CityLife

Virgin Wines

March 19, 2010

Apart from flying you to the Caribbean or laying on trains to London, Richard Branson’s Virgin brand can also send you wine by mail order. In fact, Virgin Wines has become one of the largest online mail order retailers in the UK over the last 10 years.

It’s received high praise from wine critics such as the Observer’s Tim Atkin, who awarded it Online Retailer Of The Year in 2008. The division held a tasting in the grand surroundings of Manchester’s town hall last weekend.

Tasting the wines was a little bit like catching Virgin trains; there were lots of people jostling for position, for the most part the product was good, but occasionally there would be an absolute stinker.

Talented English winemaker Gavin Crispfield, who works in the Terrasses du Larzac in the Languedoc, was on hand armed with two of his wines. One was a well-nigh perfect rosé, Les Arbousiers Coteaux du Languedoc 2008 (£6.99). Using cinsault and grenache parcels Mr Crispfield has managed to fashion a rosé that has creamy supple fruit but is rounded off with a crisp acidity – a trick that’s hard to pull off in such southerly climes.

It’s a wine made for a lazy day in the garden when the sun finally comes out. His other wine was Du Clos Rocher de Vierge Vieilles Vignes 2007 (£7.99). This is full of peppery and raspberry flavours from the grenache grape and seems nearer in flavour to wines from up the road in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the Rhone. Another highlight was a stall showing off wines made in Germany’s Rheingau by Hans Lang.

His Rhiengau Riesling Bunten Schiefer 2005 (£10.99) was a wonderful expression of this versatile grape. Golden in hue with typical riesling complexity it seems a superb bargain at this price. His Barrique Pinot Noir 2005 (£11.99) was also notable for food-friendly acidity while subtly retaining the grape’s berry fruit characteristics.

Riesling also found great expression in Peeling Reel Clare Valley Riesling 2009 (£7.99). This is a classic Clare Valley; viscous with paraffin on the nose and a clean acidity to match the tropical fruit. Also notable among the whites was Domaine Les Grand Presbyteres Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie (£8.99). Often muscadet is too dry and bland but this has toasty fruit and an almost cheesy hint to its varietal flavours.

There was an entire table devoted to sauvignon blanc from which I really enjoyed Domaine Michel Girard Sancerre 2009 (£11.99). This is classic Sancere with a great finish at a reasonable price. The Cave de Turckheim Gewurztraminer Grand Cru band 2007 (£13.99) is a regal wine for the right occasion showing that Alsace cannot be matched when it comes to this grape.

At a lower price, the Argentinian wine Don Antonio Catamarca Torrontes Sauvignon 2008 (£5.99) was an interesting combination of grapes. Reds were dominated by South America and it was here that I felt customers needed to tread carefully. I found many overbearing and some, that had a fake oak flavour, brought about by the use of oak chippings, nothing short of awful.

There were many top notch reds to be had, however, such as a silky Fleurie from La Reine de L’Arentite La Madone 2008 (£9.99). There was some nice peppery and spicy Spanish garnacha (grenache) such as Bodegas Leceranas Pacto Natural 2008 (£9.99).

Fabre Montmayou Patagonia Barrel Selection Malbec 2007 (£10.99) would be perfect with steak and chips and showed that Argentinian malbec can produce great wine. From South Africa there was the classic Rustenberg John X Merriman 2006 (£10.99) while there was a reasonable Ribera del Duero from Mesoneros de Castilla 2006 (£9.49).