Welcome to our quick guide to wine and wine gifts.
Alphabetical list of Wines|
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| Beaujolais |
Beaujolais the classic "fun" red wine. Fairly light and fruity it's a great drink even for those who don't drink much wine. Emenating from the Beaujolais region of France, the wine is made from Gamay grapes which by ancient statute have to be picked by hand.
Each autumn the new vintage is released as Beaujolais Nouveau, and the most ridiculous publicity stunts take place to get the
wine to the shops as quickly as possible. The Nouveaux is almost always a weak vinegary brew, but don't let that put you off
Beaujolais in general.
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| Bordeaux |
Bordeaux is the second biggest wine growing region in France, and is renowned for
its big bold red wines, though there are also a number of excellent whites available.
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| Chardonnay |
Probably the most popular of all white wines, Chardonnay is a fairly neutral generally
unobjectionable white. It is an easy grape to cultivate and consequently Chardonnay's
are now produced all over the world. Many of the Chardonnay's from the new world
offer tremendous bargains when compared to the French ones. |
| Claret |
see Bordeaux. |
| Corbières |
Red and white wines from a vast area between Languedoc and Rousillon. By far the
most common is the red - a solid, meaty wine, ideal with meat or curries. The cheapest
end of the market can be absolutely dire so avoid bargain basement rubbish. |
| Liebfraumilch |
The archetypal German wine - at least in the UK. In the 1970's this was synonymous
with "Blue Nun" a sweet sickly creation that seems to have permanently damaged the
reputation of German wines in the UK. Some of the more expensive Liebfraumilch's
are drinkable if you have a sweet tooth, but even in Germany this wine is rather
poorly thought of.
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| Malbec |
Malbec grapes produce a really dark full bodied wine, so much so that the wine is
often used for blending with lighter reds. If you like an intense wine then Malbec
can be a good choice. Excellent wines can be found at bargain prices from Argentina
and Chile. |
| Merlot |
Merlots' tend to be medium bodied wines, and are a fine choice for social drinking.
Excellent wines are produced all over the world, and can provide excellent value
for money. |
| Pinot Noir |
Pinot Noir is one of the more difficult grapes to cultivate, and consequently the
wines can be expensive. But the cost is well worth it, as a decent Pinot Noir has
a magnificent perfume combined with a wonderful texture, and this can be achieved
at a fairly low alcohol level.
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| Rioja |
Riojas are among the best known of Spanish reds, and are generally deep dark heavy
intense wines which make a magnificent accompaniment to beef. Some Riojas are lighter,
but overall the intense Oak flavouring predominates, so choose only if you like
depth to your wine. |
| Shiraz Viognier |
Viognier is a little used white grape which has recently become popular as an additive
to Shiraz red wines. It "lightens" what can be very heavy red wines, and adds a
pleasing "sheen" and a delightful aroma. On balance, I think I prefer these to a
straight Shiraz. |
| Tempranillo |
Tempranillo is the main grape used to make Rioja, and as described above is a deep
dark heavy wine. Because of their great depth these wines are a little unfashionable,
but excellent products can be found from all over the New World and the Iberian
Peninsula. |
| Valpolicella |
My favourite Italian red. These wines are made in the Verona region of Italy, and
are light, fragrant wines, ideal for serving with a light meal such as pasta. Under-rated
but excellent. |
| Zinfandel |
A very popular grape, used extensively in California to produce boring slightly
sweet red and rosé wines to suit the American palate. Most are dull and of little
worth. |