It’s time for everyone to ‘Taste the Difference’
Chris Burr, MW, reviews Sainsbury’s own Wine Range
By Master of Wine, Christopher Burr
16/02/2022
Over the last few months, the Taste the Difference wine range at Sainsbury's has been extended with some smaller parcels of interesting wines. The aim is to find excellent and interesting parcels, generally not available in the much larger quantities required for regular stocking, and to try to encourage their customers to be more experimental.
The aim is to find excellent and interesting parcels…and to try to encourage their customers to be more experimental.
There are some excellent value Taste the Difference wines, and the following are well worth trying.
Firstly Fizz. Ellercombe English Sparkling Wineis grown in the south of England and made from the traditional Champagne blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with traditional method bottle fermentation. At around £20 this is excellent value fizz. An elegant wine with aromas of fresh green apple, citrus and a toasty bready mid palate followed by a fine mousse.
Another good value fizz is theSainsbury's Crémant De LoireAlso bottle fermented as is traditional, with some lovely white flower blossom aromas and brioche and citrus flavours.
Some interesting whites well worth trying are firstly the Sainsbury's Cotes du Rhone white which is a rich complex blend of several southern Rhone grape varietals, and is deliciously complex wine for the low price point.
There is also a great Sainsbury's Albarino from the best area of Galicia in Northern Spain, Rias Baixas. It is crisp, bright and mineral, perfect for most fish dishes.
If you prefer something more aromatic, and less bone dry, Sainsbury's Alsace Gewurztraminer from the excellent Caves de Turckheim, is full of ripe exotic fruit and aromatic aromas. Perfect with spicy food or as an aperitif.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range have plenty for those who like big gutsy red wines. Sainsbury's Chateau Tanunda Red Blend Cabernet Merlot blend is rich and full bodied with masses of ripe round fruit and good structure. Great with red meat.
Another red meat wine is the excellent Sainsbury's Valpolicella Ripasso. Full of dark cherry and black fruits, very concentrated and spicy, a voluptuous wine for £11.
A lovely soft round red from Spain is Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Old Vine Garnacha. From the same grape as Chateauneuf du Pape in France, but with the added Aragon Spanish sun, this rich round luscious red is great value.
Also, do try the Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Douro, from the same grapes which make Port in the Douro and top Port House Symington. These still dry reds are complex and intense with wild berry fruit and a lovely balance.
The final red is for those who love the gentle soft berry fruit of Pinot Noir. The Sainsbury's Rheinhessen Pinot Noir is juicy and full. Global warming has led the Germans to plant more red grapes and this is a ripe juicy example of the quality they are able to achieve.
Plenty of very interesting wines to experiment with now on Sainsbury's wine shelves, enjoy exploring.