AIrving

Last updated 01:00, Thursday, 30 August 2007

Top Tipples by Alan Irving

TWO Saints shared the man of the match award in the rugby league challenge cup final and my consolation for missing the return to Wembley was two red wines which proved virtually inseparable in terms of quality. Both are heavenly – on distinctive blue and pale yellow labels.

One I’ve had before but because this is an irresistible Reserve Rioja and it’s currently on half price at a penny under a fiver at Morrisons I would be failing in my duty not to recommend it again!

Lagunilla, as it’s called, is one of the best Spanish reservas around on the supermarket shelves and should be snapped up before it’s too late.

Aged Rioja of this quality and price is not only a tremendous bargain but a real treat and well worth putting a few bottles away for a special occasion as well as everyday drinking! Well they say one of the special things about good Spanish reds is that they are ideal for drinking all year round.

This Lagunilla is a 2003 vintage, soft and smooth with those sumptuous red berry flavours. It’s on the blue label.

On the yellow label is another simply gorgeous red – a pinot noir from Chile called Fresnos.

I am a sucker for pinot noir, mainly from its spiritual home in Burgundy, but seeing this for the very first time (in Tesco) I couldn’t resist, even with a £6.99 price tag.

So glad I didn’t. The mid-price burgundy I recommended last week (Blason De Bourgogne) is pretty good but I liked this Chilean even better.

Any fans of the Cono Sur pinot noir will know what I am talking about. This has just won a bronze at the latest International Wine Challenge, deservedly so but for me the Fresnos “discovery”, albeit a pound dearer at the moment, raises further the Chilean bar.

I’m not surprised with the weekend anorak fact that Chile has overtaken Spain has the sixth biggest wine supplier to the UK after Australia, France, the USA, Italy and South Africa.

A meteoric rise in sales and quality since the late 80s, and its South American neighbours, Argentina, are catching up fast.

Cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay have always been Chile’s two flagship wines, but not necessarily any more.

My favourite pinot noir must be proving a big rival among the reds and for one very good reason:

Chile may be a hot country but it has a valley called Casablanca, where cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean mitigates the sweltering heat and makes it much more conducive for growing the fickle pinot.

This grape doesn’t travel well away from burgundy but look out France, California, Oregon and New Zealand South America is hot on the trail. Fresnos (named after a beautiful flowering tree) has all the elegance of a good burgundy but with the subtle hint of Chilean spice which really does make it heavenly stuff. Look for the yellow label – and don’t be put off by the price, it’s actually worth twice as much.