Tim Almond

These may or not be available at Threshers/Wine Rack, but with Christmas coming up, here’s some wine suggestions…

Red 

• Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz/Mouverdre. I’ve had a few other Penfolds, and they’ve all been good. Never found any rich enough friends to offer me a glass of Grange, though.
• Chateau Labegorce. A real class red Cru Bourgeois. Difficult to get here. Their neighbour at Labegorce-Zede have some excellent wines too.
• Guigal Gigondas. Top class northern Rhone red. Big, heavy stuff. Their Cotes Du Rhone is excellent too. Majestics have it.
• Sainsbury’s Romanian Pinot Noir. No, I’m not joking. As an "in front of the TV" wine, and costing about £3.50, it’s a bargain.

White

• Brown Brothers Dry Muscat. I’ve also tried some other wines in their range that have been great.
• Cloudy Bay Sauvingon Blanc. Really yummy stuff, delicately balanced between fruit and the "gooseberry" flavour of sauvignon. Unfortunately, very hard to get hold of, and most merchants ration it.
• Casablanca Gewurtztraminer. Delicious, fragrant wine from Chile.
• Cosme Palacio y Hermanos White Rioja. An yeasty, almost sherry-like flavour to this Rioja (from Oddbins).

Sparkling

• Almost any 1990 Vintage Champagne. Just mindblowing stuff. It’s what turned me on to vintage champagne in the first place.
• Pelorus. Cloudy Bay’s sparkling wine which is cheaper, and in my opinion, much better than most fizz.
• Cuvee Mumm Napa. Another good option.

Sweet etc.

• Not really my bag, but the Brown Brothers Orange and Flora Muscat is very nice.

Tags: Wine //