Simple can be good and this is just delicious.
supermarket wine
Supermarket wines: Lidls Deluxe Reserva Privada Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Supermarket wines: Hacienda Uvanis Garnacha Old Vines Navarra 2022 from Lidl
Solid garnacha from Lidl. Old vine material for €4? It rather tastes like just cheap, €4 red wine, but a very good one.
Supermarket wines: Eszterbauer Sógor Kadarka 2023
The Sógor kadarka is back on form! The 2023 is as good as the best vintage I have tasted yet, the 2019. It’s good news, regarding that the 2022 was a disappointment. It’s a bit early but so far it seems that 2023 yielded the most charming and delicious Hungarian wines in recent years. Even though it was a disaster for most wine producers…Rhone reds from Lidl
I’m a big grenache fan and sadly there aren’t many available on the Hungarian market, so I was happy to see new Southern Rhone reds popping up in Lidl recently. I cannot say they impressed me, though.
Supermarket wines: Eszterbauer Tanyamacska Kékfrankos 2021
I liked the 2019 vintage of Tanyamacska and have been following the wine since that release. The 2020 was a little step back but still good, and the current 2021 is unfortunately disappointing. I must add that in my view 2021 is a poor vintage throughout Hungary – most wines are sharp and sour to taste, lacking balance and drinkability.
Supermarket wines: two reds from Bock
Bock is one the most well-known names in Hungary, one that even not wine drinking people are familiar with. Big, expensive reds made them famous three decades ago, when Hungarian wine started basically from scratch (after the Communist rule, which ended in 1989), but they make lots of cheap(ish) wine for supermarkets.
Supermarket wines: Lidl Pinot Grigio delle Venezie 2022
It’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable white wine for the price (5,5€). Half the bottle was gone in 10 minutes at a family dinner, I mean by me alone – I just then realised I had to slow down. It’s that delicious. Continue reading
Three affordable ports
Vintage ports are crazy expensive these days, but it’s not hard to find value in other styles. Or is it just a result of a great vintage (2017)?
Supermarket wines: Tesco Finest Tempranillo 2022
This humble tempranillo might be even better than its previous vintage (the 2021, reviewed here) which was already superb. What makes it outstanding is the level of refinement – this is as good as such cheap wine gets. I’m quite picky but there is not even the slightest detail here I could complain about. Honestly, I enjoyed this more than many expensive reds… Continue reading