Five Great Olympic Standard Wines!
2011 Le Manoir du Baron Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc, France (£7.14, reduced to £5.00, until 11 August, Asda). If you like richer, dare I say it, golden chardonnays then this is the wine for you. With succulent, honeyed, peachy fruit and the merest touch of oak there is an awful lot of wine here for the money. Drink it with the Heptathlon Chicken recipe!
2011 Taste the Difference Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie, Loire, France (£6.99, Sainsbury’s). The polar opposite to the lusty chardonnay, this bright, zesty Muscadet is a really fresh, quick-witted wine with keen elderflower and lemon notes and a crunchy, crisp finish. Drink it as a thirst-quenching aperitif or with the Ceremony Salad.
2011 Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France (£9.49, Marks & Spencer). This beautifully exotic ‘gewurz’ is thoroughly engaging and the scent alone is worth the price tag. Stunning on its own, but very clever with complicated flavours like truffle, this is a tropically-imbued, shimmering delight and it would adore the First Plaice dish.
2009 Catena, Tahuan Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina (£12.99, Tesco & Tesco Fine Wine online). Inky coloured, massively intense and amazingly structured, this is one of the most impactful and impressive reds of the season. With dark chocolate and plum flavours and a heroic finish this is a massive treat for lovers of heavyweight reds.
2011 Popolino Rosso, Sicily, Italy (£4.99, Marks & Spencer). The new vintage of cheeky Popolino Rosso is once again my favourite sub-fiver red of the year! With a lightweight palate and fresh red fruit this nimble red is chillable, lip-smacking and what it lacks in structure it makes up for in verve!
