Highlights today include:
- A young cherry and plum influenced chianti.
- Advice not to let the current superb Riservas distract you from its charms.
- Its companion white, which is also Italian.
- This is another of our “unfamiliar but great value” wines.
- Relish its clarity and impressive flavour range.
As is normal here, pictures and hyperlinks are provided where possible to guide you straight to the right wine on shelf or web page.
First up is that youthful red.
2024 Chianti (£7.15 at the Co-op and 12% abv):
Much current excitement surrounds the brilliant 2021 Chianti Riservas, and I shall be lauding another of them in a fortnight’s time.
Don’t let them blindside you, however, to the straight forward pleasures that can be derived from youthful versions like this.
Lively acidity and limited tannin help make its savoury edged, cherry, plum and loganberry flavours even more attractive.
These sit well with its medium bodied texture that contains touches of cinnamon, nuts and liquorice with some typical sangiovese herbal influences also popping up.
NB:- Instore and website prices may vary.
And, staying in Italy
2024 Loved & Found Famoso (£9.25 at Waitrose and 12% abv):
Our search for value by concentrating on unfamiliar grape varieties takes us today – and not for the first time – to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.
There we find the recently re-discovered famoso grape which is often described as “floral and aromatic”.
As well as herbal fragrances, it is the clarity of this wine that impressed me – but its soft mango, red apple and ripe William pear flavours are not so dusty either.
These are harmoniously coupled with sharp grapefruit acidity and supported by traces of marzipan within its cream soda texture.
After today’s focus on a couple of retailers, we have a single supplier review lined up when we meet again later in the week – with the latest Lidl Wine Tour.
11 responses
Hi Brian,
The Famoso is top class,here is some TWS news:
Last Saturday, off to the Wine Society’s (TWS) Big Wine Weekend event in Liverpool in the Crypt Hall of the Metropolitan Cathedral- known affectionately by Scousers- as Paddy’s Wigwam.
Points/ signal failure- which seems to blight our creaking railways-so stuck on stationary Merseyrail train for nearly an hour, but royally entertained by a red sequinned jacket and dress mixed choir, followed by the train driver belting out Michael Jackson and Abba songs on the tannoy, which led to impromptu dancing.
Real concern that the wine tasting would be an anti climax, but no!
The Crypt is a marvellous venue and good to know that the Catholic god is in favour of wine drinking, as long as it is hidden and underground.
55 wines, five outstanding producers, a selection of wine champion wines, blind tasting and a sense that we, the mutual members, were being connected to exceptional wines by people who care.
Last minute change- instead to two separate sessions, there was one long session from 1.30 pm to 7pm, but come and go as you please and there was a series of 20 minute mini tasting sessions by two TWS buyers for newbies and the wine unconfident.Both good ideas.
There was a short “points/ signal” delay at wines 1 to 6, so the wife and I switched to the late addition Icon wines table ,Wines 53, 54 and 55,a Paulliac 2016,a Chianti Classico 2015 and a Ridge Pagani Zinfandel 2019.Anti climax thoughts gone.
Maruxa Godello ,Valdeorras 2024.Stand out superb white wine.Soft, peachy scrumptiousness, £12.50
Mendes & Symington Contacto Alvarinho Vinho Verde 2024. Spot on, serious and capable of ageing to 2032.£16.
Now for two Champion winners under £10 that impressed me:
Familie Mantler Gemischter Satz Niederösterreich 2024.A lovely three grape variety field blend white wine. £8.75 Bargain.The press have turned cartwheels about this wine.
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Vigna Corvina 2023.The best of the cheaper red wines.£9.50.Another bargain.
Regular MWW readers will know about TWS efforts to sell me sweet Riesling ( Hoorah- spelt correctly) at £38 a pop.
Surprise bonus -Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Spätlese Künster 2022.Rich, creamy, but somehow steely, 7% abv- only £24 a bottle!
All prices attract a 10% discount valid for seven days for attendees.
Wines accompanied by optional cheeses supplied by the excellent Liverpool Cheese Company.The Seville orange cheese- sublime.
As we were leaving, a TWS member turned to me and said “What a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon”.
Hi Paul
I agree about the Famoso, fabulous for the price, very aromatic.
I’m also with you on the Maruxa Godello, I’ve just ordered some more along with the Buil & Giné ‘Giné, Giné’, Priorat 2021 and a few other Spanish bottles (Surprise Surprise), should arrive soon, can’t wait.
Hello David,
You might be interested in a thread I started on the TWS Community website entitled “ I say Godello, you say Gouveio” which has had a big response.I go into some detail, -the most important is that they are the same grape, despite 26 synonyms.Spain v Portugal that sort of stuff.
The other bugbear of mine is that Godello is not pronounced God hello, but Go-day-yo.
I am a member of TWS but didn’t know of the TWS event – wouldn’t have very able to attend but I will look out for this in the future.
Big fan of Waitrose L&F range but recently have been reducing wine intake and spreading bottle over two days I find the reconstituted cork impossible to reuse. Clngfilm seems to work fine however.
Have passed on your cork concerns to the Waitrose team
Thank you Brian, though as it seems to be part of the branding of the range I think would take something serious to prompt a change.
Given the impossibility of reinserting a synthetic cork after opening I’ve always assumed producers expect us to drink the lot David. Where I worry is getting the cork OUT!
But in all seriousness I guess a screwtop bottle for inexpensive wines is more user-friendly and an everyday wine would surely not deteriorate noticeably if kept for 24 hrs? Personally I tend to use a vacuum pump device to take the air out of the bottle and reseal with a stopper until the next day. Seems to work fine for the everyday wines I’m drinking.
Hello Keith
I have not noticed any deterioration over 24 hours or sometimes longer without the old vacu vin which got lost or binned due to lack of use (an open bottle is a …)
I think it was Malcolm Gluck who had a thing about wines improving when open for a day or two and regularly testing this
Lidl Wine Tour:
The August Tour looks a cracker. Richard Bamfield, MW, has 6 wines (all whites) that have scores of 90 or higher.
And 2 of these are on an offer of £2 off with a Lidl Plus card.
I’ve just popped into a Felixstowe branch and availability is good, although noted that the £2 off was not labelled in the aisle, but does come off OK at the till.
I bought the 2024 Muller Gruner Veltliner, Loss & Schotter @ £8.99 down to £6.99. I very much enjoyed their Austrian Rose recently. Another Austrian, a 2024 Muskateller £9.99 down to £7.99. This had a 93 score. Rather like a Gewürztraminer, I often find Muskateller a touch too floral for me. But here, the wine notes suggest pairing with Thai fishcakes or smoked mackerel, which sounds great advice! I am beginning to regard Austrian wines, of all colours, to be amongst the most reliable and best value wines available. Lastly bought a 2024 Riesling Trocken Deidesheim Hofstuck – another opportunity to move my personal Riesling status from Liking them to Loving them!
I await Brian’s verdict on Saturday to see whether he and Richard B are sympatico.
Hello Richard,
Did you miss the naughty bird on the label?
Vermentino Toscana Wine £7.99. 90 points.
The birds have never let me down!
Yes, I contemplated buying that. Had I looked at the label and saw the bird I would have bought it. Will remedy on my next visit. Hope no makers of bad wine are MWW followers, otherwise there will be a flood of bad overpriced wine with pretty bird labels flooding the UK. Will rely on you to spot them and warn us all.