I attended a Swig tasting recently and I have to admit that the 160 bottles on display were some of the most pleasing and intriguing I have seen this year. I have picked six bottles from this great event with the intention of introducing your palate to wines which not only reward from a gustatory and intellectual standpoint but also from a value for money angle. It's all very well me flinging expensive bottles at you, but a wine club is a vehicle for introducing movers and shakers to wines with the same credentials. These wines will set you up for the crazy season and beyond with epic flavours which don't cost the earth. They're true to Swig's original motto genuinely exciting wine for the Serious Wine Imbibers Group'!
This collection is available to buy online via Swig's website, or give them a call on 0800 0272 272 and quote "MoneyWeek" to benefit from exclusive MoneyWeek savings and FREE UK delivery.
How it works
Prices and savings below are exclusive to MoneyWeek readers and are based on ordering a case of 12 bottles. You can also buy a mixed case, giving you two bottles of each wine, for just £153.80, saving you £29. You'll enjoy FREE UK delivery on all orders. Offer ends 29 November 2018.
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Cheers!
Matthew Jukes
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2016 l'appel des Sereines, Syrah, Franois Villard, Vin de France
£15 £12.95
I'll never forget visiting this chap for the first time back in the early nineties. I nicknamed Villard and his two neighbours, Gaillard and Cuilleron, the Three Musketeers in my notes. They were young, outspoken, daring and made expressive, honest wines. Fast-forward 25 years and they're still heroes in the Northern Rhne, but only one makes a budget Syrah like this one. This is, hands down, one of the most fragrant, juicy and bargain-priced Syrahs on earth. I adore the iodine-tinged nose and blackberry palate it is the definition of this grape and I heartily commend it to you.
Case price: £155.40, saving £24.60
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2017 Juranon Sec, Domaine Castra, Southwest France
£17.95 £13.95
This wine is another time-capsule experience for me. I first bought Castra's wines when I was in charge of wine buying for Bibendum Restaurant in the Michelin Building in Chelsea, London in 1990. My first experience of wines made from the Gros and Petit Manseng and Petit Courbu grapes; I was hooked. The violet and greengage nose balanced by the brutally dry palate was shocking and memorable. The wines are much more polished today, and that is a relief, but they are still haunting and delicious. Floral and crisp, you must taste this rare French classic.
Case price: £167.40, saving £48
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2017 Grner Veltliner, Lssterrassen, Weingut Stadt Krems, Niedersterreich, Austria
£14.50 £12.50
There is a veritable ocean of Grner out there and while it has certainly caught the eye of the UK consumer, I doubt that the average wine drinker realises that there is a gulf in quality from the lean, stripped, pithy wines bumping along the bottom of the wine pond and the serenely, gliding, stunners on the surface. A heavenly example of Austria's most famous grape, it reeks class on the nose, palate and finish. It is Zen-like, captivating and refreshing and it doesn't even break into a trot on the palate, such is its composure and confidence. A must for elite aperitif wine work!
Case price: £150, saving £24
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2018 Secateurs, Chenin Blanc, Badenhorst Family Wines, Swartland, South Africa
£13.50 £12.50
I am a fan, but I've never been on the edge of my seat with excitement concerning this wine. There are a lot of Cape Chenins out there and this is a good one, but in 2018 it has elevated its flavour-delivery and sense of grandeur to an entirely different plane. The fruit is pristine with discreet pineapple husk, lemon balm and mint notes embedded in the lightly honeyed theme. It is long and vibrant but also crunchy and sour. It can tackle a good plate of grub or just be left to its own devices as a pre-dinner charmer. I love it!
Case price: £150, saving £12
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2015 Rote Kvee, Groszer Wein, Burgenland, Austria
£17.95 £13.50
Made from the excellent Austrian red grape Blaufrnkisch blended with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, this is a heavenly example of Austria's most famous grape and it reeks class on the nose, palate and finish. The depth of plum and berry fruit, cut with cinnamon spice and pink peppercorns, is astounding. It is a claret-shaped wine with an entirely modern and enthralling outlook. Not only that, I love the label and the whole atmosphere surrounding the ritual of opening and drinking this wine. Push the boat out, claret-drinkers, and get yourselves bang up to date with what's happening right now in the wine world!
Case price: £162, saving £53.40
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2016 Soli Pinot Noir, Miroglio, Bulgaria
£12.50 £11.50
OK, this is the joker in the pack. I hold my hands up. You will have two bottles of this cheeky Pinot in your mixed case and you will not believe what's happening when you dip your hooter into the glass. It is budget-priced, of course, but your expectations will undoubtedly be set low and then the surprise will build in your eyebrows, before making it down to your smile. Yes, this is Bulgaria's hidden weapon and who the hell would have guessed it would be a Pinot? Not me, that's for sure.
Case price: £138, saving £12
PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW via Swig's website, or call them direct: 0800 0272 272and quote "MoneyWeek"
Terms & Conditions
Offer ends 29 November 2018. Free delivery on all orders of 6 bottles of wine or more, otherwise £12.50 + VAT. Orders placed before noon will normally be dispatched within 48 hours. Payment can be made by credit or debit card online or over the phone. To view Swig's full terms & conditions, please visit their website: swig.co.uk/terms.html
