| Tom Cannavan's wine-pages.com |
week beginning 21/12/2009
Why not print this page off as your shopping list?the Times - Jane MacQuitty
2000 Bollinger Grande Année. Majestic £50; Lea & Sand £48.95; Wine Soc £59beguiling, rich, beefy, nutty champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Champagne. Waitrose £22.99 until January 5rich, complex, toasted hazelnut and candied peel-stashed bubbly
2004 Heidsieck Gold Top Brut Champagne. Budgens £18.99; Majestic 2 @ £18.99oozes ripe, waxy, lively, floral spice.
Lanson Black Label Champagne. Co-op £18.66; Tesco £19.98; Budge £21; Waitr £22.39pleasing waxy, lemon-brioche charged, aperitif-styled fruit
Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne. Co-op £17.99, Tesco £19.92; Sains £25.92; Waitr £20.79Soft, waxy, perfumed
Codorníu Extra Cuvée Seleccionada Brut. Morrisons £5.95; Majestic Wine 2 @ £5.49light, tasty, lemony, floral, festive fizz.
La Rosca Cava Brut. Waitrose down to £4.79 until January 5clean, zippy, and suprisingly classy, spicy, fruity
Waitrose in Partnership Cava. Waitrose £7.99fine, lively fizz.
San Leo Prosecco Vino Spumante, Italy. Waitrose £5.99 until January 5crisp, zingy, Granny Smith and fresh, lime-spiked flavours
2006 Camel Valley Brut, English Sparkling Wine. Selected Waitrose £19.99; F&M £23.50elegant, hedgerow-scented Brut; fine, rich, nutty, spiced lemon palate
the Sunday Times - Bob Tyrer
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference 2008 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie (£5.99)Refreshing, minerally, lemony — so much better than it was in the 1970s
Renato Ratti Langhe Nebbiolo 2007 (£10.99 Marks & Spencer)Lovely name, lovely wine — fragrant, fruity and deep
GH Mumm Demi Sec Champagne NV (£26.99 waitrosewine.com)Citrussy and lively, full flavoured but not sweet. Do try it
the Independent - Anthony Rose
Carta Vieja Sauvignon Blanc, Chile, 2008. Oddbins £4.99attractively pure sauvignon blanc with undertones of blackcurrant leaf
Yalumba 'The Scribbler' Cabernet/Shiraz, 2007. Oddbins £9.99garrigue- like rosemary and mint bring complexity to the wine
Sainsbury's Muscat de St Jean de Minervois, 2007. £4.29, half-bottleFragrantly, exotically muscat; strong and richly full-flavoured
Champagne Vergnon Brut Grand Cru NV. Berry Bros £24.95fresh, biscuit and brioche flavours are quite delicious
the Observer - Tim Atkin
2003 Valbuena (£73.40, 13.5%, Berry Brothers & Rudd)delicious: broad, smoky and herbal, with ripe flavours
2008 Getariako Txakolina, Txomín Etxaníz (£14.99, 11%, Moreno)tangy and refreshing, with a slight spritz and a citrus-fruit bite
2006 Naiades, Bodegas Naia, Rueda (£19.99, 13.5%, Taurus Wines)rich, toasty, yet remarkably minerally; Spanish take on a white Burgundy
2001 Imperial Rioja Reserva, CVNE (2 @ £13.99, 13.5%, Majestic)soft, complex, lightly oaked blend that is deceptively well structured
Taste the Difference Dry Amontillado (£6.49 per 50cl, 19%, Sainsbury's)nutty, savoury, bone-dry; surely the best-value sherry in the UK?
2005 Molino Real, Mountain Wine (£26.99 per 50cl, www.adnams.co.uk)sweet, honey- and orange-peel-scented
the Guardian - Victoria Moore
Hans Pinot Noir 2005 Marlborough (£23 Bottle Apostle; £27.99 Vineking)tantalisingly fragranced; fine, elegant wine fermented using wild yeasts
Craggy Range Bannockburn Sluicings Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 (2 @ £12.79 Majestic)more earthly, firm incarnation of pinot noir, but very good value
Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Noir 2008 (2 @ £11.99 Majestic)a decent alternative
Scotland on Sunday - Will Lyons
Château Prieuré-les-Tours 2002, Bordeaux. 2 @ £7.99 MajesticClassic red from underrated vintage; notes of cedar and tobacco.
Blason des Papes Châteauneuf du Pape 2008. £11.99 Waitrosea stunner with a herbaceous, spicy, wintry feel.
Nepenthe Charleston Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007, Australia. 2 @ £7.99 Majesticripe cherry flavours and luscious sweet fruit
Cosme Palacio Rioja 2006, Rioja, Spain. £8.99, Sainsbury's and TescoAutumnal fruits and gentle French oak with a rounded, smooth finish
the Telegraph - Susy Atkins
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, Australia (Oddbins, £7.99 until 3 January)Toffee, chocolate, roasted nuts, figs and raisins
Marks & Spencer Asti NV, Piedmont, Italy (2 @ £10 until 1 January)superior, fresh and aromatic asti; refreshing partner for a figgy pudding
Concha Y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2006, (Majestic, £5.99 for 37.5cl)uber-fresh grapefruit and lemon zest in this unique Chilean dessert wine
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