WINE
This month’s wines
Wine
CHASSE DU PAPE, UNOAKED
CHARDONNAY 2007, FRANCE
This wine also has a little Viognier in the blend, adding a touch
Tom Cannavan’s
of almond and pear to crisp, lemony fruit. On the palate this has
a nice ripeness suggesting a touch of honey or oatmeal, and
wines of the month
vivid acidity that’s not too sharp. Easy to drink but food friendly
too. £5.99, Tesco.
SPINYBACK, PINOT GRIS 2007, NEW
ZEALAND
Attractive nose of orange marmalade and a touch of buttery
toast, with some notes of pear coming though. On the palate it
is powerful, with a big sweep of soft, fat, peach and ripe pear
fruit that has an edge of sweetness. It’s £9.99 at Wine Rack but
only £6.66 if you buy three – that’s a bargain.
Tom Cannavan is Editor of
www.wine-pages.com
ESK VALLEY, RIESLING 2005, NEW ZEALAND
Will you love or loathe that paraffin waxiness on the nose?
T
he purpose of i-on’s wine column is not to depress you, it
On the palate this is off-dry with vivid lime and red apple fruit
really isn’t. But at the same time there’s no escaping the
coming through, a touch of oatmeal and a big core of lemon
fact that October is the month when the clocks go back,
pith acidity. Around £9.19, Peckhams.
and Scotland moves into long, dark evenings.
For me, that signifies red wine territory, so as a defiant last blast
of summer 2008, this month I present three crisp and fresh
white wines. These are each examples that make for delicious
drinking in their own right, but which also have the potential to
match well with food.
First up is a Chardonnay, perhaps the most common white wine
grape of all in the UK, but here offered as a brisk and breezy,
unoaked example. The wine still has weight and intensity so
should slip down a treat with chicken or pork, and with most
fish and seafood too.
The Pinot Gris from New Zealand is a beauty, with just the
merest hint of sweetness that makes it soft and gluggable.
It also means it’s a wine style that could work with Oriental
cuisine, though again it’s weighty and full-flavoured, so poached
salmon or chicken would be ideal partners.
Finally, one I can thoroughly recommend for the more
adventurous drinkers. Esk Valley’s Riesling is unusual for a
white wine in that it is already over three-years-old, having
been made in April 2005. With many Rieslings, age brings
about a character that is often described as being ‘petrolly’. It
is certainly an unusual aroma, but perfectly acceptable in this
specific wine style. In a distinctly off-dry mould, this wine would
be wonderful with Thai or Szechuan cuisine.
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