Helen McGinn I’ve been tasting a lot of wine this week, about 100 a day, at the International Wine Challenge in London. Yesterday, an old friend and fellow wine judge reminded me of the time we tasted a flight (the fancy name for a line up of wines) of Cabernet Sauvignons from Chile together, almost twenty years ago, at the same competition. At the time, there wasn’t much of it about here. Bowled over by the flavours, we thought they might just become A Thing. Little did we know. Even after all these years, the competition is still full of surprises. So far this week, I’ve tasted wines from Croatia, China, India, Japan and Turkey. They’ve got some way to go before they give Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon a run for its money but still, the wine landscape is constantly evolving. There’s so much to discover. I’ll never know it all – and I love that.
Current white in the fridge: Hunky Dory The Tangle
Price: £11.99 - Buy From Waitrose
I took this wine with me to a tasting I did at the Ideal Home Show a couple of weeks ago and it went down a storm. Made by a great producer called Huia, it’s quite full on: a blend of the lychee-like Gewürztraminer, with some dangerously drinkable Pinot Gris and a dash of racy Riesling to top it off. Unashamedly aromatic and floral, with a bit of spice to it too. Brilliant with anything chilli-flecked, like salmon or roasted squash.
Current red in the rack: Basson Shiraz
Price: £5.99 - Buy From Lidl
This is simply Darling. Literally – the region it comes from in South Africa is called Darling. Love that. But what’s even better is what’s inside; a ripe, juicy Shiraz not short on black fruit flavours along with a touch of something herbal-like. Put it with something meaty, like Shepherd’s Pie.
