Jean Smullen reviews 2018 Portal do Minho Vino Verde, 2018 Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc DO Central Valley Chile and Lidl Bordeaux Superieur
Now that the August Bank Holiday has arrived we’re going to look at two super white wines exclusive to Lidl, that are perfect for summer drinking. With holiday season at its peak, we can expect lots of Barbeque’s this weekend. Today’s Lidl red is a perfect match for steak or sausage
2018 Portal do Minho Vino Verde €6.99
Stockists: Lidl Nationwide (162 stores) https://www.lidl.ie/store-finder
Portugal’s two main strengths as a European wine producing country are the diversity of its wine styles and its wealth of native grape varieties. A small country, occupying approximately one seventh of the Iberian Peninsula; it is long and narrow and runs 600km from north to south and 200km from west to east. Like Ireland, it has the Atlantic Ocean to the West which influences the weather, unlike Ireland, it boarders Spain to the north and east.
The most important point of difference for Portuguese wines are the huge number of unique indigenous grape varieties it grows; grapes not found anywhere else in the wine world. Unique, is its biggest selling point, Portuguese wines are different; it is a wine country making wines with remarkable diversity and character from virtually unknown grape varieties.
Portugal’s coastal wine regions are strongly influenced by the Atlantic which have a moderating effect on the climate, which tends to be cooler. On the east coast of Portugal you have wonderful cool climate white wines produced in the region of Minho (to the north). The climate here is maritime with sunny spells and scattered showers and terrain not dissimilar to the West of Ireland, except for the fact that there are lots of vines being grown.
Portugal produces distinctive white wines made from white grapes. The crisp fresh acidic style of its most famous white wine, Vinho Verde, a wine produced in the Minho region in the north of Portugal, is also notable for its lower ABV.
Vinho Verde is located in the North of Portugal between the River Minho in the North and the River Duero in the South. The region is damp and temperate with no mountains to shield it from the Atlantic, so it is therefore famous for it's green mountains and valleys, with mild winters and warm pleasant summers. Both red and white wines come from this region which is sometimes known as the Minho region. It is the largest demarcated region in Portugal. Vinho Verde is by it's nature a low alcohol wine. This one is bone dry with crisp green apple acidity.
The main grape associated with Vinho Verde is Alvarinho (known as Albarino over the border in Galicia). This wine is made from a blend of Alvarinho and Trajadura.
Lidl’s Portal do Mino Vino Verde has lovely citrus aromas on the nose, and red apple and stone fruit flavours. When poured you notice the spritz which is typical of the style, they deliberately leave a little C02 when making the wine. Low in alcohol, this is ideal for anyone watching the weight and their sugar intake. This is a wine made to go with fish, which is a very popular dish in Portugal. Light and elegant this offers superb value at this price.
2018 Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc DO Central Valley Chile €6.49
Stockists: Lidl Nationwide (162 stores) https://www.lidl.ie/store-finder
Countries showing strong growth in 2019, include Chile, New Zealand and Argentina growing strongly. This reflects wine styles currently dominating the Irish market. For white wine both New Zealand and Chilean Sauvignon Blanc are in great demand.
Chile exists in a rain shadow from the Atacama desert in the north where you will find soaring condor's and Llamas right down to Patagonia down near Antarticia where you find glaciers off the coast. Everywhere you look the Andes are always there and the heavy air which tumbles down brings cold air down from the mountain to the valleys below which means great quality cool climate wines in some areas. Chile has a vineyard area that is 750 miles long that's greater than the whole of France which boasts an area of 440 miles.
Vines are cultivated in Chile over a distance of some 600 miles. Not surprisingly there are great variations of soil and climate. The highest concentration of vineyards are located in Chile's central plain, north and south of the capital Santiago. Many of the regions are located in the valleys that spread out from the main highway that runs the length of Chile the Panamericana.
Sauvignon Blanc has a distinctive grassy aroma which sometime smells like nettles or gooseberries. The acidity is very fine and is beautifully balanced with lovely ripe flavours. This is the classic white grape of the Loire (Sancerre and Pouilly Fume) now grown world wide producing dry aromatic wines with a pungent smell, high acidity and pronounced green gooseberry flavour. It is widely used in Bordeaux both as a single variety and for blending with the Semillion Grape.
