Clearsprings (South Africa) White Wine
I wouldn’t normally consider frozen food specialist Iceland as a wine shopping destination, but amongst an uninspiring list of wines sent to me for my Sunday Post newspaper column was this little cracker. Normally 2.99, but on offer at 2.39, this is undoubtedly the cheapest wine ever to feature on these pages! A non-vintage, non-specified blend, it is billed on the label as ‘medium dry’. Normally warning bells would be clanging at this point, but unlike cheap white Zinfandel for example, which to my palate is rather sickly sweet, this is really on the dry side, with excellent acidity. The nose is brimming with fresh summer aromas of ripe pear and crisp apples, and on the palate there is a juicy richness of fruit, hinting at peach and mango, but with a restraining tug of orchard fruit acidity. It is only just off-dry, and finishes with plenty of presence. Don’t bother with the red partner, which is a rather washed out effort, but though Montrachet it ain’t, tucking away a few bottles of this is a top summer tip. Iceland stores, £2.99, on offer
