The market is awash with poor-quality plonk, writes Mary Dowey
I rarely write about wines that I don't like: it seems a better use of space to spread the word about good bottles. But there were so many truly dreadful wines at Aldi's third annual press tasting recently that it's time to speak out. Of the 35 wines sampled, only two struck me as worthwhile (Château Selection Claret 2002 at €5.99 and Viña Decana Crianza, Utiel-Requena 2000 at €5.49). A further 16 were drinkable without offering much pleasure, and 17 were dire. Here are the nasties I scored lowest:
WHITE
Bella Viña Soltius, La Mancha NV (€3.49) Budavar Chardonnay, Hungary 2002 (€4.99) Cape Spring Chenin Blanc, Robertson 2003 (€4.99) Santa Lucia Semillon-Chardonnay, Mendoza 2003 (€5.49)
Hacienda San José Sauvignon Blanc, Argentina 2003 (€7.99) Villa Malizia Pinot Grigio, Veneto 2003 (€6.99) Niersteiner Gutes Domtal, Rheinhessen 2002 (€4.99)
RED
Bella Viña Soltius, Spain NV (€3.49) Budavar Merlot, Romania 2003 (€4.99) African Rock Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa 2003 (€6.49) Myrah Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, South East Australia NV (€6.99)
Montaney Merlot, Bordeaux 2003 (€7.99)
This is only my opinion, let me stress: palates and preferences differ. But it does make me feel that quality at Aldi has plummeted overall. In previous years at least half-a-dozen wines offered great drinking at an unbeatable price, while many others were just a tad sweet. Now, a shocking number have unpleasant aromas and bitter, green flavours underneath a sugary cloak. Their prices may be low but they're still bad value.
Many of the Irish multiples which have gone out hunting for inexpensive wines to compete with those of the German giants are doing a better job - but even so, the market is awash with low-grade plonk at the moment. The odds on finding a tempting wine at €5.99-€6.99 must be 100:1 against; at that price level, the wine itself is worth only a few cent. It's time we all got used to paying a euro or two more for a vastly better product. My advice is to look out for special offers on familiar wines of decent quality at Dunnes Stores, Superquinn, SuperValu, O'Briens, Molloys and other groups, instead of hoping for an unlikely miracle costing under €4.
REVAMPED WEBSITE
James Nicholson, the excellent Co Down-based wine merchant, has a redesigned website which makes ordering easier and more secure for customers north and south. Depending on the delivery address, you can pay in sterling or euro and obtain a 10 per cent discount on case orders (mixed cases included). On top of that, one bottle comes free on all orders placed through the website, until September 20th - a mere two days away, so hurry. Delivery is free throughout Ireland. www.jnwine.com
OWN-LABEL HOUSE WINES
Will more hotels and restaurants follow the initiative of Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare and import decent house wines under their own label? Let's hope so. It's a win-win situation, giving customers a palatable bottle at a tolerable price while also yielding a generous margin. The Réserve de Sheen Falls red, Domaine du Bouscat Bordeaux Supérieur 1999, is particularly impressive - a smooth, finely balanced and appetising modern Bordeaux selling at €35 on the wine list. Domaine Chiroulet Les Terres Blances Côtes de Gascogne 2003, a simple, fruity white with highish acidity, seems expensive, however, at €32.
FINE WINE BONANZA
Anybody longing to add a bit of prestige to the cellar should have a look at the Extraordinary Fine Wine Sale running at Berry Bros & Rudd, while stocks remain. Case prices have been reduced on more than 500 bottlings including some very grand names indeed - everything from Latour, Pétrus, Palmer and Lynch-Bages to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Armand Rousseau and Champagnes Krug and Salon in highly respectable vintages. There are also many more affordable temptations such as Château Poujeaux 2000 for €266.40 a dozen, Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 2000 for €259 a dozen and an array of ports from the highly rated 1994, 1997 and 2000 vintages. (Prices exclude duty and VAT.) Big Christmas spenders, take note. Berry Brothers & Rudd, 4 Harry Street, Dublin 2, 01-6773444.
French Wine Crisis
News has been trickling in all year about the grim situation faced by French wine producers - and no longer is it based on reports in specialist wine publications. When I was on holiday a few weeks ago, the lead story in Le Figaro one day was "La crise des vignerons", with pages of analysis about the predicament the French wine trade now faces.
Two things have happened to intensify concern. First, all the signs are that this year's harvest will be normal, maybe even bountiful, in most parts of France, after the heat and drought of 2003 which kept quantities down. High production levels could mean low prices at a time when many producers are struggling to sell all their wine. Exports for the first five months of 2004 are down nine per cent in value and 3.5 per cent in volume, Le Figaro reports. And France desperately needs a thriving export trade, as home consumption has stagnated since 2000, having dropped by more than a third in the previous 20 years.
For the first time, exports from the New World wine-producing countries last year outstripped those of France, at 161 million cases compared with 148 million. In the space of just a few years, New World imports have stormed ahead of the French in key markets such as the US and the UK, as well as smaller but growing ones such as Ireland.
When this trend was first evident, the French reacted with a Gallic shrug - or what the country's finance minister has since admitted was an ostrich-like burying of heads in the sand. Now there is a flurry to try to reverse the situation. Proposals include boosting export funding; allowing the use of oak chips so that more wines can taste like their New World rivals without expensive barrels pushing up costs; and putting the grape variety on the label of wines categorised as vin de pays. There is also a plan to overhaul the appellation contrôlée system whose quality controls have been far too lax.
The irony in this sad story is that overall, French wines have probably never been better. Stiff competition from the New World has already prompted young winemakers with a more cosmopolitan outlook than their forefathers ever had, to make wines in a more approachable style, while keeping an eye on price. Ripe, modern reds from regions such as the Languedoc and the Southern Rhône are particularly popular. Will they be enough to reverse France's downward slide? There's no doubt that far too many shoddy wines are still churned out - some at the cheapest level, but many brandishing the name of a famous region such as Sançerre or Châteauneuf-du-Pape - and appallingly expensive.