The first wines we tried were from AA Badenhorst from South Africa. We were guided through this quartet of wines by Adi Badenhorst, a colourful, effing and blinding dude who should have been in South Africa harvesting but instead was in Manchester in a scruffy T-Shirt. Starting with the 2009 Secateurs White, a wine that Jancis Robinson rates highly, we found it to be fresh, with lots of honey, melon and then a tropical fruit skin element. This would only be £9 and it is severely good for that money. 9/10 (£9)
The 2007 AA Badenhorst Family White is a good wine too, with yeasty aromas, nice balance and a pithy element. It is a combination of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, and I found myself agreeing with Jancis again, in that the cheaper wine is far more appealing. 8/10 (£22) Moving onto the reds, the 2009 Secateurs Red has a perfumed nose with sweet cranberries, and then lovely cherry and green pepper flavours, very clean with a hint of charcoal. 8.5/10 (£9)
Finally was the 2006 Family Red, which was all rich, aniseed, liquorice and sour cherry aromas, leading on to a gorgeous palate of cranberries, fresh raspberries and cocoa. Another cracker. 8.5/10 (£22)
I really liked these wines... yes, I know, I am saying that I really liked these South African wines. Treasure this moment, for I may not say such glowing words about any producer from that nation again!
There were some interesting wines from a company called Red Claw from Mornington in Australia, a sweet fruit, yet with a bit of earthy backbone Pinot Noir and an interesting, but quite oaky Chardonnay – both around the £15 mark, and a mixed bag of New Zealand wines, some of which were quite expensive. The next stand out was the 2006 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve from Oregon. This had aromas of chocolate covered toffees, strawberries, mint and pepper. Then a soft, very balanced palate with lush fruit, chocolate and a little leather. There was a bit of spice and a small alcoholic nudge, but this wine, at £15 per bottle, was gorgeous. 9/10.
Then there was a trio of wines from Bulgaria. Yep, Bulgaria! A 2007 Pinot Nero from Edoardo Miroglio from the Thracian Valley (I have no idea where that is!) showed soft, simple fruit on the nicely fresh nose. The palate was very gentle and elegant, showing raspberry and plum fruit with a vegetal savoury element. The finish was flavoursome, but the acid cleaned your mouth out nicely. At £14 for a bottle, this is a really good wine for the money. 8.5/10
Next was the 2005 Zagreus Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Firstly, it did not taste of Cabernet Sauvignon. So technically, this was a big failure as it didn’t taste like the grape it was supposed to. However, it was great! It had very rich, dried fruit on the nose, with menthol and prunes. The palate had dried fruit, a lot of sour, slightly under ripe berries with a good savoury finish. This was a lovely wine, and for £10 it was a bargain! 8.5/10
The last of the wines from the Thracian Valley in Bulgaria was the 2007 Zagreus Vinica Mavrud at £13. Made from air dried grapes, this was Amarone-esque in style – rich, sweet fruit with a lot of liquorice and spice. It just lacked a little bit of body to match the heftier flavours, but it is a fraction of what Amarone is, and a lot better than some other Amarone-esque wines from Italy! 7/10
Talking of Amarone, the Amarone producer Carlo Ferragu had two wines on show, and they were really good! The 2007 Valpolicella Superiore, with vineyards next to Dal Forno, was very soft, with stunning cherry and tobacco flavours. A very pretty, and very drinkable wine. 8/10, £29 per bottle. Finally, the £85 2005 Amarone from Carlo Ferragu. Wet tar, lots of liquorice, cherry and dried cranberries on the nose, with a lush, sweet palate, nice tobacco and leathery tannins mixed with intense fruit, and gentle aniseed and a bit of spice. A gorgeous wine and worth every penny! 9/10
I’m really glad to have discovered these wines, and some of the others that I’ve not put here, from SWiG. They have a collection of outstanding, but more of all, interesting wines that over deliver at their price point.
SWiG Website
Comments