TESCO'S Spring Wine Festival runs until April 22, with discounts on 129 wines in store and online. Wines range from £2.99 to £17.15.
Look out in particular for the Yellow Tail range (pinot grigio, chardonnay, merlot and shiraz) and Louis Filipe Edwards Carmenere, both down to £3.99 and an absolute steal.
This week's bottles: There are custard cream/vanilla tones and a verdant c
rispness in Grand Plessis Bordeaux Sauvignon 2007 (£5.24, was £6.99, Waitrose, until Apr 27) that will perk up the palate.Tangy white for fish or goat's cheese.
Cave du Chateau Moulin-a-Vent Cru du Beaujolais 2006 (£7.99, was £9.99, Waitrose, until Apr 27) smells of raspberries and cherry and is silky smooth. A red for salmon, tuna steak or roast chicken.
Break out the crispy duck with pancakes and uncork the grapy, buttery Pinot Gris Vin D'Alsace Reserve Cave de Beblenheim (£5.99, was £7.49, Waitrose, until Apr 27). Result – Heaven. Otra Vida Tempranillo 2007 (£4.99, Oddbins) is a savoury Argentinean red from the foothills of the Andes. Bags of fruit.
Over to Portugal for Portal da Aguia 2006 Vinho Branco (£5.29, Oddbins), which is blessed with spicy fruit and has a cosseting feel in the mouth. Richly refreshing. Lindemans Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (£5.99, Sainsbury's) pushes all the buttons – green apples meets green pepper and nettle. Well balanced.
Bargain of the WeekDOUGLAS Green Chenin Blanc 2007 (£4.99, Waitrose) is described as a typical example of the modern, fruity wines now being made in South Africa. It's been on oak and is deliciously citrussy with a tweak of lime. Perfect for chicken.
Bottle of the WeekTHERE'S an unnerving aroma of creamed coconut wafting from Villa Maria Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Reserve Merlot 2005 (£15.99, Waitrose), a New Zealand red that sings in the glass. It's richly concentrated and pungent thanks to 22 months in French oak barrels.
The full article contains 333 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
