stunning e ally doc - virgin wines a full case of any single wine at your iscovery discount rate....

Enjoy a full case of any single wine at your Discovery discount rate. Simply call 0343 224 1044

Yourrating: /5AndyB.

rAndrew Baker, Virgin Wines' Head Wine Buyer

Taste indicator:

Stunning

Mediterranean-style

red from the equally

beautiful Languedoc

Cirque de Navacelles Reserve d'Heric 2016

Our take... "The Cirque de Navacelles is a magnificent amphitheatre of rock in the Massif Central. This scene provides this beautiful, textured Languedoc red. A blend of old vine Grenache, bush vine Carignan and Syrah that places the accent on accessibility, rather than rusticity. The resulting blend cooks up a wonderful mix of raspberry and kirsch on the nose, black cherries and damson on the palate."

Where's it from? The garrigues of the southern Languedoc are very special. They have an other-worldly scent about them. Mixing in with hot rocks are herbs and flowers. And this lovely melange is really reflected in the wines. Magical.

Great with... the wild wines that are found in the wild landscape here are really perfect with fatty cuts, especially grilled lamb cutlets. It’s a herb thing!

At its best: Now – End 2020

ABV: 13% Normal price: £9.99

Grenache, Syrah, Carignan

Soft and Juicy Reds

Light Full-bodied

Winemaker’s words... "There’s something on the air in this region, it’s very sweet and herbal. It’s a melange of the herbs and grasses of the garrigues, the rocky scrubland of the south. It’s reflected in the flavours of this wine."

Region: Languedoc

Country: France

Gavin Crisfield, Winemaker




Taste indicator:

New-wave Sicilian

red with lovely

sunshine fruit...and

no-one gets hurt

Beppe Morchetta Rosso 2016

Our take... "Beppe Morchetta treads the stylistic line beautifully between traditional and modern. Made with Nero d'Avola, Sicily's flagship red grape variety, it exhibits the grape's rustic charm with its red cherry fruit and rustic tannins, but it's balanced by a juicy, fresh and slick fruitiness on the palate that is very in vogue. When all's said and done, this is a very joyful, gluggable red."

Where's it from? Sicily has a history of wine as old as the history of wine. This turbulent volcanic island, capped by the magnificent Mount Etna, is a grape-growing paradise. It is home to its own gloriously diverse panoply of wine.

Great with... for a Sicilian wine, this Nero d’Avola is still fresh. Which makes it fantastic for everyday fare like spagbol and pizza, as well as choice cuts of meat.


ABV: 12.5% Normal price: £8.99

Nero d'Avola

Soft and Juicy Reds

Light Full-bodied

Winemaker’s words... "This is my chosen lunchtime wine and I take lunch very seriously indeed! It's easy going and fresh but has lots of varietal character that gives it all it needs to go with a wide variety of local foods."

Region: Sicily

Country: Italy

Fabrizio Vella, Winemaker




Taste indicator:

A wonderfully mature

Spanish red discovered

waiting patiently in a

cellar

Reino de Altuzarra Navarra Crianza 2009

Our take... "On close inspection, the quality of this 100% Tempranillo fruit was given the destiny it deserved - oak barrel maturation and years of ageing in the bottle, allowing it to develop a wealth of complexity before release. It's now at its peak, still displaying primary plum fruit, but with raisin notes, savoury spices and hints of red meat and leather. A serious wine at a frivolous price."

Where's it from? Navarra is a wonderful part of Spain in the foothills of the Pyrenees that has a long history of making great wines. The vineyards lie on the gentle limestone-based soil slopes within the tiny sub-region of Valdizarbe.

Great with... what do you do with older wines? Believe it or not, because they are evolved and faded, they actually match rare steak beautifully, simple but brilliant.



Tempranillo

Light Full-bodied

Soft & Juicy Reds

Winemaker’s words... "I love the varietal character of Syrah but I don't like the sweet and jammy style. I love the cracked black pepper aromas you get from Syrah from this vineyard area. It makes it a good friend of steak"

Region: Navarra

Country: Spain

Borja Ripa, Winemaker




Taste indicator:

Very exciting,

chunky and bold

Shiraz Malbec blend

from the Cape

Ryan's Pure Shiraz Malbec 2017

Our take... "Coming screeching out of the uber-fashionable Perdeberg region in the Cape, this wine is also a very hot blend. Combining some very high quality Shiraz and Malbec, in just the right ratio, it makes the most of both. You get the rich fleshy fruit of the former, beefed up and given the weight of the latter. It is one of the wines that encompass all that’s really exciting in the South Africa today."

Where's it from? This region is named after the large mountain that sits above the the vines, more specifically after the horses that someone once thought they saw roaming it - Perdeberg - horse mountain. They turned out to be zebra, but we won't dwell on that.

Great with... of course in the Cape you'd be having this with something you'd shot earlier, at a braai. Here BBQed meats are just the ticket, hunted earlier at the butchers.



Shiraz, Malbec

Full and Fruity Reds

Light Full-bodied

Winemaker’s words... "This is a relatively new blend for us, but one that seems to marry well. All of the fruit is from the Perdeberg, so this must help with that marriage. The wine itself is dense, fresh and mouth-coating."

