wines from the Supermarket, this week Waitrose

This week, I had the pleasure of shopping at Waitrose. The products were laid out in a purposeful way.
Nothing looked out of place and everything looked in immaculate condition. When I paid for my goods, I noticed, that not only were they all intact, they could and would remain so on my shelves at home.
Waitrose has always been associated with lucrative months, in our house, so with this bias reporting, I headed down the wine aisle to see what was on offer.


The first wine that caught my eye, was a Hungarian wine. The grape was a Gewurztraminer, which I hadn't thought was even grown there - I had several wine trips and tastings in Hungary and never came across it! I thought back to last weeks blog and my recommendations. The match was too good to miss. 
The wine had an unusual nose of Lychee and Banana leaves, there was mint in there too. Surprisingly the alcohol was strong, or at least felt it, although it is only 11%.

The light straw coloured wine glinted in the glass, with a clear edge, showing youth.

On the palette, there nudged a childhood memory of mashed banana, which settles down to Cape Gooseberries and then under-ripe Lychee. There is a lemon juice touch, in the follow through. As the wine opens, the banana comes out more. 

The red comes from Bordeaux, Chateau Valfontaine situated in the south. It is a blend dominated by Merlot, which gives it its clear garnet colour. The 2010 vintage is still young and could probably age a little longer in the bottle. The initial smell is of cherry wood being burnt. The taste is one of summer ripe plums, dark cherry and tobacco. The flavour is fresh and youthful. Pretty good for a wine not coming from a known appellation.

Not so cheap wines from Waitrose this week, but interesting offerings to enjoy.