Tomorrow’s ‘Wine Tour’ promotion from Lidl includes bubbles from around Europe, writes Peter Ranscombe.
PERHAPS – just perhaps – there are a few more reasons to be optimistic.
Hugs are back on the agenda, much of Scotland has moved from level three to level two restrictions, and staycations are beckoning this summer.
If the weather ever makes up its mind about what it’s going to do then there may even be picnics on the horizon.
When you add them together, those sound like some convincing reasons to open a bottle of bubbly.
Lidl’s latest “Wine Tour” promotion – its series of seasonal bottles – begins tomorrow and has plenty of sparklers among its ranks.
As with its other tours, the wines are available in limited quantities and so, when they’re gone, they’re gone.
After March’s celebration of grapes in unexpected places, May’s selection is perhaps more mainstream, but still hits the same high level of quality.
With few in-person tastings taking place, it’s hard to assess the full range, but here are my thoughts on those bubbles and beyond…
Bubbles
Castelo di Lapa Bairrada Brut 2018 (£6.99)
Is this the best-value traditional method sparkling wine on sale in the UK? It’s certainly a contender, with its attractive nose full of bruised apple, brown sugar, spun sugar, and stalkier green apple. High acidity? Check. Brown sugar, baked apple, and brown bread for balance? Check. Not bad at all for a smidge under £7.
Denbies Broadwood’s Folly English Sparkling Wine (£14.99)
Denbies is part of the backbone of the English wine industry, producing competitively-priced sparklers that act as a gateway for fizz fans to begin their journey. Looking back through my notes, I last recommended this wine when it appeared at Lidl back in 2016 – at the same price. Five years later, it’s still got enough lemon rind, apricot, and red apple flavours to balance its high acidity. It’s simple, it’s fruity, it’s fresh, and it remains a great place to start exploring English sparkling wine.
Jean Cornelius Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé (£8.49)
Alsace’s crémant feels like it flies under the radar, unlike its fellow traditional method sparkling wines from other parts of France, like Jura, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. Maybe we should keep the secret to ourselves, so the region continues to produce affordable treats like this example, which is full of strawberry, lemon, and floral aromas, with red cherry, brown sugar, and spun sugar coming to the fore on the palate to balance its crisp acidity.
Amabile Villa Bonaga Lambrusco di Modena 2019 (£5.99)
Strap yourselves into the time machine, kids, and let’s take a look at what your parents were drinking back in the 70s and 80s. Lambrusco in its various guises was a sensation; at its simplest, it’s a sweet sparkling red wine from Italy that’s low in alcohol and relatively high in sugar. In this slightly more up-market version, that sweetness is balanced by enough fresh acidity and intense stalky blackcurrant fruit and beefier bramble.
Beyond…
Encostas de Caíz Avesso Vinho Verde 2020 (£7.49)
Back to Portugal, and the lightest of light spritz from the country’s youngest and freshest white wine, Vinho Verde – just enough to run around the gums. While the spritz might be subtle, there’s no holding back when it comes to the excellent concentration in the peach and lemon aromas, with red apple joining the citrus flavour on the palate. There’s a touch of residual sugar to balance the acidity too.
Organic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2019 (£5.49)
Let’s go fully beyond bubbles to finish, with a great-value organic wine that caught my eye. Falling squarely into the quaffable-red-wines-you-drank-on-holiday-and-want-to-try-again-in-the-UK category, the montepulciano grape produces lots of forgettable wines in Abruzzo, but this one has more going for it. There’s a lovely floral note in amongst the red cherry, red plum, and light vanilla on the nose, and an intensity to the red fruit flavours on the palate that I only find with organic fruit. If you enjoy the slight – and, sometimes, not-so slight – residual sweetness of nero d’Avola from Sicily and Southern Italy then you’ll enjoy the ripe sweetness here too.
Read more of Peter’s wine, beer and spirits reviews on his blog, The Grape & The Grain
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