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Weingut Knoll – Ried Kreutles Grüner Veltliner Federspiel – 2023 🇦🇹

Knoll, as it is affectionately known, is one of the great Wachau family estates on the northern bank of the Danube, famous for its ageable Grüner and Riesling wines. What’s great is just the range on offer – there’s a price bracket and style for pretty much any wine fiend. Federspiel is the middle tier of the Wachau scale, so it’s not the big Smaragd, but just look at the bottle! Oh to be immortalised on a label as badass as this one. Props to St Urban – he’s absolutely killing it.

Pour it and it’s a medium yellow, nothing remarkable here.

The nose starts with pear and white flowers, then opens to some rather intense ylang-ylang, chalk and a cool little hit of peppermint. At this point I can kind of feel the wine simmering… it isn’t giving up its secrets thus far.

On the palate it’s all lemon and limes. Rather citrus driven, but there’s a faint hiss of peach and pear amongst the fruit – nothing more than a faint showing. But the mid-palate delivers. The wine is steely, with a chalky backbone and a twist of white pepper. The finish is long, with citrus, minerality and florals harmoniously synchronised.

We are dealing with a medium(-) body and just about high acidity. Grüner can really exhibit some zippy, sharp acidity, but this isn’t too sharp. There’s just something about Grüner acidity that you experience rather than just the sensational alone – similar to a Riesling or an Assyrtiko - it prods you - repeatedly.

It really is a delicious wine, mainly because the notes are so balanced. It’s precise yet rather wholesome – a pure expression of a grape that all too often flies under the radar.

92 points 🍷

@weingut_knoll_wachau
@thewinesociety1874

#wine #winereview #grünerveltliner #weingut by @tastingwineuk

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6 days ago

🇳🇿 Bell Hill - Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir - 2018

Bell Hill is a two-hectare obsession on an old lime quarry in North Canterbury, selected by the winegrowers for its Burgundian-adjacent chalky soils. The story of the producer and the Māori history is one I can’t really do justice to on an Instagram post – please do visit their website and give it a read. The wine itself is from select parcels and matured in 100% French oak – which is cool and all, but just look at the bottle and label. Screwcap ✅. Light bottle for sustainability ✅. An absolute banging label based on the site’s 1000-year history ✅✅✅!

Pour it and you’re greeted with the palest of ruby fading to what appears to be garnet — the colour lies to you completely, because there is nothing thin about what’s coming.

If ever a wine needed time, it’s this one. Literally reduction, some barnyard funk and struck match to begin with, before it envelops into wild leafy strawberry, dark underripe Spanish cherry, eucalyptus, slate, rose petal and hibiscus. It is unfathomably intense. I poured this in my lounge and could still smell it from the kitchen.

On the palate it’s all mineral drive and nervous energy — nettle, sweet florals and spice with a driving saline thread pulling everything forward and entwining the crisp, leafy red fruit. It’s got this prickly, spicy, cool earth finish that just changes with each passing moment - and just a murmur of oak. The length just goes on and on and on… which contradicts what you’d expect just looking at it, in a way… which again – love it.

This is bone dry and just above light-bodied. It’s like drinking silk, but with acidity… fizzy acidity with medium, resolved tannins that are kind of a little dusty. Electric texture.

I promise you I am not hyping this wine - it’s just that good. There were only 1,366 bottles produced in 2018, so as wines go, it’s pretty rare. I know for a fact there’s at least two less thanks to yours truly. I can honestly say that even though it’s pricy – ridiculous QPR for a memorable drinking experience. Ethereal.

96 points 🍷

#wine #winereview #pinotnoir #bellhill #newzealand by @tastingwineuk

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9 days ago

🇬🇷 Markovitis - Xinomavro - 2019

Yeah I get it - another Xinomavro from Naoussa but I like what I like. This wine really represents the region and varietal almost too well and I’m hoping to add whatever small exposure I can so people start drinking more Xinomavro.

This is medium garnet in the glass. Similar to Italian varietals - it can develop a brick-like hue early.

Nose is immediately engaging: dried roses, sour cherry, cranberry, pomegranate seeds — then it swings savoury fast, hot stones, tomato vines, tobacco. It’s intense but kind of harbouring its complexity.