Region: Perdeberg

Country: South Africa

Ryan Puttick, Winemaker


AndyB.r

Andrew Baker, Virgin Wines' Head Wine Buyer

Taste indicator:

Yourrating: /5

Ex-Madeira grape -

Verdelho - becomes a sleek

discovery wine in Oz

Shed Ten Verdelho 2016

Our take... "Australia has made a very good fist of having very few rules to adhere to in winemaking. As a result, new styles abound. The relatively obscure Verdelho, usually used for making dryish Madeira, comes to life in South Australia, with the help of some team vision. The clement weather delivers lots of stone fruit punch, but doesn't dispel the grape's natural propensity for freshness."

Where's it from? South Australia is famed for many things - Aussie rules, great big sharks, good surf and phenomenal wine. It has such a high concentration of great regions that it clearly has what it takes to be world class.

Great with... the Shed Ten Verdelho is a great all-rounder – brilliant aperitif as well as a wine to go with roast chicken and heavier salads like Niçoise.



Verdelho

Clean and Crisp Whites

Bone Dry Sweet

Fuse Winemaking Team, Winemakers

Winemaker’s words... "We have loved dabbling into the obscure world of Verdelho, making the very most of the character of the grape. It has a lovely trademark acidity that sets it apart, keeping this wine naturally fresh where others wither."

Region: South Australia

Country: Australia


AndyB.r


Taste indicator:

Yourrating: /5

A brilliant plan...

make lovely, simple,

fruitful Muscat in

the Pays d'Oc

Le Cochon Doue Muscat Sec 2016

Our take... "Please allow me to re-introduce the very talented Mr Piggy, this time the 2016. Mediterranean dry Muscat is hard to come by, at a high quality level anyhow, but this was the cracker we were waiting for. It has a wonderful open and easy grapey character that makes it perfect for frivolous drinking of any kind. Expect exotic fruit with floral notes and a stony, refreshing finish to boot."

Where's it from? This wine is from the Pays d'Oc, a wonderful area in the Mediterranean France that built the reputation of the south from the very start of the vinous revolution down there. It has relatively fewer rules and lots of great wine.

Great with... it is one of the great aperitif wines, given its easy nature. But if you fancy it, it would pair well with Thai curry too, as well Indian butter chicken.



Muscat

Bone Dry Sweet

Winemaker’s words... "A pearl of a Mediterranean dry Muscat. Exotic fruit, floral notes and a wonderfully open and easy grapey character makes it perfect for frivolous drinking of any kind. It's also outstandingly refreshing."

Brent King, Winemaker

Fragrant but Dry Whites

Region: Languedoc

Country: France


AndyB.r


Taste indicator:

Yourrating: /5

A single site Sauvignon

from the oh-so-very-trendy

Swartland, in the Cape

918 Single Site Swartland Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Our take... "If this wine appeared in a wine Top Trumps pack it would score very highly on most counts. It’s from Swartland...uber-trendy. It’s from a single site...very selective. It’s harvested by hand...kid gloves treatment. And it’s extremely tasty...tasty. In the glass, it doesn’t disappoint either showing tight and bright tropical fruit, but restrained and controlled with a lovely refreshing edge to it."

Where's it from? The Cape almost has no peer in the world for growing things. Massively bio-diverse, anything will grow here and vines, with thier very particular needs, do splendidly well making for lovely balanced offerings across the regions.

Great with... this is a profound and ripe style that would suit something characterful. Consider buttery asparagus as well as cheeses with oomph (Stinking Bishop anyone?)



Sauvignon Blanc

Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc Style

Bone Dry Sweet

Winemaker’s words... "Having access to so many quality sites in Swartland is a real privilege, leaving me free to choose the most suitable for different styles. This site gives a style that’s pretty ripe but fresh at the same time."

Region: Swartland

Country: South Africa

Ryan Puttick, Winemaker


AndyB.r


Taste indicator:

Yourrating: /5

Discover Cortese,

usually used to

make very pricey

Gavi di Gavi

Anello Piemonte DOC Cortese 2016

Our take... "Pinot Grigio is Piemonte’s most famous export, but Cortese (of Gavi di Gavi fame) is arguably more worthy! Anello isn't from Gavi di Gavi, so it doesn't get the name, but it's from some posh vineyards slightly further north which are rich in limestone that gives the wine a mineral character that supports the abundance of citrus fruit and gives it a 'serious' edge. Proper decent wine, this is!"

Where's it from? This wine comes from the best hillside vineyards that Araldica possess in the rolling countryside of Piemonte, in northern Italy. The climate here is absolutely perfect for these fresh, zippy styles of white.

Great with... so this wine has just enough weight and zest to improve most non-tomato based pasta dishes, simple ones being the best. Think garlic, oil, bread or even fish.



Cortese

Clean and Crisp Whites

Bone Dry Sweet

Winemaker’s words... "The fresh, sweet lemon on the nose is really enticing, and the palate is really fresh. It's a great wine for a hot summer's afternoon and is still good for the traditional food we serve here in Piemonte."

Region: Piemonte

Country: Italy

Claudio Manera, Winemaker

stunning e ally doc - virgin wines a full case of any single wine at your iscovery discount rate....

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