WINE REVIEW
Spectus has a well chosen summer dozen on special offer through July and August: three reds, five white, a dry rosé, two dry sparklers and one rosé fizz. The discount is more than 10% and a bottle of each would make an excellent mixed case for this time of year. CG has sampled some of the dozen, and they come recommended. Figures in brackets are the non-sale prices.
Paladin Pinot Grigio delle Venezia 2007. €9.40 (€11.00) AbV 12% **** VFM 9/10.
A grape well suited to Cyprus fish mezze, smoked fish dishes and white meat salads. There is bite as well as balance here in this Veneto region white; quite an intense and vibrant wine with a good body.
Bava “Thou Blanc” 2006. €10.00 (€11.75) AbV 12.5% ***½ VFM 8½/10.
Chardonnay grown in the Piedmont region of Italy and made without any oak maturation or aging. The better for it, for here we have a crisp, clear unpretentious wine that makes pleasant summer supper drinking.
Gerovassiliou Viognier 2007. €13.30 (€15.50) AbV 13% **** VFM 8½/10.
Just a few years ago Viognier was a rare grape producing much sought-after wines in the Northern Rhône. Now it has travelled, producing fascinating white wines in various parts of the world. One grower is Domaine Gerovassiliou, the noted Thessaloniki producer. Oak fermented, with lots of body, this is a big white with aging potential. We loved it. With big fish and seafood dishes, chicken and even some roast pork.
Gustave Laurentz Crémant d’Alsace, Rosé Brut. €16.55 (€19.50) AbV ***½ VFM 8/10.
Fully-fledged pink, dry sparkler made in the Alsace region by one of its better known producers. “Crémant” means “Creamy” and can denote wines that are medium sparkling, but in the case of three French production regions – Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Bourgogne and Crémant de Loire – very strict regulations ensure these wines are fully sparkling. Like this one, they make a good quality and interesting alternative to Champagne, at more competitive prices and often with a rounded fruity flavour. Here, one of the constituent grapes of Champagne, Pinot Noir is allowed to express a little of its redness and leave you subtly with its unmistakeable dark berry notes.