Palate follows through — crunchy red fruit, damson, liquorice, leather, earth, black olives, a touch of woodiness creeping in on the finish. It’s devilishly bitter on the back palate. Not in an astringent way but in a wine wanker way - you know what I mean. You raise an eyebrow and confirm this stuff slaps hard. I call it quality assurance.

Bone dry and medium bodied at 14%. Acidity is high and the tannin is grungy. Really grisly and sandy and it adds a natural, earthy taste to the wine.

This has matured beautifully and is a rather powerful drinking experience. You aren’t getting heaps of fruit - it’s been traded for savoury notes and structure. A bold expression of what Naoussa and Xinomavro have on offer.

92 points 🍷

@thewinesociety1874

#xinomavro #naoussa #greece #winereview #wine by @tastingwineuk

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19 days ago

Yarra Yering – Dry Red Wine N°2 – 2019

As Australian wine producers go… Yarra Yering has to be in the upper echelons of some sort of tier list. The minimalist branding and, shall we say, Old World influence are something Yarra Yering sticks to – and does bloody well. They do a few different wines but are mainly known for their Dry Red N°1, 2, 3 wines, with 1 being a Bordeaux blend, 2 a Northern Rhône, and 3 a menagerie of Portuguese varietals. Here we have the 2 (obviously), mostly Shiraz with a dash of Viognier and Marsanne.

Deep ruby in the glass, properly saturated, and it really does pop from the glass.

One of the best noses in the game for me. Fruity to begin with – ripe raspberry and blackcurrant with damson. But it turns ever so complex: violets, black pepper, then a savoury umami thing that tips into game, cedar and tobacco. You have these intense fruit notes contrasted with savouriness and perfumed complexity. Stunning.

Palate follows with vibrant purple fruits on entry. So delicious and familiar. Staunch minerality runs through this wine, which then builds to a delicious, wholesome spiciness – without feeling green. Briney on the mid-palate too, with a deep herbal/earthy finish and a splash of oak. That dark, peppery spiciness is accompanied by a fleeting amount of black olive – but it’s subtle.

Medium (+) body, with medium (+) acidity, and it is fairly tannic – maybe clawing towards high, even with a decent amount of bottle maturation. Genuinely think this has the legs to get even better.

Sign me up for a case – just for the nose alone. This does need decanting to reach its full potential, but this wine was pure joy. Put a huge smile on my stupid face drinking this – and I don’t think a wine can be given much higher accolade than that.
I love Australia 🇦🇺.

95 points🍷

@yarra_yering
@thewinesociety1874

#wine #winereview #shiraz #australia #yarravalley by @tastingwineuk

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a month ago

Marqués de Murrieta – Capellanía – 2017

Rioja doesn’t get more serious than this when it comes to white. Capellanía comes from a single 6-hectare plot at 485m, the highest point of the 300-hectare Ygay Estate. Viura is the backbone of white Rioja, the most planted white grape in the region by a mile, but very few producers give it this kind of treatment: low yields from vines planted in 1945 on calcareous-clay soil, hand harvested, then gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel before 24 months in French oak. It’s Rioja treating Viura the way Burgundy treats Chardonnay — serious, structured, built to age.

Medium intensity, yellow-gold in the glass. Looks fairly young but those golden accents just sparkle.

The nose is a proper flex. It smells like walking into a patisserie with a woodworking workshop upstairs — vanilla, caramelised butter and hazelnut rising up from below, cedar and dill drifting down from above. Dark honey and old citrus peel round things out underneath it all.

Palate carries all of that through with real conviction. Baked pear tartlet, lots of burnt butter and vanilla, waves of honey, then a wet gravel minerality that grounds the whole thing. Rustic dried rosemary and toasted nuts on the finish allow the wine to pivot from an oak-dominated wine to one with real class.

Full bodied despite its fairly moderate ABV. I always find French oak can flesh out white wines in particular. The acidity is on the upper end of medium and there’s just a touch of tannin – just a smidge to give some added texture.

