Majestic Recommendations

 

I was putting together a list of recommendations for Christmas wines for my parents. They tend to use Majestic, an why not, good service and free delivery. Here are the best offers I could find, nothing earth shatteringly out of the ordinary but all excellent value at under £10

Red Bordeaux all £7.99

Château Bessan Ségur 2008 Cru Bourgeois, Médoc

Château Grivière 2004 Médoc, Cru Bourgeois

Château Méaume 2008 Bordeaux Supérieur (From their anniversary party)

 

Red Rhone (syrah)

Côtes du Rhône 2010 Vidal-Fleury (£6.99 - excellent value)

Guigal Cote du Rhone (£7.99)

 

Americas

Great Chilean Chardonnay (£6.99)

Quality Cab Sauv (£7.99)

Californian Cab Sauv (8.99)

 

New Zealand

The Ned Sauv Blanc (£6.99)

Fairleigh Estate Sauvignon Blanc (£5.99)

 

Fizz

Processco (£8.99)

 

Riesling

The Lodge Hill Riesling 2012 Jim Barry, Clare Valley (£9.99)

 

French White

Burgundy Chardonnay (£6.99)

Great Southern French White

Bordière Nord Marsanne voigner 2011 PGI Pays d'Oc £6.49 at Majestic Wine

Another bargain from Majestic that shows the raising quality of southern France, the label boasts of a marriage of new and old world styles and I can see what they mean. This white wine is greenish gold in colour with a heady aroma of peaches and almonds with a nutty note from the Marsanne grape. There is plenty of sweet citrus flavours, particularly tangerine with tropical pineapple too. The flavour is full, opulent and aromatic; imagine peaches and cream eaten with a wooden spoon. Its very good, fresh, crisp and rich.

Bargain of the Week

La Vieille Capitelle 2009 Côteaux du Languedoc, £5.99 for two at Majestic Wine.
The dependable ex-rugby player Gerard Bertrand is responsible for this excellent wine, drunk with some gusto at an afternoon BBQ, it was firm and fruity. A surprising amount of complexity for its price, very approachable. Buy some now before it goes or the price goes back up.

Chilean Bargain of the Week

 

Luis Felipe Edwards Mountain View Chardonnay 2011 (from £4.99 Majestic)

You are not going getting 1er Cru Chablis for £4.99 but you are getting a crisp, buttery chardonny with bags of flavour and good balance. The price is for a limited time but even at full price it is worth having

Best wine deals - Telegraph

Victoria Moore

Chateau La Rose Gadis 2006 Bordeaux Rouge, France (13%, £5.99 down from £7.99 when you buy two, Majestic)

Majestic seems to be on a winning streak with good-value Bordeaux. This one is made entirely from merlot on the south bank of the Dordogne and while some cheap claret smells mean and green, or just generically fruity, as if made in the Languedoc, this has true Bordeaux character and the gentle scent of decay that comes from a nicely timed bit of bottle-age.

Monteforte Passo Avanti Soave 2009 Italy (13%, £5.99 down from £7.99 until July 19, Waitrose)

A rounded, succulent and very modern soave that would have qualified as a soave classico if the winemaker hadn’t decided to bottle it under screw cap. Think juicy pears, lemon juice, ground almonds and sunshine. It’s good with cold poached salmon and hollandaise, or roast chicken with lemon gravy.

Desert Heart Pinot Noir 2007 Central Otago, New Zealand (13.5%, £19.99, The Real Wine Company, therealwineco.co.uk)

From the wild mountainous part of NZ’s South Island where they filmed The Lord of the Rings. Everything about this pinot noir shouts “Central Otago”. It’s black-red in colour, the smell blazes out of the glass, faintly floral like a rose or a peony, the fruit is bright and the oak gives a gentle smokiness. Drink with pink-cooked duck and cherries, or lamb in pomegranate molasses.

