According to a recent survey on what people drink when they eat out, most consumers are familiar with only 3.5 grape varieties. I’m mystified by that .5 – maybe they can remember only the grigio bit of pinot grigio? – and I’m betting two of them are sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and, ooooh, not too sure about the red. The report mentions merlot, but I don’t see much of that about these days. Shiraz, maybe?
It may just be the way the question is phrased. It’s perfectly possible that those interviewed didn’t realise that mega-popular malbec is a grape variety. And that they know a wine much better by its place of origin - Châteauneuf du Pape, Chianti and Rioja, for instance. I’m constantly coming across people who don’t realise that chablis is chardonnay, and fair enough: they don’t spend their lives thinking about it.
However, it’s a bit of a wake-up call to us wine writers not to get so carried away by obscure grape varieties, such as furmint, say (mea culpa), that we forget readers still enjoy the classics. So, starting with sauvignon blanc, there is life beyond New Zealand. South Africa is a good place to track down a bargain, and if you can hang on until next Wednesday, you can pick up the bright, citrussy Cape Point Stonehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (12.5% abv) from the Co-op for just £5.99 instead of its usual £7.99.
For chardonnay under £10, you’d be hard pushed to improve on the Wine Society’s Blind Spot Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2016 (£9.50; 13% abv), a big but not blowsy chardonnay sourced and made for the Society by well known Aussie winemaker Mac Forbes.
If you’re a pinot fan, the Co-op’s fresh, fruity Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir 2016 (13.5% abv) is a steal at £7.99, or pay a couple of quid more for the Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir 2015 (£9.99 Co-op, £10.99 on a mix-six deal Brook & Vine; 13% abv), which has that seductive silky texture that cheaper pinots tend to lack,
Last, a grape that doesn’t get talked about much these days except in the context of bordeaux: cabernet sauvignon. Again, it’s back to South Africa for the smooth, elegant Warwick Cape Lady Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 £8.50 Morrisons; 13% abv) with its lovely, pure cassis fruit (Sainsbury’s stocks a similar wine under the First Lady label at £9.) Or head to Australia’s Margaret River for another bargain, Larry Cherubino’s classy Robert Oatley Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 (14% abv), another one from the Co-op at £9.99. Classics are classics for a reason.
