At Oddbins wine retail, there is an OK selection of Bonarda wines for under £10. It’s not that the Oddbins guys picked poorly, but more that the overall selection of Bonarda worldwide is, well, kind of lackluster. The 2006 Familia Zuccardi Reserva is an exception. It’s light in body. Lighter than you’d think given the dark color this grape exudes. There is some violet and red current and aromatic India spice, but it’s still too young to drink, since the swallow is kind of harsh. But at £8, this is a ‘drink me now’ wine. Not one for the cellar. InterWined.com doesn’t like drink-me-nows that aren’t ready: 8.4 today, 8.7 in two years — if anyone cares to cellar a £8 Bonarda for that long.

In InterWined’s opinion, Bonarda is better as a blending grape, especially with its Argentine brother-in-law Malbec. Bonarda helps smooth out the wrinkles, especially with the 2006 Trivento Amado Sur also £8. Last year the wine had more Bonarda and less Syrah, but the 2006 is broken down like so — 75% Malbec, 15% Syrah, 10% Bonarda. Trivento is pretty good at nailing its market, so expect a smooth number with vanilla and oak. The wine is plumy, of course, thanks to the Malbec; but the Bonarda also adds some plumpiness and the Syrah gracefully lends some plushiness (both ‘p’ adjectives my computer claims aren’t actually real words). A dry nice finish, but some more tannin would be nice. 8.6 points.

So the Bonarda seems to still suffer in the single-bottling category, years down the line. Hopefully in another three, the real Bonarda will finally stand up.

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