Trying the best wines Waitrose has to offer | Alistair Gibson

I moved house last week and with it of course came the usual chaos and frustration of trying to find where everything is – so many boxes!
By Alistair Gibson
Published 8th Oct 2020, 10:05 BST
Alistair Gibson is a big fan of Pecorino Terre di Chieti, which can be found at Waitrose.Alistair Gibson is a big fan of Pecorino Terre di Chieti, which can be found at Waitrose.
Alistair Gibson is a big fan of Pecorino Terre di Chieti, which can be found at Waitrose.

It may not be top of everyone’s list but for me the contents of my wine cellar are most important and the question of where I am going to store my much loved wine collection.

As it turned out my wine cellar remained in boxes for a few days and so on a local trip to the supermarket to stock the larder I bought three wines for the weekend.

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One of my plans is to keep a few sheep and while I would never recommend buying a wine based on its label, for once I succumbed, Pecorino Terre di Chieti 2019 (Waitrose £7.99) has a very appealing grinning sheep label. Pecorino is the grape – not to be confused with the cheese – it comes from the Abruzzo region of Italy and this a very good value, uncomplicated white wine.

It’s very fresh with grapefruit, lemon rind and some floral notes on the nose, followed by more citrus fruits and bright, crisp acidity.

Pecora means sheep hence the label and this would would really well with pasta carbonara or a tomato-based pasta dish.

The summer may have gone but there is no need to put the rosé away in my opinion.

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Muga Rosado 2019, Rioja (Waitrose £7.99 on offer from £9.99 until October 13) is from one of the region’s leading producers and while on offer it would be well worth adding a few bottles to your trolley.

Made mainly from garnacha, it is pale-pink onion skin in colour with aromas of tangerine, nectarines and redcurrant, the palate offers red fruits, crisp acidity and a long, almost savoury finish.

This is a very versatile rosé, try pairing it with some seafood tapas or a Spanish tortilla.

Last year Waitrose introduced a new range of wines aimed at highlighting some less well known grapes and one of the best of the range is Mencia 2017, Bierzo (Waitrose £9.99).

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Mencia is a red grape found in north-west Spain and is currently becoming quite fashionable.

While it can be made into a range of styles this one is definitely at the fruit forward end of the spectrum.

The nose is really quite perfumed with dark soft fruits and a little exotic spice, leading to a silky palate with more dark fruits and a supple, juicy finish.

This is seriously food friendly wine, we matched it with a slow roasted shoulder of lamb but it also works with roast pork, or how about roast Monkfish?

Related topics:WaitroseItaly