Today’s Top Tips sees a continuation of a the unfamiliar grape theme but also provides an update on a consistently reliable Spanish rosé.
It is no surprise that the “little known variety” wine is from Languedoc where innovation has been almost a watchword for a while.
Equally unsurprising is that it is sold by Waitrose who (with M&S) have devoted much attention to these unusual grapes.
To be fair, though, other retailers are also pursuing this theme now.
Its partner is from Rioja – a well-established region that, laudably, still happily treads the path of continuous improvement.
Hence the revamped rosé featured today.
Since it’s summertime, no red wine this time but I have not deserted it – some should appear next week
The images and the hyperlink provided should help you to find them in crowded displays.
Starting with a white.
2024 Loved & Found Bourboulenc (£9.25 at Waitrose and 12% abv):
Egged on by contributors to the Comments section, I continue the pursuit of value by seeking out lesser known grapes with this (principally) Languedoc white.
Although unaccompanied here, it is often used in blends and is even a permitted white grape in red Chateauneuf du Pape.
Opening with peach aromas and a welcoming crispness, this example is centred on ripe quince and apple flavours.
These are partnered by vibrant lime acidity and a light, pithy savouriness – but with mild sweeter spice components too.
Now for the recrafted rosé
2024 Ramón Bilbao Rosé (£7.75 – instead of £8.75 until 14 July at the Co-op and 12.5%)
Acclaimed Rioja producer Ramón Bilbao has given his rosé a make-over that involves a new label design and slightly pinker colour.
Although marginally tweaked, the wine itself remains excellent with 20% viura added to its garnacha core, and a mere three hours of skin contact to keep colour extraction under control.
In the result, inviting floral aromas lead into subtle strawberry and red currant flavours enlivened by grapefruit and tangerine acidity.
All this is supported by herb and eucalyptus hints and a concluding, gentle twist of tarragon based savouriness.
Join me again on Thursday when we take a more detailed look at the world of wine.
10 responses
One of my wife’s favourite sayings is “Patience is a virtue,often found in women, but never in a man”.Usually deployed on the M56 in a traffic jam.
Well patience can be a virtue, but can also lead to procrastination, which was the case with Connoisseur Rouge Prestige Côtes de Gascogne 12.5% abv £11 Wickham Wines.
Previously recommended by Brian and then bought by me and left in the wine rack as the blend was an unremarkable “Bored-oh” mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which did not leap out as interesting.
I was so wrong- incredibly light, fresh and an eagle on the label- Le gardien des cieux. There would not be a glut of Bordeaux red wines if more were made in this style,price and quality.
The whites in the same Connoisseur range are also very good and Wickham delivers free on any six bottle minimum order.
Today I looked up the wife’s ditty and it turns out the original was “Patience is a virtue,Possess it if you can. T’is seldom found in women,but never in a man”.Seems to even it out a bit…
It was the lightness of the touch that really struck me with the example I tasted in June last year from the 2022 vintage. I see that Wickhams are on the 2024 vintage now (but still at a great value price £11).
Just received this message from MidWeeker Nick … “Hello Brian as the hot weather rolls on with no end in sight, I’m wondering whether you might raise a thread asking people what rosato or red wine works well chilled? I do like Rose but it’s not enough sometimes, and temperatures are so warm now that red wine is often not as satisfying as it should be.”.
So can the knowledgeable tribe that comprises this site’s Comments Community come up with recommendations? I am sure we can can give Nick a steer or three before the sunshine deserts us.
Hi Nick
I may be in the minority here but I do like my reds chilled, probalby more than most, and that means all of them, even in the winter.
Ok, some say that it can exaggerate the tannins, I find it doesn’t, for me it brings out the fruit flavour, almost making it juicier and fresher
The usual suspects are always good chilled , Beaujolais, Frappato, Pinot Noir, Valpolicella in fact, any of the lighter reds
Spain and Greece in particular like to serve their reds chilled, often found in an ice bucket in some bars.
I find Rioja particularly agreeable chilled , often making it seem brighter, I opened an Agramont Garnacha (From Lidl) recently and I had it in the fridge for a couple of hours , it was lovely, even better in the 30 degree heat we are getting at the moment.
So don’t be frightened to chill reds, if the flavour is for any reason muted then just let it warm up a bit, I generally chill mine for around 20-30 minutes, if the weather is hot then longer maybe up to an hour
Why not pour a glass at room temp and one that’s been chilled, and try for yourself, if the weather is hot, I bet you go for the chilled, I know which one I would go for
13. 2023 Unearthed Macedonian Kratosija
Hi Nick
This red – on the list of The Times (Jane MC…) best summer bottles under £8 – had it last night with roast chicken put an ice collar on bottle – excellent
Aldi – and only 13.5 %- article says 14
There ya go Nick some sound advice from Dave Cronin. Worth hearing. He knows where he’s at!
And I tend towards Dave’s proposition of bringing down the temperature of any red wine for certain good reasons.
