Wines of the Week: Villiera Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2011; Gran Valle de Niebla Riesling 2011; Arc Du Rhône Côtes du Rhône Villages
Terry Kirby selects the best bottles to buy
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Your support makes all the difference.Wine Relief is the initiative among wine retailers under which a percentage of sales of certain bottles is donated to Comic Relief up until Red Nose Day on 15 March.
More than £4m has been raised this way since 1999. A full list can be found at rednoseday.com/winerelief, but here is this column's selection…
Sunday Lunch
Villiera Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2011
£11.49, Marks & Spencer
A beguiling Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc that initially deceives with soft aromas of honey, apricots and apples but explodes on to the palate with a full- bodied, complex intensity that is bone-dry, with an underlying spiciness and a mouthwatering acidity. White meats such as pork escalope or a light chicken casserole are excellent here, but its real match is robust, garlicky, spicy fish dishes.
Midweek Meal
Gran Valle de Niebla Riesling 2011
£8.79, laithwaites.co.uk
From the relatively unknown area of Bio Bio, the southernmost Chilean wine-making region with a climate not unlike New Zealand, this is a stunning example of the increasing versatility of the country's wine-making. Refined and aromatic on the nose, but with that characteristic "petrol" quality and a steely intense core, it is brilliantly refreshing. Drink with simple grilled white fish, scallops or goat's cheese.
Bargain Basement
Arc Du Rhône Côtes du Rhône Villages
£7.99, Waitrose
Reliable Côtes du Rhône from a producer that also does an excellent and more pricey Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this is a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Grenache-dominated blend. Soft, supple, uncomplicated, full of blueberry, plum and other black-fruit flavours, it is ideal to wash down a bowl of pasta with ragu or a pizza.
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