October 2015 Meeting - Which? wines

October's meeting was hosted by Julie and Jerry who took their wines from the supermarket wines assessed by Which? magazine...

In September 2015 Which? magazine published their survey of supermarket wines.  Their experts compared these against well-known brands, e.g., Oxford Landing, Jacob’s Creek, and found the supermarket own-brand wines generally scored well in comparison.  A price limit of £9 per bottle was used.

 

The standard of white wines was good, medium-bodied reds were described as ‘boring’, and the full-bodied reds, especially Malbec, offered the best quality.

 

Crisp Dry Whites

 

Waitrose Grüner Veltliner Niederösterreich 2014 - £7.99 – scored 73%

 

“This aromatic and fresh wine has delicate flavours of stone fruits with a slight hint of white pepper. Excellent served with Thai spiced dishes or grilled asparagus.“ (Waitrose website)

 

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Albariño 2013 - £8.00 –scored 74%

 

“As someone who likes a really dry, crisp white wine - this is lovely! I don't like Chardonnay, generally, but love Pinot Grigio and this is a similar type - light and crisp and not too heavily fruity. Highly recommended!” (Comment on Sainsbury’s website)

 

Lidl Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc 2014 - £5.89 – scored 78%

 

Second cheapest white wine on test.

Also won Bronze rating in the International Wine Challenge 2015

 

Full-bodied Red Wines

 

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Pic St Loup 2013 - £8.00 – scored 74%

 

“This is a blend of syrah and grenache with blackberry, spice and chocolate flavours” (Independent)

 

Morrisons M Signature South African Pinotage 2014 - £6.99 – scored 75%

 

“Lovers of big red wines will adore this Pinotage. The grape comes from a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It delivers a deep red wine full of forest fruit and plum lushness with a chocolatey finish that's great with red meats and sausages.” (Morrisons website)

 

Trivento Reserve Malbec 2014 - £8.99 (widely available) – scored 83%

Which? experts top choice overall

“Argentinean Malbec is one of our favourite wines and every now and then we encounter one which we would call 'stunning'. This Trivento is not quite in that category, but it comes close. The nose and flavours are classic Malbec and it is a thoroughly enjoyable wine to drink. This purchase was also a repeat, which is a good indicator of our satisfaction with this wine. Currently favouring some Sicilian reds, my partner and I will definitely return to this Malbec again in due course, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to others looking for a red wine with plenty of flavour, although whether it would stand up to scrutiny by a real Malbec enthusiast or expert is questionable.” (Comment on Tesco web site)

 

Dessert Wine

 

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro - £7.49.

which is non-vintage, and is available from Waitrose.