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Liquid Refreshment

7

Sep

Two Recommendations

Jacob Gaffney  in Red Wines, White Wines, Merlot, Pinot Grigio , , , , , ,

This kills me. After complaining about supermarket Sainsbury’s coming out with a ‘Taste the Difference’ line of wines, and slamming its Cabernet, a bottle of the TTD Pinot Grigio was on-sale for less than £5. Grassy, crisp and clean. Like a New Zealand Sauvignon, but without the melon, tropical fruits, etc. One of the best wines for the price, unbelievably. How can the little guy compete when the big guy has gotten it all right?

My friend, a fine Italian wine importer, tried the wine, without knowing its origin. He guessed it was Pinot Grigio and gave a similar response as above. We spoke briefly about how Pinot Grigio needs to be controlled, in terms of yields. Grow too many grapes and the resulting wine is the watered-down, pulpy, dry mess Italian restaurants throw at you.

Then he added that he had tried five Pinot Grigios this week and this one was the best. When I revealed it was produced by a faceless grocery chain, we both groaned; then took another sip. 8.9.

At Budgens, for less than £5, is the Da Luca Merlot/Primitivo blend (Primitivo is basically Zinfandel’s ancestor, and is remarkably similar). It does not have a vintage, so the grapes come from multiple years, and it is an ‘Indicazione Geografica Tipica,’ or from a typical, but not special, Italian region, in this case Tarantino (a little wine from Taranto, related to the Hollywood director), Apulia – hot and southern.

It’s a blockbuster, just like many of Quentin’s movies. Also, no grace, strong in will and sometimes surprising, but with a big finish. It is a heavy, clumsy, large wine and it tastes great. 8.9.

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