An alluring red wine from M&S
If you want to trial this classic listing from Marks & Spencer, you had better move fast, says Matthew Jukes.
2013 Frares Priorat, Spain (£13, reduced to £11 until 6 April, Marks & Spencer, marksandspencer.com).
First of all, and this is important to many, the bottle looks the part, even though it sports an everyday price tag. It comes from the historic, powerhouse region of Priorat, in the southwest of Catalonia, where mighty reds are made from steep-terraced vineyards planted on black slate and quartz soil known as llicorella.
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Winemaker Sandra Estevez works at the region's oldest cooperative winery and she uses minimal treatments and no oak in this 50% garnacha, 50% Cariena blend this is why it is already supple enough to drink now and the bush vines used are a minimum of 50 years old.
Tot it all up and you might reasonably expect a price tag of twice what it is. The fact that the flavour is heavenly and brooding, with mulberry, plum, liquorice and dark chocolate in abundance, only adds to its allure. I raise my glass of Frares to you (yes, I have already secured my stock).
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com).
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