Lots of grip on this one – Phwoor! It’s got that oak integration and creamy texture you’d associate with a quality Napa Chardonnay, but there’s a rustic, old-world backbone underneath that keeps it distinctly Rioja. Viura rarely gets to show off like this — proof of what the grape can do when a producer commits to it fully. Delicious stuff that represents tremendous QPR if you can source a bottle.

95 points 🍷

@marquesdemurrieta
#wine #winereview #rioja #spain #marquesdemurrieta by @tastingwineuk

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a month ago

A Pie de Tierra El Surco Garnacha, Méntrida 2024

Without doubt this is the red wine for the Summer. I’ve been on the hunt for a light-bodied red wine that has some structure, good fruit weight and can be chilled slightly without becoming too sour or tart.

Ladies and Gentlemen- we have found “THE” wine.

100% Garnacha made from what I would say is more of a cool climate style 🇪🇸.

Cherry, rose hip, strawberries with light garrigue notes just hits the absolute spot. There’s some serious sprinkles of a sandiness as well on the back palate which gives the wine boffs like me invested.

I love this wine and for £17.00 @thewinesociety1874 - you won’t find better in this style.

No score on this one… just a plethora of wine emojis.
Big, BIG fan!!

🍷 🍷🍷🍷🍷

@apiedetierra_
#wine by @tastingwineuk

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4 months ago

Catena Zapata - Fortuna Terrae, Adrianna Vineyard – 2019

You all know the producer – you don’t think of Argentinian Malbec and not think of Zapata. But this isn’t any ordinary Malbec. This is a more cerebral expression of Malbec, and one that leans heavily into sense of place and style rather give me a juicy red. Sourced from a specific parcel within Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, this sits at significant altitude – like waaaaay up there at 1300m. Winemaking has some whole bunch and light oak use – kind of going for that Burgundian genre which people seem to like… but through the lens of Uco Valley Malbec.

Medium to deep Ruby. I think all wines in this bracket just have so much colour definition. Horrifically poor description of what I am trying to portray.

Red plum, blackberry, hint of blue accented notes. This is my space when it comes to fruit spectrum. There’s like a soapy lavender, some sweeter violets and a big sage note that you cannot stop identifying after a couple of sniffs. Further aromas of limestone and black tea develop after a lot of air.

Palate is purple fruited – very fresh and precise with lavender on entry. There’s an attractive fennel seed bitterness with tobacco spice on the mid-palate – the wine is absolutely humming here - I love it. Crushed limestone, a lick of dark chocolate and smatterings of sage on the finish. There’s real tension and a seriousness – feels sharp and intentional.

Medium (+) body, but only just, with Medium (+) tannins and Medium acidity. This is 7 years old, but I think this needed at least another 5-7 years to hit its peak in truth. Very elegant yet decadent texture – plenty of finesse on display.

The fruit for this wine is exceptional. I mean truly special. Just a real treat to have drunk this wine and I mean that. It isn’t just waves of ripeness and oak. Proper grapes and proper winemaking with restraint - this is the definition of terroir driven. I cannot really fault it other than it needed about 2 hours in the decanter to shine and I am impossibly impatient. A huge leap above the famous labelled “Argentino” for not a whole lot more dough. Big Fan.

96 points 🍷

@catenazapata
@adriannacatena

#wine by @tastingwineuk

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5 months ago

Novus – A Priori Moschofilero – 2025
#alternativeapril

My final contribution to the movement focuses on one of my favourite varietals: Moschofilero. Typically produced as a white wine (though rosé expressions do exist), it’s a pink-skinned grape that sits firmly within the aromatic spectrum and remains relatively rare outside of Greece.

The Mantinia plateau in the Peloponnese is its spiritual home. At elevations of 600m+, the altitude plays a crucial role, delivering wines of precision and freshness. Despite the Mediterranean climate, the pronounced diurnal swing preserves acidity and those aromatic qualities the grape is known for.

Fermentation in stainless steel, a short period of skin contact to gently extract aromatics, followed by a few months on lees to build subtle texture. As with most aromatic styles, this is a wine intended for youthful drinking.

In the glass, it is pale straw, almost colourless, with the faintest pink blush at the rim.

The nose is immediately expressive: pear drop, pink grapefruit and lime cordial lead the way. It With air, floral tones of geranium emerge, alongside a more exotic, perfumed character. A subtle Turkish delight note weaves through the background from time to time. Like - it just smells inviting - a bit like that hotel lobby on a tropical island - pure vibes.

