The Society’s Chilean Limarí Chardonnay, Limarí Chile 2021, £7.50, The Wine Society By rights, The Wine Society should be one of the crustier corners of the British wine trade. Founded in 1874 by Major-General Henry Scott, the architect behind the Royal Albert Hall, and ophthalmic surgeon R Brudenell Carter, the organisation has stayed true to a rather Victorian way of doing business: it remains a co-operative, with each member owning a share. As it approaches its 150th birthday, that model has turned out to be a rather good way of sourcing good-value wines in the 21st century: once you’ve paid your £40 lifetime membership fee you get access to more than 1,400 wines, which, on the strength of a recent tasting of 100 or so is as interesting, keenly priced and diverse as ever, stuffed with bargains such as this luminous Chilean chardonnay.
The Society’s Côtes de BordeauxFrance 2020, £9.95, The Wine Society As might be expected of an organisation founded by a pair of eminent Victorian gentlemen, The Wine Society has a nice line in Old World classics. It is a great place to find fairly priced claret, for example, whether the succulent unoaked merlot of the Society’s own Côtes de Bordeaux by the estimable Château de Pitray, or the Christmas table treat that is perfectly mature, cedary Château Lanessan, Haut-Médoc 2012 (£41, 1.5 litres). German riesling, too, is a strength, with modern classics such as the ripe but dry and tingling Weingut Julg Riesling Kalkmergel Schweigen-Rechtenbach 2019 (£14.95) from vineyards that straddle the German-French border in the Pfalz region. And you would be hard-pushed to find better-value examples of Spanish sherry (the rich, deep, but graceful Romate Fino Perdido; £9.25) and rioja (the suave and savoury Exhibition Rioja Reserva 2018; £17).
Moric Hausmarke Red S20, Burgenland, Austria NV, £16.50, The Wine Society One of the founders’ original guiding principles was ‘to introduce foreign wines hitherto unknown’. The current list is peppered with intriguing bottles from some of the lesser-explored corners of the wine world, or producers working in novel ways in established regions. The Hausmarke Red just about qualifies in the former category: the red wines of Burgenland in Austria are not as well-known as they should be in the UK. But it’s definitely unconventional in the way it’s made: a blend of local and international grape varieties, it takes its cue from non-vintage champagne or the sherry solera system by mixing wines from the 2020 vintage with eight older vintages dating back to 2012. More importantly, it’s simply delightful: a supple, multifaceted mix of fresh and dried cherries, red plum skins and a hint of spice.
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