Tomas Clancy reviews three of Lidl's delicious red wines
Chevalier de Fauvert, Merlot IGP d'OC, Occitaine, France 2017
Pricing : €6.99
Available : Lidl Stores Nationwide
The South of France is along with Spain, Europe’s vineyard. The Languedoc Rousillion area that runs in a crescent shape from just west of Arles and Marsielles to the French border with Spain is France’s largest wine region. It is larger than the whole of the area under vine in Australia and produces far more than Australia in terms of volume each year.
It is a vast, very hot, wild and mountainous region with long, salty marsh like coastal areas in the north and cliff faced seaside towns in the south.
The Greeks settled and planted vines here about 2500 years ago and there is scarcely a vineyard that does not have a few broken Greek amphora, the carrying vessels of the ancient Greek and Roman era, to shiw you if you visit.
Unfortunately while the Languedoc was a perfect spot for transporting wine to Greece and later Rome by sea, in more recent times it is a region cut off from the rest of France. Bordeaux, Loire, Burgundy and the Rhone were able to satisfy the thirst of France’s major urban populations.
The Languedoc languished until the 19th century eventually eventually being able to use railways to bring its by then very cheap and rustic wines to the cities.
Today unhindered by many of the legal rules that bind the rest of France’s wine world, the Languedoc can make single varietals, blended across the entire region and use these to compete against the New World who are doing something similar.
This Merlot is clean and well made in a lighter bodied style and around 12.5% alcohol. It exhibits primary dark fruits and a sweet mid palate edge. It is a soft,
easy drinking wine made for early consumption and is priced to hit that everyday market.
Cimarosa, Cabernet Sauvignon, South African Western Cape 2018,
Pricing : €6.99
Available : Lidl Stores Nationwide
The Western Cape of South Africa is a source of very solidly made varietals that are almost textbook examples. The oceanic influence gives a cooler profile to the wines of the best and most expensive examples exhibiting a savoury character that lovers of Bordeaux always seem to seek out.
At the entry level quality the taste profile from these cooler vineyards offers touches of herbaceous green notes, maybe even green bell peppers over the light fruity dark berried mid palate wash. The wine here has little of the overt metallic leanness that plagues Bordeaux varietal Cabernet Sauvignon at this price level.
It is a wine that despite the price here does benefit from a bit of air, from decanting or at least leaving in the glass to open up. This allows the wine to bloom a little, it is not going to transform into a €200 bottle of Napa Cabernet but give it a little chance to breath and you will be rewarded.
Côtes du Rhône AOC Villages 2018
Pricing : €6.99
Available : Lidl Supermarket Stores, Nationwide
The Rhone Valley is one of the physically diverse wine regions in France, in fact in Europe. It spans the length of France from Lyon in France’s cooler,
continental middle, down through the mighty steep sided Rhone Valley past Roman settlements at Tain and Orange, down into the baking Midi past Chateauneuf Du Pape and Gigondas and onwards towards the mouth of the Rhone around Marseilles.
In the southern half the wines are made from blends of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre and the vast hinterland is home to the Cotes du Rhone making often simple, easy drinking wines of great ripeness.
That is the southern Rhone’s big unique element, the predictable and regular long summers mean we are getting ripe, spicy wines.
The step up from Cotes du Rhone is the Village level as here where identified parcels of vines near or in selected villages can be used to offer a little more opulence, defined spice and more complexity.
This Cotes du Rhone Villages does just that from Cellier de Saint Jean d’ Ardieres. There is a nice smooth attack with black fruits, a lick of anise and a soft toned, sweetness over mild white pepper spice. A soft, easy going pleasure at a very attractive ever