The palate mirrors the aromatics—pear and pink grapefruit sit alongside vibrant orange blossom and ylang-ylang. The mid-palate carries that floral intensity, while a clean linen-like freshness. There’s also a gently bitter, spicy mineral edge that builds through the finish, giving the wine shape. It’s hard to pin down - but it’s ridiculously spicy and poised.

Light-bodied but far from “thin”. Medium (+) acidity that feels entirely in sync with the style—zesty, refreshing and highly slurpable.

A superb example of the varietal. In stylistic terms, it sits somewhere between Torrontés and Gewürztraminer. At around £13.00 from @thewinesociety1874 , this represents excellent value. For anyone with a particular fancy to aromatic whites - this is a MUST buy - the QPR is completely off the charts! You just can’t go wrong in Greece.

#wine #winereview #greece víno by @tastingwineuk

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5 months ago

Poderi Luigi Einaudi – Verduno Pelaverga – 2023

#alternativeapril

Pelaverga is the varietal and Verduno is the DOC that sits in the almighty shadow of Barolo. With only 30 hectares planted, this is seriously niche in a region teeming with world-class options… so it better deliver.

The grapes are grown on calcareous clay and sand at around 300m altitude. The aim here is all about preserving freshness—stainless steel élevage and short maceration to keep things lifted, pure, and expressive.

The colour is the pale, ruby come garnet. Crystal clear clarity.

Giving me all the feels aromatically. Sharp raspberry, smooth red cherry with just the most potent white pepper! Fragrant, earthy, spicy… intense… yet elegant. A touch of fennel, then a slightly sweeter pot-pourri note emerging with air.

The palate does feel a tad riper. Wild strawberries and ripe cherries on entry. The fruit weight is surprisingly generous. Mid-palate is giving minerality that you can feel low down underneath your tongue, which perfectly compliments this cracked pink peppercorn layer above it. A charming fennel and lightly musky back palate adds intrigue and carries the finish nicely.

Medium(-) in body and tannin with Medium(+) acidity. This is just about as approachable as it gets. Now – you can slightly chill this wine… and I will never chill another red other than Pelaverga henceforth! Unlike some other varietals, it holds its shape—no souring, no collapse—just pure, lifted smashability. It absolutely slaps.

Infatuated with this varietal. First time having it and I can tell you unequivocally it won’t be the last. Terribly charming and it has those notes. Those proper wine geek notes. Think of it as a Nerello Mascalese come Frappato starter kit. It doesn’t have as much grip or explosivity on the palate as NM, nor the pure sweet fruitiness of Frappato – but it isn’t far off.

MUST BUY…. Just look at that colour 🤤!

@thewinesociety1874
@poderieinaudi

#wine #italy #winereview #thewinesociety by @tastingwineuk

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38

5 months ago

Clos de La Vierge – Le Carré de Peès – 2023
#alternativeapril

My turn today, and I’m taking you to the appellation of Jurançon, tucked into the foothills of the Pyrenees, to focus on Gros Manseng. Jurançon tends to fly under the radar, but you may know it for its Manseng varieties and for passerillage—where grapes shrivel on the vine, concentrating sugars for the production of sweet wines. Today, however, this is an excellent Jurançon Sec, and arguably an even more compelling expression of the region.

Deep yellow in the glass with golden accents.

The nose is so frisky. There’s an immediate, alluring floral sweetness—acacia blossom and wildflowers—that slightly masks the seriousness of the wine beneath. Orange, grapefruit and white peach bring breadth of fruit, before a grassy, peppery rocket note cuts through.

The palate leans into ripe citrus fruits. Lip-smacking grapefruit on entry is joined by a keen blast of minerality and a subtle, almost saline bitterness. Those sweet florals balance things beautifully, creating a real sense of tension across the palate.

Medium (+) body with high acidity. That acidity is a bit of a reckoning—powerful, sharp, and driving everything forward with energy. The alcohol is noticeable too at 14.5%, adding to the texture and giving a slightly waxy, coating feel.

