A dirt cheap but spectacular garnacha
This sleek, lingerie-smooth red from Aragon uses the noble grenache to great effect, says Matthew Jukes.
2009 Monte La Sarda, Garnacha Vias Viejas, Aragon, Spain (£7.49, reduced to £5.99 by the case, Oddbins should be in store first week of December).
Most of the really old grenache vines in the world are not found where you'd think, in the Southern Rhne, but in the Barossa Valley, in South Australia, or in the Roussillon at the western, less salubrious end of the French Riviera. But another goldmine for this iconic fruit is Spain.
This wine, from Aragon, uses the concentrated, noble vines to great effect. Unfortunately, Vias Viejas, Vieilles Vignes or Old Vines, depending on your lingo, are often responsible for bottles of wine that cost the earth and need a decade to age before they are ready to approach.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
So imagine my unabashed glee when I devoured a hefty tasting sample of this particular wine and nearly spluttered it all up again when I caught sight of the price on my Oddbins Winter Press Tasting Booklet.
No oak is used here, which must save a few quid, but otherwise you are treated to spectacular, authentic, raspberry and sweet rolling tobacco notes just as you would be on the nose of a mighty Chteauneuf, but the sleek, lingerie-smooth palate makes you beg for more and it's virtually free and drinking right now. What are you waiting for?
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year ( www.matthewjukes.com ).
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
-
Barclays begins paying up to £100 compensation to customers after banking outage
Barclays will pay up to £7.5 million in compensation to customers after its banking services were disrupted by an IT outage
By Daniel Hilton Published
-
Review: Shangri-La Paris – an ode to the world’s best food
Natasha Langan enjoys fine French and Chinese cuisine at the Shangri-La Paris
By Natasha Langan Published