Photograph: Richard Stonehouse/Getty Images for ER2015
Being a football fan, I have been only vaguely aware of the biggest sporting event of the year, but there’s no escaping the Rugby World Cup now – or the need for me to suggest something appropriate to drink while you’re watching it.
The problem is that, unless you support the home nations with a patriotic pint or two, most of the wines you might be inclined to reach for will come from their fiercest rivals: France, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Even Argentina pose a threat, or so my rugby-mad husband tells me.
Maybe the answer is to choose wines from countries that are unlikely to dent our national pride: Italy, for instance. And on the basis that rugby fans will be more inclined to fancy a full-bodied red than a wishy-washy pinot grigio (shout me down if you disagree), head for Morrisons and load up with a few bottles of its M Signature Nero d’Avola 2014 (£5.49; 13% abv), from Sicily, a ripe, gutsy red that would go down a treat with a takeaway pizza. Majestic has the similarly robust Feudo dei Tari Negroamaro 2013 (13% abv), a warm, spicy, brambly Puglian red that is now on offer at £6.66 if you buy two or more bottles; the tasting notes suggest drinking that, too, with “generously topped” pizza.
Better still, however, plump for a wine from a country that is not involved in the competition at all, meaning you’re safe with Spain, Portugal and Chile. Tesco has a fair few decent bargains at the moment, including Faustino VII Tempranillo 2012 (13% abv), a swiggable young rioja that’s currently down to £5 (from £7.49); that would be great with a meat pie. It’s also at Asda and Ocado, but at a higher price.
Speaking of Asda, its rich, dense Extra Special Douro 2013 (13.5% abv), which is made from the same Portuguese grape varieties that go into port, also punches way above its current £5 price tag. Or try the same store’s Noster Nobilis Priorat 2013 (£7.98; 14.5% abv), a real belter of a blend of grenache, cariñena and cabernet sauvignon from one of Spain’s most upmarket wine regions. I’m channelling a blue cheeseburger with that one.
For cut-price Chilean, head for Aldi. This supermarket’s regular range is looking a bit tired to me (though it does have more interesting wines in the run-up to Christmas) but, that said, the lively, exuberant Estevez Cabernet-Carmenère 2014 (13.5% abv), from the Maule valley, one of my favourite Chilean wine regions, is pretty well unbeatable at £4.99. And unbeatable is what we want to be until the end of next month.
