The latest wine collection from Lidl is now on the shelves – and this time it is not restricted to France. The high quality and sharp prices of earlier initiatives are, however, maintained with some stunningly good – and great value – wines in the mix.
Here are a few of the high points.
Click on any of the bottles shown for an enlarged image to help you pinpoint the wine on a crowded shelf.
Brilliant Portuguese Red
The picturesque Douro river will forever be linked to the port industry it serves so well but it also produces some great table wines.
The ripe but juicy 2013 Azinhaga de Ouro Douro Reserva Vinho Tinto(£5.49) is one, with its spicy blackberry and cherry flavours, raspberry acidity and a finish that combines touches of both vanilla and chocolate.
Bold and Intense Chianti
Chianti at entry point prices tends to be lighter in texture and meeker than more expensive versions – but not this guy!
Enjoy then the intense, nutty and minty black cherry fruit of 2012 Fortezza dei Colli Chianti Classico (£6.99) with its supplementary hints of cloves and mocha and its bright, bold acidity.
Ignore this and you’ll regret it
Spain’s Priorat region is not on everyone’s radar but fans of powerful and complex reds will love it.
The usual downside (prices well over £10), however, do not apply to 2010 Vinya Carles Priorat Crianza(£5.99) which makes its violet influenced, concentrated, raspberry and mulberry fruit and slatey minerality available to everyone.
An Unexpected Jewel
While rioja from red grapes has prospered, white rioja (and its often unlovely grape, viura) seldom reach the same heights.
So, meet a notable and brilliantly priced exception – 2014 Cepa Lebrel Blanco (£4.99); it has soft yet rounded, ripe melon fruit with a slight prickle, citrus acidity to provide balance and a gently spicy finish.
Exactly how good sweeties should be
Dessert wines are still lamentably overlooked by most drinkers but when done well they can be superb.
Bordeaux’s 2010 L’Escloupey Cadillac (£7.99) demonstrates that viewpoint perfectly with an intense honey and maple syrup backbone and peach-centred texture but attractive grapefruit marmalade touches that keep it light, clean and gently acidic.
