June has definitely earned its name of being Flaming (although, to be accurate, Flaming June actually derives from the name of a Victorian painting of a lady snoozing), and with the hot weather set to continue what wine bargains should we be looking for to cool both our wallets and ourselves?
Sauvignon Blanc straight from the fridge offers maximum refreshment with its classic gooseberry and lime flavours. Look to the top 5-star bargain from the Co-op at £10 – this New Zealand version, although a tenner, is worth it with its lovely fruity flavours of passionfruit and fresh lemon – a nice mix. While Tesco’s Taparoo Valley Sauvignon Semillon blend, at half the price, offers cheaper, drinkable flavours of apple, melon, banana plus lemon and lime sharpness.
And let’s not forget the sparkling wines. Champagne is not just a Christmas tipple, you can enjoy it all summer long if you can find one that’s not too fizzy. Try Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut from Asda at £18.50 (3-stars). This is quite a rich tasting Champagne with flavours of apple, almond and honey with a lemon background. The use of mainly red grapes (Pinot Noir) causes this richness. As the grape skins are not used in the winemaking process, their colour is not added to the wine and so we have a white wine from red grapes (known as a Blanc de Noir).
For sparkle without the alcohol then try the new Wolf Blass Zero Sparkling Cuvee with less than 0.5% alcohol at just £5 from Asda. This is one of the very few alcohol-removed wines that are drinkable and doesn’t taste horrid. It looks and smells like Prosecco with a taste like a sparkling lemon and lime drink with a touch of the dreaded aspirin, a taste which pops up in most alcohol-removed products, but it’s drinkable and 3-stars.
Wines recommended by www.wineuncorked.co.uk
Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2022
£10 Co-op, £9.95 The Wine Society
When the Co-op starts selling wine that the members-only The Wine Society stocks then it’s time to sit up and take notice – of both sellers. This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc costs £10, which is above the Co-op’s usual wine bottle price but not for The Wine Society. So it’s expensive but still worth it and so gets a maximum 5-star rating. Lovely fruity flavours with passionfruit and fresh lemon – a nice mix.
Taparoo Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022
£4.25 Tesco
Cheap and drinkable with a whole fruit bowl of flavours: apple, melon, banana plus lemon and lime sharpness.
Cono Sur Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc 2022
£6 Morrisons, Tesco, £7.50 Ocado
Another great wine from the Chilean Cono Sur Bicicleta range. This Sauvignon Blanc has lots of enjoyable flavours that are best enjoyed from a cool bottle – but not too cold otherwise the flavours become unbalanced and wooden. So take of the fridge 20 minutes before drinking to enjoy the banana, apricot and orange zest flavours with a background of grassiness to stop the whole thing being just sweet. A nice change from the usual New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs which are generally just one flavour of gooseberry.
Smith and Sheth Cru Sauvignon Blanc 2021
£17 Tesco, £14.99 Frazier’s Wine Merchants, £22.95 The Whisky Exchange, £24.94 Amps Wine Merchants
Expensive looking bottle, and heavy with it, adds to the upmarket appeal of this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Available through Tesco and independent wine merchants, prices start at £15 and go on up £25 – so compare before buying. A nice range of flavours that go beyond the usual New Zealand tart gooseberry teeth-cleaner and include grassiness, coconut and apple to balance the lime. A good slurp.
Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut
£18.50 Asda
Quite a rich tasting Champagne with flavours of apple, almond and honey with a lemon background. The use of mainly red grapes (Pinot Noir) causes this richness. As the grape skins are not used in the winemaking process, their colour is not added to the wine and so we have a white wine from red grapes (known as a Blanc de Noir). Lightly fizzy and a pleasant taste.
Wolf Blass Zero Sparkling Cuvee <0.5% alcohol
£5 Asda
One of the very few alcohol-removed wines that are drinkable and doesn’t taste horrid. It looks and smells like Prosecco with slightly sweet apple and lemon aromas and a good sparkle with foaming head (that bit is down to yeast mannoprotein which is listed in the ingredients, a product made from yeast cell walls and can be used in all winemaking). Taste is like a sparkling lemon and lime drink with a touch of the dreaded aspirin, a taste which pops up in most alcohol-removed products, but it’s drinkable.
Aldi Specially Selected Coteaux de Beziers Rosé
£6.99 Aldi
An easy-drinking French rosé that tastes slightly sweet with flavours of creamy apple and strawberry with matching pear and a little lemon. Nice enough but tastes like so many other pink wines out there. One point that makes it stand out, or not, is the poorly-designed labels with light grey text on a white background which is only readable using a torch – why do label designers do this to our eyes?
