White wine: Leftfield whites

Round & About

Round & About’s resident wine columnist, Giles Luckett, recommends a flight of leftfield white wines that will drive you to distraction

Hello.  I’ve been feeling adventurous of late, well, wine-wise at least.  Get to my age, and leaving the village feels like the premise of a Wagner opera.  So, I’ve shunned my usual summer staples and sought out some left-field whites, and the pick of the bunch include: 

The Saleta Sauvignon/Moscatel (£7.95 The Wine Society) is a blend I’d expected to be as harmonious as rats in a sack.  Zesty Sauvignon with aromatic, honeyed Moscatel shouldn’t work, but it’s a sensational combo.  The Sauvignon drives it forward with rhubarb, lemon, and green pepper tones, while the Moscatel rounds off the edges with yellow plum, peach and almonds.  Medium-bodied and finely textured, this is just the thing for summer sipping.

If you’re looking for some light relief, then try the Messmer Grauburgunder (The Good Wine Shop £18.25).  This German Pinot Blanc (Grauburgunder) offers a delightful blend of apples, stone fruits, with a cleansing grapefruit acidity.  Noticeably minerally, the gentle intensity and spicy, nutty undertones make this the ideal partner to summer salads or cold white meats.

Speaking of wines with a German accent, I was fortunate enough to try the Thomas Losen Edition Riesling On Slate (Virgin Wines £14.99).  Riesling is the greatest of all white grapes, though Airen runs it a close second (that joke kills at the Circle of Wine Writers Christmas party) and yet remains affordable.  This brilliant example comes from vines planted on slate, which allows free drainage and naturally retards vigour.  Pale, with a green-gold hue, the bouquet is a seductive mix of white blossoms, peach stones, red apples and lime.  Elegant and precise in the mouth, the grape, grapefruit, green apple and lemon fruit are softened by a touch of sweetness, while its lean structure keeps everything in check. Try this with oriental dishes, salt cod, or cold meats.

Next up, wine from sunny Sicily.  Sicilian wines’ reputation has bloomed in recent years, and while much of the praise has gone to the reds, whites like the Miopasso Grillo (Sandhams Wines £12.78) show their class. From the off, this is a wine of contradictions and surprises.  Opening with a bouquet of dried white fruits, hazelnuts, flowers and orange zest, you’d expect something weighty and solid.  In the mouth, however, it’s zingy and lithe at first, but lychee, mango, blood orange, and honey add richness and texture.  Serve this barbecue poultry or roasted figs and goat’s cheese.  

As we’re all striving to be green, how about a green wine?  The Bico Amarelo Vinho Verde (ND John Wines £9.45) is a fine example of Vinho Verde, and if you’re a fan of Sauvignon but are looking for something with a little more character, then this is a great choice.  The clean, green grape and apple nose gives way to a tantalising palate of fresh citrus, Granny Smith apples, and greengages, before yeast, peach stones, melon, and a lift of lemon come through on the end. 

I couldn’t do a column on white wines and not mention a fizz.  Well, I could, but I’d risk my membership of the Fizz Fanatics Fellowship (current membership 1, new members welcome).  Cava is one of the best value fizzes around, and when it’s made by a quality-focused producer, it can match champagne for complexity.  I recently tasted the Castell de Sant Pau Cava Brut (Perfect Cellar £16.95) and was thoroughly impressed.  Leading critic James Suckling gave this 89/100, and I can see why.  With its bouquet of pears, honeydew melon, brioche and citrus and its broad, creamy palate, it’s got an awful lot going for it.  Weighty, yet tangy, it’s an ideal food wine and would pair well with white fish, shellfish or game birds like pheasant or partridge. 

Spain is an underrated country when it comes to whites. This is a pity, as many of them are every bit as good as their stellar reds.  Highlighting its capacity for wonderful whites are the crisp El Paraguas Atlantico and the rich, and the warming Beronia Barrel Fermented Viura (Ocado £12). The El Paraguas is a zesty, intense wine that blends Godello and Albariño to create a wine that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.  Pale to the point of being spectral, aromas of citrus, gooseberry, nettle and nectarine burst from the glass, while in the mouth a surge of mouthwatering green, orange and yellow-skinned fruits is offset by a hint of vanilla, a crunch of minerals and a prickle of spice.  Try this will white meats, white cheeses, or charcuterie. 

The Beronia couldn’t be more different.  This barrel-fermented white Rioja is hedonistically rich and offers power with poise.  Its bouquet offers tropical fruits, butter, cinnamon, lemons and peach stones.  Voluptuous on the palate, it’s creamy and coating, the plum, apricot, mango and pear fruit having their natural sweetness enhanced by a vanilla topping.  While it could easily become cloying and flabby, the acidity has been well-judged, and the crisp, spicy finish keeps it harmonious. One to sip on its own. 

My next recommendation is the brilliantly bonkers Journey’s End Honey Drop Chenin (Majestic £12.50 on a mixed six).  If you like your whites big, buttery, and bursting with tropical fruit, then this is for you.  This is old school, maximum extraction, maximum oak winemaking.  Luscious and weighty, it’s a cocktail of peaches, pineapple, and mango, drizzled in honey and balanced by a squeeze of lemon.  Try this with barbecued poultry or pan-fried cod.

The Puglia Pop Verdeca (Perfect Cellar £22.46), a wine that tastes as good as it looks, and let’s face it, it looks amazing.  Verdeca creates attractive, tangy, smoke-tinted wines, and Puglia Pop’s combines freshness with intensity.  The nose is all lemons, cut grass, and flint, and in the mouth, there are grapefruit, pear, and gooseberry notes with mandarin and lemon zest giving a satisfying bitter twist to the end.

I’ll finish on a grand note with the mighty and magnificent Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay (Tanners £26).  This makes my leftfield list as it combines traditional New World power and intensity with Old World charm and complexity.  Deep gold, the abundance of oak is evident from the off. The nose is a wonderful mix of apricots, peaches, honey, and wood smoke.  In the mouth, there’s plenty of texture and generosity, the unctuous mouthfeel offering baked apples, apricots, guava, lavender honey, and butter.  Balancing this is a fresh, taught streak of mineral-soaked lemon and grapefruit acidity.  This not only cleanses but lifts, making this powerful wine feel lithe and delicate.  I had this on its own, but I can see it would be superb with roasted poultry, creamy pasta, and baked shellfish.