Hugel Gewurztraminer 2010 (Independents, €15.99 )
Made from 100 per cent Gewurztraminer in France’s Alsace, this is a seriously good wine that grows on you with every drop. Typically aromatic and perfumed on the nose with pineapple and melon fruit mixing with lychee and rose. On the palate, it is dry and youthful, the tropical fruits ever-so-slightly honeyed providing a very satisfying finish. Overall, an elegant intense wine that is perfect as an aperitif or with anything spicy.
Old Vines Carignan DO Maule Valley 2008 (Independents, €17.49 )
I would like to say that with the weather taking a turn for the worse, this might be a wine to warm the soul. However, with the climate not having taken a turn for the better all summer and autumn, best to say, that this is a hearty wine to suit the coldest of weather, winter or summer. Made with 100 per cent Carignan in Chile’s Maule valley, 250 kilometres south of Santiago, it has gorgeous dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit on the nose allied to a slight aromatic lavender and spicy backdrop.
On the palate, it is concentrated with grippy tannins with lots of blackcurrant depth with a spicy and herby finish. Perfect wine for a heavy meat dish or winter stew.
