection between Spanish food and red wine.

"I love Marques de Valdueza in Extremadura, near where I grew up. Its signature red goes beautifully with rich meats and cheeses - the heart of every Spanish meal - and with lamb it's simply sensational," he says.

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