Florals, citrus, minerality, acidity, texture—this wine isn’t lacking in complexity or intrigue. A proper wine of discovery from a region that remains criminally overlooked. Cannot recommend this enough if you fancy an unoaked white that’s a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

#jurançon #france #wine #winereview by @tastingwineuk

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5 months ago

Vallone – Susumaniello Salento Rosso – 2024

#alternativeapril

This is seriously cool.

Right – Susumaniello is one of Puglia’s most intriguing revival grapes. Its name derives from “somarello”, roughly translating to “little donkey” – referencing the vine’s tendency in youth to carry very high yields. You don’t get a cute fact like that from a “Chardonnay”.

Deep yet bright ruby with subtle garnet reflections in the glass. It just looks Italian with that hue.

A slight departure from Puglia’s Primitivo. Red plum, mulberry, black raspberry and a touch of black cherry. The aromatics feel fresh and lifted. There’s a floral edge – violet – alongside clove, and a hot black liquorice note comes through… it’s tangy and spicy. Wet soil too – there’s earth in my glass, I’m certain of it.

An absolute riot of forest fruit on entry. We are in the red and black fruit spectrum here, with lots of berry flavours lining the palate. The mid-palate brings an earthy dimension – there’s soil and terracotta pots, and this sort of sandy, dense, bitter minerality cascading through the wine. Spicy on the back palate. It’s got this heat – a sort of light, spicy heat with clove drumming in the background. It isn’t insanely complex, but there are just so many quality components integrated into this wine – its sum is more than its parts.

The structure adds another layer of interest. There’s a noticeable glycerol texture – slightly oily, almost weighty without pushing into full-bodied territory. It gives the wine more personality, more intrigue… makes it more idiosyncratic, perhaps? Medium tannin, medium acidity, though the acidity feels like it builds – starting softer before lifting through the finish alongside the spice and minerality.

So where does Susumaniello “fit” in the wine world? What is it comparable to? Give me a cross between a Negroamaro, cool-climate Australian Grenache, and a dash of Nerello Mascalese. Luscious fruit, prickly spice and toothsome minerality – and all this for under £11 from @thewinesociety1874 … it’s kind of a no-brainer. Get involved, get sipping, get alternative!

#wine #italy #susumaniello #winereview by @tastingwineuk

95

24

6 months ago

Planeta – Cometa – 2023

If you follow along, you’ll know I love Sicily — and for you keen-eyed followers, I’ve been championing Planeta pretty hard over the years. This is their flagship single-varietal Fiano from Menfi and an absolute icon for both the island and the producer. Fiano slaps – it is easily the most underrated varietal going in my humble opinion, so buckle in as there will be plenty of bias in this review.

Medium yellow with a definite golden reflection in the glass — there’s a proper lick of colour here.

Ripe but fresh aromatics. Orange peel and bergamot lead the charge, with passion fruit and lychee bringing a tropical edge. Scintillatingly bright yet lush on the nose — the notes are distinct and easily identifiable - which is strangely satisfying. Chamomile, wild toasted Mediterranean herbs and a mineral, sea-spray salinity comes screaming through after a bit of time in the glass.

The palate is a little tighter. Loaded with citrus fruits on entry, lemon, grapefruit a hint of that bergamot before the mid-palate delivers on those riper tropical notes from the nose. Any wine that evolves on the palate to get that full fruit spectrum gets me in the feels. That citrus also brings Fiano’s trademark pithiness: texture, grip, and flavour all rolled into one. Gimme. Back-palate salinity is banging like a drum, with more crushed white flowers and toasted herbs. I keep coming back to that pithy edge though — it just resonates with me...

Medium in body – but I could be talked into Medium (+) if somebody gave me a brown envelope at a shady pub. The pithiness gives a subtle tannic illusion, adding to the overall weight. Acidity sits at Medium (+) which is right where you want this to be. We don’t want this to dominate the complexity and richness of the notes.

Great intensity with a real sense of freshness and elegance. The blend of fruit, minerality and texture lets this punch well above its price point — everything just feels connected. I implore all you Fiano Freaks to give this one a go… big fan!

94 points 🍷

@planetawinery

#wine #sicily #fiano #winery #winereview by @tastingwineuk

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6 months ago