The ambient, internal temperature of houses these days might well be just either side of 20’C all year round, dependent on personal needs, mainly determined by the use of central heating but also difficult to control ventilation in very hot summer weather. Elsewhere in the world it’s very often air conditioning that determines this keeping the ambient at a lower level. All my wine is kept indoors and I’d say is usually sitting at a way higher temperature resting point than is good for it. I’ve nowhere else to locate it. So store it as carefully as we might then chill it down to something that works better as required.
Then subjectivity influences both our preferences for what we taste and what we enjoy and prefer most. I don’t really subscribe any more to saying you’ll like this! There’s plenty of chance you’ll not. I say I like it, and then like it more when it’s cheaper too. You decide if you’ll buy some.
Objectively for sure there’s a way forward by listening to the experts with fine palates. They are after all Masters Of Wine for a reason. They give chapter and verse on what is what but at entry level Bergerac there’s not as much to speak about as there is for a Petrus or Lafite. You pays your money…
So we make the best of what we can afford and like what we like that others may not … and vice versa more and more I find. The environment on MWW tends not to be of a negative tendency and yet I drink lots of recommendations spoken about here that I personally don’t prefer. My taste buds are not those of others. My opinion not necessarily theirs.
So in giving a lead for Nick on lighter reds, that might well show good character if chilled as well, perhaps try the German end of things with some Trollinger, Blauburgunder or Dornfelder that unfortunately because of the nature of the British wine selling beast you won’t find a lot of readily available on the shelves. Surprising when both Lidl and Aldi are for instance German outfits and they offer little here of that countries massive indigenous stockpile.
Personally my best finds in the last few years have been TWS Spätburgunder Bio Rupertsberg, basically a Pinot Noir. Except the 2022 was outstanding in anybodies book but I was so disappointed with the 2023 by comparison. The ’22 was transluscent and almost rosada-like. Amazing stuff. And it’s a red made like a red.
The Müller Austrian rosé at Lidl I like a lot and very much the Aldi English, Lyme Bay Winery, Bowler & Brolly Pinot Noir plus Précoce was again for me a great compromise between light red and rosé. They say Lyme Bay, where it’s processed but most of the grapes are from the Crouch Valley in Essex that’s gaining a terrific reputation these day.
Maybe something to try would be what was once considered almost the best rosé in Europe, Tavel, that is a lot heavier/darker than for instance any Provençal or Bordeaux bottle I’ve ever encountered. It cosies-up against Châteauneuf and Gigondas in the southern Rhône and seems to draw some of its depth from those big, dark Grenache based wines from that locality. Tesco have one I like for around £13, Arbousset, that ain’t cheap, but it could be considered as worth it.
Cheers for now ….
Hi Nick,
I don’t,think any of these will let you down.
The Wine Atlas Île-de-Beauté Rosé £6.97 11% abv Bargain.Asda exclusive.
Famille Perrin Arc Du Soleil Camargue £9.48 12.5%abv.Accomplished.Liked by many.
GÉRARD BERTRAND Cote Des Roses 13% abv..Normally £10.48 but with £1.70 off on rollback in my Asda store.Very pretty bottle and wine.
Basilicata Rosato Le Ralle, Alovini 2024 The Wine Society £10.95.Lovely Italian Rosato ,full flavoured and fruity ,generous 13% abv with a bit of grip from Agliciano grape.My favourite.Proper pink.
Hi Nick,
As I’ve swapped the heat and humidity of SE England for similar heat and gentle breeze at the heel of Italy this week I feel I should be drawing attention to the M&S Found Susumaniello Rosé that Brian reviewed and recommended back in November (2024).
I know I’ve beefed on before about discovering red wines made from Susumaniello as an alternative to ubiquitous Primitivo or Negroamaro in Puglia but a Susumaniello rosé is of course a far lighter and ‘summer-appropriate’ alternative. I’m still seeking out and purchasing bold 14.5% Susumaniello reds on this trip but they’ll be coming home with me for consumption on the dark dank nights of winter
Sound comments from the regular MWW contributors. I too like my reds chilled, how much dependent on the wine style. But it is personal preference, my wife is less keen. I think the common adage that red wine is often served at too high a temperature, and much white wine too cold, is generally true. When the weather is warmer I also like to have lower ABV wines. A couple of weeks back, our Saturday evening wines were a 2024 M&S Found Nerello Cappuccio, a lovely red at only 11 degrees ABV, and a 2024 Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu, from Sainsburys, at 10.5 degrees ABV. Perfect for patio dining, and made us nostalgic for when these strengths were pretty normal.
In the hot summer of a couple of years ago, several bottles stored in my garage were spoiled, so I converted a large redundant fridge to a wine storage cabinet, and keep the temperature around 14 degrees. This works well for me, as, with very short notice, I can take a white out and stick in my ordinary fridge to take it down a tad, and/or take a red wine out to warm up slightly. I also have a couple of those pottery wine cooling containers. We fill them with cold water for a while, then empty that over our fig tree, insert the bottles and the magic of latent heat keeps the bottles cool!
Wow, what a selection from you good people
Thank you very much.
Heading off to Aldi now to start the shopping list and will work on from there. Marks & Spencer‘s will be my next port of call I think. Thank you everybody.