As it was white wine day last week, I tasted quite a few of... guess what?
If you guessed white wine then well done. Now, I'm normally a simple guy when it comes to whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blancs and Rieslings, but there’s so much more out there.
The standout wines were some snotteringly expensive Montrachets and a couple of top end Rhone whites but assuming you don't want to sell a kidney, there were plenty of corkers under £20 a pop.
Chenin Blanc is a grape I've never really taken to heart but for the life of me I can't figure out why because every one I taste has something I really enjoy.
As for the Viogners and Marsanne whites, they offer a complexity and depth of fruit that always appeal to me so why I only end up trying them during tastings is beyond me. Note to self, be more adventurous.
Strangely, the only disappointments this time round were the Italian whites. I did a tasting of Italian reds a few weeks ago and was astounded by the range and quality but the whites didn’t challenge me at all.
Anyway, here's a few suggestions for the week ahead
Big Beltie Sauvignon Blanc, France
A fresh, light blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Columbard with all the zesty gooseberry fruits you would expect of a decent Marlborough Sauvignon. Big Bertie is a Bog Belt, especially for this price.
Harris & Co £10.95 M&S Collection
Gavi di Gavi, Italy
This one really did stand out from the rest of Italy, but then again, I am rather partial to Marks Collection range. Crisp pears, tropical fruits and just a hint of a creamy finish.
M&S £12
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here