Last week I went down to the Waitrose Wine Tasting releasing their range for the autumn and winter of 2015/16. It’s another of these days where you walk into a room with knocking on 200 wines in there. I’m in there with all the great and the good of the UK wine press, and a few of them have to whizz round and make notes on each and every one of them. That’s pretty hardcore tasting!
I just decided to float round, have a sip of each and everyone, and if I thought it warranted it, I had a more serious go at it and made my notes. I got home, sorted out my top three whites, reds, and others, and here are the lists for you fine people!
So if you’re close to a Waitrose and fancy popping in for a bit of wine, here are the whites I thought were worth a go at…
The Friday Night “Thank The Stars That Week’s Over” Bottle
O’Leary Walker, Polish Hill River, Riesling 2011 (Clare Valley, AUS) @ £12.99
This one is really fresh, acidic, and tart in a good way. Lime peel and green apple flavours are what hit your mouth first, with there’s a kick of flinty minerality on the taste. It all leaves your mouth feeling refreshed and ready for the next sip or bite of food. This will be a perfect pairing with your Friday night takeaway, whatever you’re thinking of ordering, but will nail it with spicy or fatty dishes. I really loved this one!
The Special Occasion
Robert Oatley, Finisterre, Chardonnay 2014 (Margaret River, AUS) @ £18.99
Some people don’t like oaked chardonnay, and I get that, especially the ones that were badly made 10 years ago anyway. This one, however, is beautifully done! There’s a smokiness, vanilla, white peach, lemon, nut, and all really subtle and well mixed, so nothing annihilates your mouth like they used to. £19 is maybe more than most are happy to spend, so it’s a special treat. Roast chicken on Sunday afternoon and a bottle of this? Job done!
The “Worth a Punt”
The Menagerie, Exotic Collection 2014 (NZ) @ £7.79
I had a double take when I looked at the blend here. It’s a mix of 5 grapes including favourites like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. They’ve basically picked 5 really aromatic grapes from the different parts of the country and thrown it all in a pot and come up with a great wine. The smells and tastes are countless, but there’s sweet fruit, ginger, lemon, lime, all those kinds of things. Well worth a try!
