Mosel - Germany

From the Bottle
'A crisp, fruity and refreshing Riesling from the mineral-rich slate soil of the Mosel valley. It is an ideal companion to midly spicy stir fry dishes and Indian curries or simply serve as an aperif'

Alcohol 8.5%

Price £6 -£7 Available at Asda and Sainsburys

Review
First and foremost let it be known that 'I LOVE SWEET WINES!' 
It's not really fashionable to be seen to like anything but brut in wine world and I've never really understood why. Off dry, demi-sec and full on syrupy thick dessert wines can be absolutely fantastic if they have the right amount of flavour and acidity to match the residual sugar.
Not only do they tickle the taste buds, but they also match so well with foods dry wines just can't stand up to.

On the nose this wine has gorgeous aromas of honeysuckle, lime, mandarin oranges and stone fruits and what I love is that all of those flavours come through on the palate as well! There is obviously some sweetness observed but there is lovely lively acidity that follows to perfectly balance it.

Although recently changing, most people think that you get more bang for your buck the higher in alcohol a wine is. Firstly, I guess it because it gets you drunk quicker (but hopefully we don't just always just drink to get drunk.) Secondly, I imagine it's something to do with the mouthfeel. Alcohol is one of the things we take into consideration when we talk about the body of the wine. More alcohol (and other things) equals more body. This wine at 8.5% is pretty low in modern standards but let me tell you now this does not mean that this wine feels thin and like you haven't got value for money! 

This little beauty would be a perfect accompaniment to fruity and spicy dishes like mango/avocado salad with a chilli and lime dressing or a maybe a nice bit of chicken with a slightly sticky sweet glaze.

Rating - Buy it now!

Malborough, New Zealand

From the bottle
'... zesty and vibrant with tropical fruit, kaffir lime, lemongrass and herb aromas. The palate... generous fruit, juicy acidity and fresh dry finish'

Alcohol 12.5%

Price £6.66 -£9.99 Available from Ocado, Tesco, Sainsburys Majestic* (*cheaper when two bottles brought in same offer category)

Review
A recent survey by Laithwaite's Wine declared that Sauvignon Blanc is Britain's favourite wine grape. (Although I might take this data with a pinch of salt as I'm not sure their customers represent a truly typical cross section of society.) This grape variety originated from the Bordeaux region in France with the name coming from sauvage "wild" and blanc "white" however, these days New Zealand is probably more synonymous with it. 
This particular expression smells of grass, lime, hay and mango. The taste is zesty,  grassy, juicy and dry with mango hints. There is noticeable acidity and a slight spritz which arises from this, which might be a tad too much for some, although would be good to cut through something slightly creamy like chicken thai green curry.

Rating
Worth scraping pennies together for on the cheaper end of price scale.

Tierra de Castilla - Spain

From the bottle 
'A yellow colour with greenish tints, clear and bright. Typical Airen aromas on the nose with hints of greenage. On the palate teh wine is smooth, complex and persistent witha  crisp finish. A well balanced full bodied wine that is very versatile with food.'

Alcohol 12.5%

Price £5.13 (Brought from Budgens with 25% off deal)

Review
Whilst it's true to say that evidence of humans making and drinking wine can be found to go back thousands of years (check out my brief history of wine posts for more accurate facts and figures with which you can wow your friends) the technology with which we use to make this glorious liquid has evolved somewhat. This includes amongst other things pesticides to keep the vines from being ravaged, chemicals used in filtration to make the wine clear and more appealing and preservatives so that all the hard work that nature and winemaker have crafted together does not fade away too quickly.

Now I, like most people, prefer to have the least amount of human intervention when it comes to food and drink, but this is even more so wine. Why? I hear the more inquisitive of you ask. Is it because I am against the slightly shady operation that means wine is not subject to the same labelling laws as other beverages? No, although this is a subject post worthy in itself, it is more important than that. Quite frankly the less stuff done to the contents of my glass means I can adequately rationalise to myself that wine is just fermented grape juice. Grape juice comes from grapes, which is a fruit. Ergo, I have just ticked off one of my five a day.

However, I also like things to taste nice and this unfortunately is where many an organic wine falls down. This, sadly one of these said wines. Actually be that might be a bit harsh. It isn't unpleasant in anyway but it isn't tantalising either.

In the glass it has a slight green tinge and aromas of green apple, grapefruit and melon come out of the glass. Nuances of grapefruit and melon can be tasted on the palate but it lacking anything striking. Feels clean and soft with an almost buttery mouthfeel. Would not be a good match to any creamy foods, due to the lack of acidity to cut through, but as a middle of the road wine would probably go okay with lots of other things. Good but not great.

Rating - Wouldn't turn down a free glass

Deutscher Landwein - Rhein

From the bottle
Soft and gentle, this smooth and floral easy drinking white is perfect on its own or wonderful with chicken or fish.

Alcohol 9%

Price £3.75 (Available from Asda)

Review
Let's face it, Germany has never been a by word for sexy. Vorsprung durch Technick, more Wurst than you can shake a stick at and replacing your blood with beer at Oktoberfest (which probably makes the aforementioned taste like food crafted from gods own fingers) all spring to mind, but sexy no.
It's European neighbours on the other hand are all sexy. France, Italy and Spain seduce us all with their romantic based languages, warm climates and long lunches, which all go hand in hand with having a glass of wine in your hand at any suitable opportunity.
 And so, Deutschland has probably never been the first place to think of when purchasing wine, especially for the slightly longer memoried of us who recall the absolute reputation disaster that was 1985 Austrian diethylene glycol wine scandal in which a number of Austrian wineries were found to have added antifreeze to their wine in order to mimic the sweeter, full bodied taste of late harvest wines. Unfortunately for Germany this brought to light that they were using the cheaper imported Austrian wines to blend with theirs and pass them off as more expensive German wines.
Now, whilst blending other wines is  naughty in wine world  and against many wine regulations, I don't personally see as being a terrible thing especially if it produces an even better wine. However, if you drink antifreeze it can damage the liver, kidneys and brain and in high enough doses be lethal.

BUT, this is all in the past. Rightfully, millions of bottles were destroyed, people were arrested, fined and imprisoned.
And so with that little history lesson over I shall get to the crux of it all, which unfortunately isn't half as exciting as all the knowledge I have just imparted. 

This is a simple wine and thus demands a simple review. 
On the nose this wine was weak although citrus and white grapefruit could be picked out. Coming to the taste it is medium sweet and has a smooth, thick mouth feel. Citrus is observed on the palate with honey makes a fleeting appearance, as too does the acidity. A 'nothing' wine which nether offends nor enthrals and leaves the mouth quickly.

Rating - Wouldn't turn down a free glass

Mendoza, Argentina

From the bottle
Richly fruity, with apricot, peach and touches of passion fruit with a rich, full, rounded finish. Perfect with creamy curries, jerk chicken or other spiced foods.

Alcohol 12.5%

Price £4.49 (Available from Tesco)

Review
Made by Concha y Toro, the largest wine producer in Latin America for a reason.. they sure know what they are doing. This wine smells sublimely fruity with its bouquet of apricots and pineapple. A tropical taste with good acidity cutting through, this wine lends itself to being a match with creamy dishes, although it is quick to leave the palate and as such I find it makes you drink quicker, but hey ho it's under a fiver! All in all a crisp and fresh wine.

Rating - Stop what you are doing and empty the shelves