How should wines be sealed? This issue continues to fret the trade. Those who believe in screwcaps correctly argue that they make it far less likely that wine will go off. Up to 5 per cent of all bottles are ‘corked’, as oxidation and sourness result from air penetrating an inadequate cork. Sometimes the effect is almost undetectable; sometimes it’s gaggingly horrible. We don’t get many complaints here at the wine club, but when someone writes, ‘This wine you recommended so highly tasted like vinegar’, I know the bottle was corked. Incidentally, all our merchants will change any bottle that’s off, without quibble.
Supporters of cork say that the opening ritual is a traditional pleasure for the wine-drinker. They also point out that corks are helping to protect an ancient way of life. Detractors say the rest of the world should not have to drink bad wine just to protect a few cork-growers from the modern world. They add that the industry has had decades to adjust, and should have spent money on finding new markets, rather than paying, say, the Portuguese manager of Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, to persuade us to cling to an outdated product. Meanwhile, the Circle of Wine Writers’ newsletter had a cartoon of a mediaeval rep showing a tavern-keeper a new-fangled invention, the glass bottle. ‘Oh no,’ the barman says, ‘my customers will always want the romance of goatskin.’
I mention this because our first wine, from the excellent Tanners of Shrewsbury, is from Alentejo, where almost half the cork in the world is grown. Naturally this Marquês de Borba White 20051 is sealed with a cork. This region of southern Portugal has made immense strides and now produces a delicious, scented, fruit-filled, zesty wine which is perfect with food or as an aperitif. Like all wines in this offer, it has been generously discounted. Almost 15 per cent off brings it down to a very reasonable £5.50.
Gavi was once a very fashionable Italian wine, and is still popular today, not least because the Cortese grape stays spritzy and well-balanced even in the recent baking summers. This Gavi di Gavi from La Chiara 20052 is herby, fruity and has a satisfying mineral undertone. Another great wine with food, reduced by £1 a bottle.
My quest for good value Chablis continues, and I’m very pleased indeed with this Chablis Caractère 20043 made by Moreau-Naudet et fils. It’s a slightly experimental wine; Stephane Moreau keeps the sediment, or lees, separate from the rest of the fermenting juice, letting it develop different complex flavours, then stirs it back in to give an extra richness. Delicious. The £1.30 discount brings it down to just £8.65.
Now the reds. Rhône wines are hugely popular now and seem to get better and better. Ch. du Grand Moulas Côtes du Rhône-Villages 20044 is typical of the tremendous value you can get these days. It’s grown on rocky soil near Uchaux, which is what gives it that depth of flavour and peppery spice. Half Shiraz, half Grenache, it’s a real mouthful, and irresistible at £6.60 — £1 off.
Beaujolais is bouncing back fast, following various minor scandals and the greater outrage of Beaujolais Nouveau. Régnié is the most recent commune and the highest — you can see Mont Blanc from the vineyard — to be designated one of the ten Beaujolais crus, alongside Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent and the rest. This Ch. Chassantour 20045 is deliciously light, even perfumed, as different from the nouveau sump oil as it’s possible to be, and a real treat, especially with 10 per cent off the price.
Finally, from northern Spain, now one of the world’s great wine regions, we’re offering the superb Condado de Haza 20046, from the Ribera del Duero region. It is a Tempranillo, grown on a variety of soils, all of which add to the complex layering of flavours. And it has 15 months in American oak. Decant it well before you serve it to your delighted guests.
Delivery, as ever, is free, and there is a sample case of two each of all the wines.
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