Angela Mount's Top 10 Recommendations From Waitrose Wines
Waitrose regularly win the gongs for Best wine supermarket and best wine buying team in the major UK competitions. I’ve reviewed a selection of their range recently and here are some of my latest favourites.
Waitrose Prosecco
There’s a lovely softness and creaminess to this well-selected , highly popular fizz from northern Italy. With a lot of nasty, acidic Prosecco now hitting the market at the moment, it’s great to find a well made, gentle, charmingly fruity one, showing a delicate stream of bubbles. With a soft, peachy fragrance, and lively flavours of russet apples and ripe pears, it’s a refreshing glass of fizz, with a creamy finish. Prosecco is all about keeping things light and fun, and at under £10 you won’t go far wrong with this . Great for early Christmas parties, or as a well deserved treat at the end of a long day!
Average price: £7.49 | Click here to see the best price for this product
Kleine Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc
I love the exuberant fruitiness of this dry white wine from South Africa. It’s the newly arrived 2013 vintage and there’s real character and liveliness leaping out of the glass from the first taste. On the nose, it’s all about aromas of tropical fruits, with guava, pineapple and passion fruit in there; on the palate, it’s a rich mix of nectarines and peaches, with a squeeze of fresh lime, and a deliciously crisp, citrusy edge. Chenin blanc is a great food wine, and this one would cope very well with fruity middle eastern tagines, citrusy chicken, and mildly spiced fish dishes. A good match for classic roast pork and apple sauce too!
Santa Julia Malbec
This little gem from Argentina, is a great value, versatile, and very attractive red, equally at home with grilled steak, barbecues, or warming bowls of stew or pasta. It’s made from the Malbec, Argentina’s national grape variety, and is bursting with rich, cardamom spiced plum and black cherry character. Unlike many big, macho Malbecs, this one has a wonderful softness and gentle velvety style – a supple, smooth and moreish latino number, perfect for weekday suppers.
Waitrose Douro Reserva
This elegant red from northern Portugal, has been blended exclusively for Waitrose, on an estate which clings to the steep slopes of the beautiful Douro Valley. There’s a restrained richness and power to this wine, with its bold, ripe fig, and damson plum aromas. It’s packed full of character and layers of flavours, with hints of mocha, wild herbs and sweet hedgerow fruit. Well crafted, with fine tannins and a harmonious balance, it’s supple and stylish and great with braised meats, and rich game dishes. If you haven’t tried Portuguese reds before, this is a good place to start.
Baron De Ley Rioja Reserva
Classic Rioja, which has been matured for 20 months in oak, and then left to develop for 2 years in bottle, before hitting our shelves. With a bit of maturity and a warm, velvety, welcoming style, it is full of ripe red berry fruit, enhanced by soft, vanilla and gentle oak character, with a hint of coconut on the finish. Silky and structured, it oozes a smooth, warm charm, and would be spot on with roast lamb, rich chicken and chorizo casserole, or a platter of cured hams and mature cheese.
Waitrose Saint-Emilion
An exclusive blend, of which the Waitrose team can be justly proud. It’s so easy to get Saint –Emilion wrong, and too many of these wines, trade on their name, and fail to deliver on flavor and style. This one does the job. It has classic aromas of ripe plums, black cherries with wafts of cedarwood and tobacco leaf, which add depth . On the palate, it’s beautifully smooth, and balanced, with well integrated tannins, a rich dark berry fruit, and a supple, stylish finish. Great structure, and classic character, it’s a very approachable, well made wine, and cries out to be served with roast beef!
The Chocolate Block
Sink into a glass of this, and revel in its rich, velvety intensity, power and seductiveness. Opulent, polished, and poised, this is a multi award winning wine, made by South African winemaker Marc Kent, at one of the country’s best wineries, Boekenhoutskloof , where the Syrah grape reigns supreme. It has developed a bit of a cult following, as more and more people have discovered the magic, of its dark, powerful richness. As well as deep, brooding black fruit character, as the name suggests it has flavours of rich, dark chocolate and mocha. Yet it’s not overpowering, managing to combine its bold intensity, with a soft, elegance and structure. Made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet and Cinsault, lose yourself in its velvety warmth with bold, full flavoured stews, spiced steaks, and rich game dishes.
Average price: £20.82 | Click here to see the best price for this product
Waitrose Fino
I’m a self- confessed Fino lover; it is one of the most glorious wines in the world, yet is still so misunderstood. With the rising popularity of Sherry and Tapas bars, this underrated drink is finally getting something of a revival. You can’t beat this as a mouth-watering, tongue-tingling aperif, but it’s great with food also. The Waitrose blend is from Lustau, one of the best producers in Jerez; its fresh, its tangy, with a sea-salty, bone dry, mineral tang, and a searingly fresh, nutty character. Served chilled with a plate of seafood, bowls of marcona almonds, salty olives or little fried whitebait, it is perfect. Drink it fresh, and keep the bottle in the fridge.
Waitrose Late Bottled Vintage Port
A sumptuous treat – this wine comes from one of the top producers in the Port region, and has a deep, mellow, smooth style, which is very seductive. It’s full of luscious, dark, blackberry and blueberry fruit, with hints of violets, warm spice and dark chocolate on the nose. Dense, sweet, perfumed and sumptuous, this Port delivers fragrance, style, character and depth. Stilton to match.. yes please!
Heston's Earl Grey And Lemon Gin
Heston's earl grey and lemon gin is a heady blend of botanicals and aromatics; it has a naturally sweet character, with attractive aromas of candied citrus peel, and sweetly spiced bergamot. it has a perfumed, ripe citrus flavour, with hints of lavender and spring flowers. Keep a bottle in the fridge, and pour over crushed ice, with slices of lemon, splash in some tonic water and serve with a sprig of basil.
*This article is showing the average prices calculated on the 52 weeks before 06/11/2013.