Richard Esling, On the Grapevine: Great value wines for last minute buys
Whether you’re looking for those wines which perhaps ‘punch a little above their weight’ on a medium budget, or a selection for a Festive event or New Year’s Party, here are a few recommendations, mainly from the vineyards of Europe and paired red and white, together with a very drinkable red from Argentina.
Esporão is one of the best names of the Alentejo region of Portugal, thanks both to the quality of their wines and the work they do with modern, sustainable winemaking practices.
Esporão Monte Velho Branco, Alentejano 2024 is a fresh, crisp white made from a blend of indigenous grape varieties. Notes of citrus and green apple. £12 from Ocado or £9.95 from The Wine Society.
Esporão Monte Velho Tinto 2024 is the red partner. Intense, ripe red fruit flavours with berries, cherries and dark plums, with a touch of spice. Again made from a blend of native grape varieties, giving character and vibrancy, yet remaining light to medium bodied, with a long, mellow finish. £12.25 from Ocado.
Jeanne Delaunay, from the company Abbotts and Delaunay, crafts two characterful wines from vineyards in the southern French Languedoc region. Sourced from characterful terroirs, they have a balance between Mediterranean power and subtle elegance.
The white Abbots and Delaunay Languedoc Blanc 2024 is fresh, floral and aromatic, made from Grenache Blanc and Vermentino. Flavours of mandarin, apricot and citrus. £13 or £10 mix six from Majestic.
Abbotts and Delaunay Languedoc Rouge 2023 is a blend of Grenache and Syrah and packed full of red and black berry fruit flavours. Medium bodied, with a touch of minerality and considerable charm. Also available from Majestic at the same price as the white.
Two red wines from Santa Tresa in Sicily are fresh and light, but by no means frivolous. Perfect for lighter suppers, plates of leftovers or lighter meals on the other side of New Year’s Eve!
Santa Tresa Frappato 2024 is an organic red made from the indigenous Frappato grape variety of the south-eastern region of Vittoria. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, it can be served slightly chilled.
Elegantly fruity with flavours of wild strawberries, fresh raspberries and hints of herbs. £10.50 from The Wine Society. Also available from Ocado and independent wine merchants.
From the same Santa Tresa stable comes their Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2022, also organic and made from a blend of Frappato and Nero d’Avola. Velvety and elegant with great structure and balance.
Tremendous with gammon either hot or cold with fruity chutney. £15.50 from Ocado and independents.
Malbec from Argentina is one of those great grape variety success stories. In France it was widely grown in the Bordeaux vineyards, and although still grown and used in some blends, far less is planted now than was the case in by-gone years.
Taken to Argentina by pioneers in the 19th century, Malbec has found its ideal growing environment and makes a vast range of delicious wines, particularly in the Mendoza region.
Finca Lalande Malbec 2024 from Domaine Bousquet is astonishingly full flavoured for the price, with layered blackberry, blackcurrant and raspberry jam flavours, combined with fig, spicy pepper and soft, ripe tannins. Great value at £12 from Waitrose.
Excellent value wines for easy and enjoyable drinking anytime. Wishing all my readers a very Happy Christmas and excellent Year in 2026 with many exciting wine discoveries!