Best wine deals - Telegraph

Wines of the week- The Independent

Wines of the week: The Independent
Terry Kirby
Catena Malbec 2008

A big, juicy, plummy, black-fruit-flavoured example of Argentina's finest grape, produced by one of its best exponents from high-altitude vineyards in the Mendoza region. A lovely, smooth mouthful, with touches of spice and leather and a lengthy finish that makes it ideal with roast or confit duck or a prime, rare, fillet steak. £11.99, Waitrose, ocado.com, majestic.co.uk (where it is also available for £9.99 per bottle when buying two bottles as part of a case of six bottles)

Midweek meal
Reserve de La Saurine Rose 2010

Not all southern French rosé has to come from Provence and taste of strawberries. This has a sharper, spicier taste, although still sufficiently fruity. Made in the neighbouring Gard region from Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah grapes, this needs to be drunk ice-cold on a summer's evening, perhaps with a robust fish soup, accompanied by rouille croutons. £6.49 Marks & Spencer

Bargain basement
Southbank Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010

A good deal on a top-quality Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc from the esteemed Marlborough region. Characteristic flavours of nettles, gooseberries and green apples mingle with passion fruit and other tropical fruits to create a crisply refreshing wine just right for the last asparagus of the season or almost any shellfish. £5.99, majestic.co.uk (when buying two bottles as part of a mixed case of six bottles; – A personal favourite of the Wine Ranger

Serious SA Chenin Blanc

Looking for something chilled to drink with some roast pork belly on the patio, I reach for to the rack and found DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2009. I remember picking this up at Majestic a couple of months ago for about £13. Its out of stock but watch out for it. Wild yeast fermented this is a wonderful, complex wine. Bags for tropical fruit and apple crispness that lingers on the palate. Plenty of aging potential.

Sunshine Fizz

Still lugging bottles out of the shops? Then try buying your wine on the web | Mail Online

Olly Smith

"An absolute gem with delicate almondy aromas but packed with power on the palate" Champagne Herbert Beaufort Grand Cru Champagne "Full of flavour and with a lively long-lasting complexity. A wine to make your spirits soar" £27 pb at Marks and Spencer

Ridgeview Grosvenor Blanc de Blance 2007 (England) 

Wow! One of the stand-out wines at the recent English Wine Producers trade & Press tasting. SO much zing, so much complexity. I'm thrilled this is grown and made in Sussx. It's stellar fizz with brisk citrus flavours and world-class complexity. £24.95, www.slurp.co.uk

Picpoul de Pinet Prestige 2010 Dom Guillaume Cabrol (France)

Superb, crisp white wine that fells simple, balanced and fresh. If you've every enjoyed Muscadet, get your chops around this southern French Equivalent. Marvellous with shellfish and a superb aperitif(Two bottles at Majestic at £6.99) - a person favourite of the Wine Ranger

What to take to a BYO?

Wine: What to take to a BYO? | Life and style | The Guardian

Fiona Beckett

Mas Belles Eaux Vin de Pays de Caux Rosé 2010 (£7.95,fromvineyardsdirect.com; 12.5% abv), an elegant blend of syrah and mourvèdre from an estate just north of Pézenas . At that price it is at least £2 less than a comparable Provençal rosé would be.

Neutral, minerally whites such as the flexible Austrian grüner veltliner really useful. Waitrose has a good offer on the Domäne Wachau Terraces Grüner Veltliner 2010(12% abv), which from next Wednesday will be reduced from £8.49 to £6.36 (though you may well find the 2009, which is also fine).

Australian chardonnay with some bottle age, such as the sumptuously creamy Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay 2008, from Margaret River (14.5% abv), currently £23 from the Wine Society, it's perfect for scallops, salmon, roast chicken or veal, so covers a fair number of menu options.

Reds that you can chill and drink with fish are also handy, for instance a beaujolais, Loire red or a pinot noir. The luscious Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir 2009 from Chile (£9.59 if you buy two or more at Majestic; 14.5% abv) should keep everyone happy. It's really impressive for a big brand.

Riesling Lovers be Aware!

Looks like Majestic have an exceptional treat, properly aged Riesling at less than £10 per bottle

Michael Schäfer Riesling Parcel