A wine merchant here in England recently complained that the big supermarkets would bring in new brands no one had heard of, and then offer the bottles at a steep discount from the 'regular' retail price.
In a market where the 5 to 10 GBP range is very competitive, granted it is always easy to take a shot at those at the top, how well to two such suspects stack up?
Both from Sainsbury's:
2000 Castillo de Caltrava Reserva has all the look of a Rioja Tempranillo, in fact, it is a Tempranillo, but that is where the similarity ends, except for the fine gold wire 'basket' the bottle is wrapped in. Centrally located and mountainous, La Mancha is known for some great wines, as is Rioja. The Calatrava was slashed by three pounds, if memory holds, from eight pounds to five pounds. The initial taste was one of disappointment. However, after recalibrating for decision-bias, the study continued more upbeat.
The wine is very ripe with a perfumed (like sandalwood) and sweet nose. Light and airy on the tongue, unlike the high expressions found in many of Spain's major wine regions these days. No this is classy for a fiver, once on it airs. Short finish and unbelievably harmonious, except for a bit of burn, predictable since it is only a Reserva and not a 'Gran(d) Reserva' which would denoted up to a year longer in oak, depending on the region. In La Mancha 12 months in oak, 24 in bottle for Resverva, 24 months in oak and 36 months in bottle for Gran(d) Reserva (these are minimums here). Maybe not worth eight pounds, but great at five. 8.5 points.
South Africa's First Cape (as in 'of Good Hope') 2005 shiraz, cabernet blend was also on sale for a few pounds off, bring it to five or six pounds per bottle as well. Like the Caltrava, it seemed new to the shelves, and stood out only because of the red tag marking it reduced. (But, isn't that the point?) Lovely colour and a lot like Pinotage. But this is way tart, way tart. Also smells like wet, black pepper, with a red meat kind of slappiness to it (getting hungry here). Seems to be quite a lot going on in there and will most likely taste better tomorrow. 8.3 points.
[Did you know? Interwined is the only wine blog that tries wines over the course of several days. If a wine doesn't hold up for at least a day, it's point are reduced. So, it's all not wham, bam! We drag it out here, people. Oh yeah, we draggggg it out.]
In a paragraph describing the character of the wine, there is only one real tasting note: 'subtle berry flavours.' Well! Can't get more elusive than that!
Guess they had a hard time figuring it out to.
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2 comments:
hey! shows you what I know! I thought all wines were "organic" in essence...with grapes
grown in vineyards, watered appropriately, picked at the "right" moment...
when you all are referring to "organic" wine to what are you referring... the process once the grapes are picked?
Can you give me the name of one Stateside winery that is considered "organic". having recently been to the temecula,california region... I thought that the wine producers there were simply "organic".
thanks, dee
Organic wines are wines made from grapes grown organically -- meaning, basically, without the use of pesticides or fertilizers... green growing methods are encouraged of course, such as using ladybugs to eat other insects that eat grapes, instead of a chemical... but not always followed.
Hotter climates tend to produce more organic producers, based on the hotter, dryer temperatures, meaning lower chance of molds and fungus...
Bonterra is a decent American organic winemaker, I suggest them because you can get their wines just about anywhere.
Thanks for the comment!
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