SO, what did you do during last year's lockdown? I opted to rediscover wines I thought I'd grown out of and, by eck, I'm glad I did. My palate has been well and truly rejuvenated and so many people are telling me the same thing.
We all get stuck in a rut and mine was cabernet sauvignon, not that that’s a bad rut to be stuck in.
All of a sudden, I’m yearning for riesling, pinot gris, rose and weirdly, pinot noir. I say weirdly because I've always struggled to see the appeal. Sure, the top wines from Burgundy are exceptional but the ones that interested me started at about £50 and I always had better things to spend that sort of cash on. Most of the New World creations left me wondering why the winemaker would inflict that on us but, all of a sudden, I've seen the light.
It's the same story with rose wines. I used to think they were as appealing as a vegan salad or toothache but now I can't get enough. I've become addicted to watermelons, pears and raspberries. The Provence roses are perfect for all those lovers of Marlborough sauvignons and they are oh so flexible with barbecue food. All in all, they are the perfect summer wines.
Maison No 9 Rose, Provence
The first thing that struck me was the zingy fruit on the nose, despite me having chilled it to within a degree of a penguin's foot. The palate, however, is where all the fun is. It’s packed with fruit and I mean packed. I got crisp pears, raspberries and juicy sweet peaches before the wonderfully refreshing acidity kicked in on the finish. Simply put, this is gorgeous and by far the best rose I've tasted in a long while.
Tesco £19
Eradus Pinot Noir, NZ
If you close your eyes and take a sip, you could be fooled into thinking it was a decent end Gevrey at four times the price. It’s got a seductive, almost flowery nose, leading into a palate with ripe, warm berries and that classic Burgundian earthiness. A lot of wine for the price.
Corney & Barrow £16.95
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