New Wines At Selfridges

Selfridges has recently introduced a variety of new wines to its range in-store so we asked The Graped Crusader to give us his must-trusted opinion on a few…

Chapel Down – Bacchus 2010 (England) – £12.99
English wines are on a real roll at the moment, winning awards left right and centre and gaining recommendations from a wide range of sources. Whilst it’s been the sparkling wines, which have been getting much of the attention, I’ve got a real soft spot for Bacchus which I think could become the jewel in the English wine crown.

Bacchus is a cross between Riesling and Müller-Thurgau. These are both grapes, which perform well in cooler climates, and as a result Bacchus has found a suitable home in rainy old England! It produces wines of crisp acidity which are wonderfully refreshing with flint and citrus notes. This one is a real cracker and is an excellent wine to pop your English wine cherry if you’re not already on the English wine bandwagon.

Cloudy Bay – Te Koko 2007 (New Zealand) £32.99
Sauvignon Blanc needs no introduction. It’s a grape, which the English seem to have taken to their heart, particularly when it comes from its “home from home” of Marlborough in New Zealand.

Cloudy Bay are one of the pioneers of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and their wines are admired and loved by many. It’s their Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc which I think is their best effort though. It’s a bit like Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’s big brother. It has the expected citrus notes but they are backed up with toasty notes of oak which really give the wine an extra element.

Whilst it is an expensive wine it is one which I keep coming back to for special occasions, or when I want to make an impression.

Peter Lehmann – Margaret Barossa Semillon 2005 (Australia) £15.99
From the minute this hits the glass you know you’re in for something a bit special. With its emerald green colour this had us happily chatting away before we’d so much as taken a sniff! Things get even better when consumption begins. This is a character packed Semillon oozing with lime and honey notes and a hint of smokiness.
If you fancy trying a white wine that offers real personality and something a little different this is for you! I’ve always liked slightly older Semillons and with this being released at 5 years old the hard part of ageing (I.e. not drinking it) is already done for you.
When you consider that this wine won overall best wine in show, best varietal wine and best white wine at the Royal Sydney Wine Show the retail price looks like a real bargain.

Yalumba – Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier 2007 (Australia) £13.99
I couldn’t resist selecting one red for this latest column, despite tending to favour whites in the summer months! This is a personal favourite, it’s a very full flavoured red wine with a lovely purple hint to it. The flavours of coffee, violets and dark berries are very evident.

It’s a wonderfully smooth wine which the people I drank it with were very impressed with. For the price it shows just what the Aussies can do when they turn their hand to more boutique wines. If you like fruit driven velvety red wines then this will certainly tickle your fancy.

As always we’d love to hear what you think about these wines and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask by commenting below…