Supermarket choice
I FEEL ambivalent about supermarkets. So it is with the wines they sell. The supermar- kets' logic of size and expansion does not accord with the small-scale, individual approach demanded of its maker by the finest wine. I also like to see wine sold on a personal basis, by someone with enthu- siasm for and knowledge of what he is selling. It is the same with music or painting or any other art-form. The other day I left Tower Records with Glenn Gould in the bag and my tail between my legs because I had dared to ask the immaculate, super-efficient salesman an unnecessary question. One more such question, I felt, and he might have hit me. But the big stores tend to have what you want, no less with wine than with records. Most people's introduction to the pleasure of buying wine to drink at home will take place in the local supermarket. All the more important, then, that Sainsbury's, Tesco's and the rest should be selling, and be seen to be selling, good stuff. Off the high horse, then, and down the high street for, say, the forgetful father whose Christmas rush has left the Christ- mas bottles unbought. First to Sainsbury's, not because they are the biggest (and that is misleading, for by no means all their stores carry their full range of wines), but because on present form I put them margi- nally ahead of the opposition. They cer- tainly won my heart at their autumn tasting by including a wine from a river I never expected to see featured in a supermarket choice — the tiny Ruwer, a tributary of the Mosel which produces the world's most delicate white wines. Their Eitelsbacher Marienholz Q.b.A. 1986 comes from an impeccable source, the Bischofliches Kon- vikt (convent, not prison) in Trier and has all the light, fresh delicacy one could desire, backed by good acidity and excel- lent length. A brilliant Christmas Day aperitif, or Christmas evening pick-me-up, dangerously cheap at £2.95. To accompany the turkey, (or some more interesting bird if tradition permits), I can give a strong recommendation to the Bourgogne Hautes Cates de Beaune 1985 from Sainsbury's Vintage Selection. Here is something I have almost despaired of finding, an excellent, stylish, relatively simple Pinot Noir from Burgundy at a less than absurd, if not exactly give-away price, £5.65. Alternatively, in a more clarety style, arguably better value, and above all in a decent-sized bottle, the Marques de Caceres 1982 from Rioja costs £7.95 en magnum.
Until very recently, I would have put Waitrose top of the supermarket pecking order: they are still unrivalled in the £2 to £3 price range, and there is the great advantage that their whole range is stocked in every branch. My Waitrose tips are the Cotes de Duras 1985, a south-western cousin of claret with a grassy cabernet character and a ripe warmth also, excellent value at £2.35, the Montagny Premier Cm 1986, for those who like the rich, buttery style of white burgundy without wishing to pay Cote d'Or prices (it costs £5.95), and, to go with the pudding (as if any wine could cope with Christmas pudding), the Chateau de Berbec 1985 from the Pre- mières Cotes de Bordeaux, a rich liquorous number up to minor sauternes standard and pretty cheap at £3.55.
Marks and Spencer are certainly getting away from the rather stolid adherence to their own label which used to limit the appeal of their wine selection. Their Mar- gaux 1985 from Lucien Lurton is a ripe, forward fruity drink: fun, but not a purist's claret. I give it a qualified recommendation at £5.75. At least it's ready to drink, unlike Tesco's Chateauneuf-des-Papes Les Arnevels from the same vintage at the same price. This has good syrah character (more aggressive than one expects from Chateauneuf) but lots of rough edges still to be made smooth with time.
I can be much more whole-hearted about two celebratory bottles. I strongly urge the Christmas trolley-pusher at the two most wine-conscious supermarket chains to fork out an extra £1.50 when it comes to the bubbly and go for the vintage rather than the plain N.V. champagne. Sainsbury's and Waitrose both offer de- liciously rich and buttery-flavoured 1982s, perfect for current consumption. If I had to pick the winner it would be the Waitrose (also, at £9.25, 30p cheaper than the Sainsbury), but only by a short head.
Ausonius
Previous page