Sauvignon Blanc is grown with great success in New Zealand also Australia, Chile, Eastern Europe, France, South Africa and USA. Many female customers tend to like this grape. Why? Because it is acidic with lots of lovely lemon/lime fruit flavours.
Chile is fast becoming the go to place for Sauvignon Blanc, their style is more restrained than Sauvignon found in other parts of the world. This wine has lovely hint of tomato leaf on the nose with soft red apple flavours and some citrus notes.
Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is a good alternative to New Zealand SB. It has the same aromatic character and zesty acidity, but at a more competitive price point. This wine is recommended to go with a range of food styles, risotto, pizza, creamy chicken, a good versatile wine, that goes with everything.
2017 Lidl Bordeaux Superieur €7.99
Stockists: Lidl Nationwide (162 stores) https://www.lidl.ie/store-finder
Bordeaux is the largest and most important wine producing region of France and is the largest source of quality wines in the world The vast peninsula to the north west of Bordeaux produces the world's most prestigious red wines. "Medoc" means "the middle territory". Indeed, it lies on the 45th parrallel, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west from which it is protected by a huge forest and the Gironde Estuary to the East.
This situation gives it an ideally temperate climate. The Medoc also benefits from a unique terroir where man's skill has enabled the traditional grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot) to reveal their best qualities with their characteristic elegance and subtlety. This is thanks in the main to a soil which is predominantly gravelly (a mixture of gravel and sand) or of clay chalk, particularly favourable for the production of high quality grapes. The regional appellations are simply Bordeaux (rouge or blanc) and Bordeaux Superieur, the latter indicating a higher degree of alcohol.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the world's most renowned grape variety for the production of fine red wine. From it's power base in Bordeaux, where it is almost invariably blended with other grapes. What makes Cabernet Sauvignon remarkable to taste is not primarily it's exact fruit flavour, though that is often likened to blackcurrants, and sometimes to green bell peppers. Over the centuries, Cabernet Sauvignon has developed a special affinity for French oak. The particular appeal of Cabernet Sauvignon lies not so much in it's primary fruit aromas as in the more subtle flavour compounds that evolve when the wine is aged in wood. The reputation of Cabernet Sauvignon has been built on the great Bordeaux wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is currently the most popular red variety grown worldwide. The wines have a pronounced smell and taste of blackcurrents, often with extra flavours of mint, herbs and cedar. They are high in tannin so age well but take time to mature. In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most famous of the two major red grapes the other being Merlot with which is blended. The Cabernet Sauvignon berry is very small in size and the skin of the grape is very thick. The pips are a major factor in Cabernet Sauvignon's high Tannin level while the skins account for the depth of colour that is the tell tale sign of a Cabernet Sauvignon in so many tastings.
This is a classic predominantly Cabernet wine from Bordeaux. You can feel the firm tannin in your mouth when you taste the wine and the dark fruit flavours. Tannin is good in a red wine, it is made to go with meat, particularly red meat. If you are looking for a good red wine to match with your barbequed steak this weekend then this one offers great value.
Wine Diary https://jeansmullen.com/
The Wine & Cheese Festival, will run from August 8th to 11th in the Iveagh Gardens. This is a festival for all wine & cheese fans. The event will feature Talks, Tastings, Demos, Hot food, Live Music, Cheesy Karaoke & much moreWine participations include: Greenman Wines, Wine Lab, L’Atitude 51, Quintessential Wines, Wines Direct, The Winehouse, Graham Norton Wines, Roe & Co and Villa Maria. There will also be a number of spirit, mead and beer stands.
The consumer event will be open for two sessions per day, 12:00 to 16:30 and 17:30 – 22:00
Tickets are now on sale starting at €16.00 More details in the wine diary.
Lidl wines reviewed:
2018 Portal do Minho Vino Verde €6.99
2018 Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc DO Central Valley Chile €6.49
2017 Lidl Bordeaux Superieur €7.99
