Percheron Shiraz-Mourvèdre, Animus Douro from Aldi, Tesco’s Coonawarra Cabernet and Bela Arano: Lynn News Wine O'Clock
Wine O'Clock by Giles Luckett
Hello! Something of a first this week; I’m actually writing the column I said I’d write rather than getting distracted and doing something el… oh look, Max Richter’s done a sequel to ‘Sleep’. Should be eight more hours or ambient loveliness.
Where was I? Oh yes, wine. No, I’ve managed to stick to my guns this week, and with the tannins still sticking to my gums, here are four right rollicking reds that you really ought to try.
First up, a simply brilliant offering from the Wine Society, the Percheron Shiraz-Mourvèdre, Western Cape 2021 (£7.50). This Rhône style blend from South Africa has it all; a fresh cherry and rose petal bouquet, a soft, well-fruited palate that offers fruits of the forest, plums, and raspberries, and a touch of spice and black pepper. Open for a couple of hours and serve with spring lamb or tomato pasta.
Next, we have the Animus Douro (Aldi £6.29). Portugal’s Douro Valley is best known as the home of Port, but there’s more to this sun-blasted strip of shale soiled vineyards than that. In terms of overall production, most of the wines of the Douro aren’t fortified but are table wines like this. These often use the same grape varieties – Touriga Francesca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao, and the like – to produce rugged, inky, lip-staining beauties. Packed with stewed black fruits, figs, prunes, spices, and wild herbs, this is a jolly giant of a wine that’s great with hearty dishes.
I’ve recommended Tesco’s Coonawarra Cabernet before (£9. £9 for Coonawarra Cabernet? That’s like finding Michelin starred restaurant offer two for one on mains), but the latest release is quite something. On the nose, there are powerful notes of cassis, smoke, green peppers, and eucalyptus. This potent opening is matched by a rich, mouth-filling wine that delivers bushels of ripe blackcurrants, tangy red berries, bitter chocolate, minty vanilla, and minerals. This is a great wine for the BBQ and will partner red meats and feisty cheeses with ease.
And finally a new wine from a old favourite. It’s the Bela Arano (£19 Wine Direct). This is Rioja legend CVNE’s foray into the neighbouring region of Ribera del Duero, which is home to many of Spain’s superstar wineries like Pingus and Vega Sicilia.
I suspect the Arano is destined to be one of my wines of the year. Dark, full-bodied, and complex, the word ‘generous’ cropped up in my notes time and time again. The nose is a smouldering mix of smoked black berries, cocoa powder, and plums. The medium-bodied palate is multi-layered, with everything from blackberries and black cherries to vanilla, earth, and redcurrants filling its firm, ripe frame. If you like fine Rioja but would like a little more weight and more black than red fruits, then this is for you. It’s sensational. Buy some.
Well, that’s it for me for now. Next time out, it’s all coming up rosés. Unless I get distracted, that is, in which case it’ll be, oh look, Lloyd Cole’s playing Cambridge…
