I s the economy about to collapse? Or are we facing
a minor blip? I do not know, but things don’t look good. What I do know is that we can offer Spectator readers the magical ‘soft landing’ economists seek, since the wines this week are heavily discounted as well as being quite delicious. That’s important, not least because of some recent research in California. This showed that people offered two glasses of identical wine, told that one was from a bottle worth $10 and the other from a bottle at $90, preferred the allegedly more expensive. The researcher, Professor Antonio Rangel, judged that our perceptions of how much we will enjoy something affects how much we actually do enjoy it. The more you expect to like a wine, the more you will.
Rangel got his results by studying brain activity, and he may be right, though I suspect it’s more to do with sheer terror. Many people are frightened of wine, or at least of being thought philistine by wine snobs. If one wine costs nine times as much as another, then it must be better, and if you don’t agree, it must be your fault.
This is nonsense, of course. I taste a lot of wines and I can’t tell you how often I have been disappointed by one costing £50 or even £200. I’ve sampled some wonderful wines at those prices, but there really is no fixed relationship between cost and quality. You must decide what you like, and if it’s a reasonable price, then you’re very lucky. I think that rule applies to all this selection, from the admirable and enterprising Yorkshire merchants Playford Ros. I hope and believe that if Rangel scanned your brain, he would discover that you liked all of these, very much.
I have chosen two Chardonnays, because their style is entirely different. Andrew Firth of Playford Ros has reduced the Pitchfork Unwooded Chardonnay 2007 (1) from McLaren Vale, Australia, by a stunning 37 per cent to £4.27. That’s terrific value — really good wine at a supermarket price. It’s fresh, clear, zingy, and yet with ample fruit to make it perfect to drink on its own, or with seafood, chicken — anything really.
The Pinot Grigio ‘Marca Trevigiana’ 2006 (2), from the Villa Sandi in the Veneto, shows what terrific wine can be made with this much-abused grape. It is round, fat, silky — the absolute opposite of the watery stuff sometimes sold in downmarket Italian restaurants. The 21 per cent reduction to £6.05 makes it a terrific bargain.
The technical name ‘Petit’ Chablis, like this 2006 from the Domaine Hervé Dampt (3), might seem to imply that it is a lesser wine than some others. Yet this is far nicer than many bottles I have tasted with a grander label. Made entirely from old vines, it has the dry flintiness of Chablis, while the taste of the grape really forces its way through to make for a scrumptious drop. Reduced by 17 per cent to £7.73.
All my other selections are from the New World. The single vineyard Pinot Noir rosé 2006 (4), christened Loica, and from the celebrated Leyda winery in the San Antonio Valley, Chile, is a luscious wine. People are drinking more and more rosé, even in winter, and this combines a lovely crisp snap with the rich, ripe fruit of the grape. It’s a gorgeous colour, too, making it perfect for a party or a very hospitable dinner. The £7.57 price marks a 24 per cent discount.
Andrew has taken another 27 per cent off the wonderful Harvey Brothers Shiraz 2005 (5), also from the McLaren Vale. At £6.59 for a rounded, spicy, minty Oz Shiraz, this is fantastic value. It’s not overwhelming, either — there’s a subtlety here you would rarely hope to find at the price.
Finally, a great treat: the Mendel Malbec 2005 (6) from Mendoza is a sumptuous wine, a reminder to the rest of the world what the Argentines are capable of these days. This is a soft, plump, velvety wine, as voluptuous and enticing as the décor in a seraglio. (Sorry about that — I may have drunk too much of the stuff.) Andrew has knocked almost £2 off to bring it down to £9.64.
Delivery, as always, is free, and there is a sample case of all six wines. 9
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