(2024) Oxford Landing is one of Australia's most familiar brand names, though the 'Sunlight' range is new. Created "with an eye towards healthier, more environmentally conscious wine consumption," this has 40% less alcohol and calories than the original Oxford Landing Chardonnay. Aromatically it is fairly subdued, but there's a little custard apple and pear, hinting at a peachier ripeness. There's a bit of sweetness on the palate and, it has to be said, a rather dilute flavour. That intial sweetness does bump into some limey acidity to leave this dry-ish, quite flavourful, and not bad - if lower alcohol and calories are your priority. Watch the video for more information.
(2024) The Shiraz in Oxford Landing's lighter range, 'Sunlight', has 35% less alcohol and calories than the standard Oxford Landing bottling. From 2021 and having seen some sort of oak exposure, this has a nicely lifted floral and sweet cherry aspect on the nose, underpinned by a little hint of vanilla pod. In the mouth it is really rather sweet; noticeably so, the confectionery character rather letting the side down as it is just too tutti frutti for me. Tannin is imperceptible, though acid is adequate. I prefer the Chardonnay in the range, largely because the sweetness sits a little more happily there.
(2023) Doing what it says on the tin is a good thing in this case: an Extra Dry Prosecco (which actually means it's a little bit sweet with up to 17g/l of residual sugar) with the expected frothy and fun character, plenty of icing sugar and lemon aromatics, and actually pretty good acids to slice through the finish. This range supports the Queer Britain LGBTQ+ charity and the first wine I tasted in the range, a French pink, was not very good. This is better: typical, as good as any other of its genre, and you can drink it safe in the knowledge that you are contributing to this cause.
(2023) A lees-aged Muscadet from the Côtes de Grandlieu sub-region, rather than the possibly more familiar Sèvre-et-Maine. There's a faint tinge of bronze to the colour here, the wine exhibiting an apple freshness with a hint of something nutty too. In the mouth there's a touch of sweetness - hard to say if that is residual sugar, but the effect is to make the wine feel as if it just lacks a little of Muscadet's tang and ozoney freshness.
(2023) A huge name in Marlborough, especially for Sauvignon Blanc, this sparkling blend is mostly Chardonnay with a little Pinot Noir, from vineyards in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. It is made by the Charmat method, so the second fermentation took place in pressurised steel tanks rather than individual bottles. That's the method for Prosecco and indeed, this is rather Prosecco like in some ways, though the very low residual sugar of 3.5g//l makes it much drier, leaner and more lemony in character.
(2023) Viña Carmen winery, founded in 1850 so one of Chile's oldest, makes this fashionably pale rosé from eight mostly French varieties, but including Sangiovese and the local Pais. Soft summer fruits and berries on the nose with a touch of confit lemon. Easy drinking palate, light fruit flavours and no tannin to speak of, the acid balanced nicely so it finishes dry and savoury. On offer at just £6.50 at time of review.
(2023) The rosé in this multi-coloured Malbec range is joined by 15% Syrah, coming from the same Mendoza vineyards. It is pale peach in colour, with fruity, up-front aromas of summer berries and fresh lemons, a little floral nuance too. In the mouth it's an approachable, charming style, the merest hint of being off-dry, with a plump sweetness to the fruit, though the palate tensions nicely as well-judged acidity leaves it easy-drinking but fresh.
(2023) This is nicely vibrant and tropical-fruited Sauvignon Blanc, with grapes sourced from cooler climate vineyards in Elgin, Walker Bay, Darling, and Stellenbosch, as well as selected parcels from the Breedekloof region. Perhaps it's that blending of soils and climates that gives the wine both body and ripeness, and plenty of keen acidity. It sees no oak, but is aged on the lees for a few months, which undoubtedly adds an edge of richness to the texture, the succulent mango and lychee exotic fruit flowing into limey acidity at the finish. Nicely done. On offer in Sainsbury's at £7 at time of review. Watch the video for more information and food matching ideas.
(2023) From Argentina's biggest producer of organic-certified wines, this Fairtrade blend is 70% Malbec, 30% Cabernet Franc coming from the high-altitude Luján de Cuyo district. Twenty percent of the wine was fermented in French and American oak, with 30% of the Cabernet component also aged in new French oak. The Cabernet Franc adds a really pleasing leafiniess and green olive herbaceousness on the nose, over plummy black fruit aromas. There's a smoky, light char from the barrels. In the mouth the sweetness of the fruit powers through, glossy blackcurrant and plump black cherry, with creamy tannins, good balancing acidity, and the oak in-filling bass notes in the finish. Really well done at such a modest price. Watch the video for more information. (In 400 Sainsbury’s stores and online)
(2023) The Dynamite red is 100% Shiraz grapes, mainly from vineyards in Swartland, Perdeberg, Wellington, and Paarl. From soils predominantly made of decomposed shale and granite, the fruit of the cooler 2021 vintage was harvested two weeks later than average and a portion of the wine was aged in 225-litre barriques, French and American oak, for 12 months. It's a meaty and yet juicy Shiraz, with bags of plummy flavour and a spice kick of tannin, and probably a good contender for summer barbecues.
