Marylebone Green is gently winding down to the sound of a Caribbean steel band. It's one of those balmy summer evenings that drift effortlessly into the early hours.
Unusually I have spent the best part of the day with fellow wine writers Jamie Goode and Olly Smith talking (at a Taste of London event) and not writing about wine. So it is with some relief that, glass of rum in hand, I have sneaked off to file this
column from a deck chair under the protective branches of a horse chestnut tree.
One of the themes I have been talking about is the idea that to find real value in wine one has to buy counterintuitively. We can all fill our shopping trolleys with bargains from the Southern hemisphere or discounted three for two offers but are we getting value for money? In my book value for money is picking up a wine that is undervalued. This wine may cost £9.99 but its worth is £29.99. The same can be applied to a £2.99 wine whose market value ought to be £5.49. A good place to start is Bordeaux. The world's largest fine wine region is known for its voluptuous, brooding, deep red wine. But look more closely, think outside the box and what do you get? Dry white wine, made principally from sauvignon blanc and semillion that provides a wonderfully refreshing, herbaceous, zingy, creamy range of flavours. One such wine to search out is 2007 Mouton Cadet Blanc, £5.99, available at Morrisons.
Another region in France, often overlooked in favour of countries in South America and Australia, that is packed full of bargains is the Loire Valley. For those unfamiliar with this wine growing basin in the north west of France it is best known for bucking the trend. In an age where every wine is upping the stakes in terms of alcoholic strength and ripeness of fruit the wines from the Loire have a lightness of touch and refreshing acidity – in short they are near-perfect summer wines. The villages that dot along its river read like a Who's Who of French winemaking. Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Vouvray, Saumur, Savennieres and Muscadet. Think light, fresh whites and vivacious fruity reds. The counterintuitive buyer will look to Brittany's Pays Nantais vineyard that hugs the Southern valleys of Nantes. This is home to one of the least fashionable and under-priced white wines on the market today: Muscadet. Hugely popular in the 1970s we somehow lost sight of its charms. Personally I can't think of a better match with such seafood goodies as oysters, mussels, west coast crab and langoustine. At its best it is searingly dry, with a crispy, crunchy acidity and a slight salty taste. Some producers get a soft, deeper, rounded flavour from their old vines.
Esme Johnstone, one of the founder's of Majestic Wine, has tracked down one such wine with Bernard Carre's Muscadet: Comte Leloup 2005. Esme is now running www.fromvineyardsdirect.com, by far my favourite online retailer. The business model couldn't be simpler with the wines coming direct from the vineyard to your door. By knocking out the middle man, nosing out small parcels of wines and keeping their list relatively small they have managed to keep prices, in some cases, eye-catchingly low. I recently tasted through their summer range: recommendations below.
Markus Molitor Riesling Trocken 2007, 11.5 per cent, £8.95Riesling is a hopelessly unfashionable grape variety which helps keep its price low. The nose is dominated by citrusy lemon and lime flavours while the length has a pleasing, long acidity. The flavours are strong enough to enjoy a glass into a wild, country garden.
La Reserve Claret 2006, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France, 13 per cent, £7.95The search for an above average house claret is over. For the price this wine really excites. It has everything one looks for in decent red Bordeaux: notes of pencil shavings, cedar wood and ripe berries – a must for every Sunday roast.
Muscadet Comte Leloup 2005, Loire Valley, France, 12 per cent £7.95A revelation at the price. Quite simply one of the most versatile and best value summer wines on the market today. Bursting with ripe, firm fruit this has an added complexity to its character that could be mistaken for oak age. Sensational value for under £10.
Stockists From Vineyards Direct (020 7490 9910,
www.FromVineyardsDirect.com)
