I was just going to go for the one bottle this week, but then realized I’d be doing this up at my parent’s house. The idea of just one bottle between the four of us just didn’t really work, so The Taste The Difference Douro from Sainsbury’s and the Cottas Douro from Spirited Wines were up!
The Taste The Difference went first. £8.25 this one as a usual price, but as with always the way at somewhere like Sainsbury’s there will be a few points art some point in the year when this’ll be on at £6 or something like that. Deep ruby red in colour, the smell was nice without being pronounced. Brambles, dark cherries, a bit candied fruit, the smell was plenty fresh without bursting out of the glass at you. The big body came from firm, grippy tannins, and a decent level of alcohol at 13.5%. A 12/20 for me, good as it was, but if on offer at £6 it’d be a steal!
The Cottas, £15.47 from Spirited Wines, was again a dark ruby colour, but much more pronounced on the nose. Dark cherry was joined by vanilla and chocolate from oak ageing. A slightly higher acidity made the full body much more balanced, and the tannins were a lot less grippy. A lovely smooth wine, a very nice 14/20 from me.
The food went great. I got the silverside of beef just right in the oven, plenty of pink in the middle. I used a bit of the TTD to go into the sauce, which all married up very nicely. In terms of the chocolate, the dark chocolate fruit and nut was amazing with the wines. Pity I only a couple of pieces of that, I could’ve munched on that all night.
Cheers
Mike
Other posts in #NWTW 55:
#NWTW 55 – D is for the Douro!
