Wines of the week: Mas Des Dames Blanc 2010; Domaine de Brau 2009; Altano Douro 2010
Terry Kirby selects the best bottles to buy
Related articles
Sunday lunch
Mas Des Dames Blanc 2010
The first of three very different organic wines this week is a highly distinctive bottle from a Dutch wine-maker who turned her back on advertising only a few years ago and set up this exciting estate near Béziers in the Languedoc. Hand-picked Grenache Blanc grapes from low-yielding vines grown on limestone soil, given a little ageing in old wood, deliver a rich, complex, concentrated white that needs a firm white fish such as John Dory or turbot as a partner. £12.95, bbr.com; £12.95, robersonwine.com
Midweek meal
Domaine de Brau 2009
Also from the Languedoc, this time from an estate near Carcassonne, organic since 1989, but also demonstrating a real sense of the wine's origins. A lip-smacking and nicely balanced blend of tar and leather tastes of Cabernet Sauvignon and crunchy freshness from its cousin, Cabernet Franc, this is packed with black-fruit flavours and scents of garrigue herbs. Cries out for tomato-based dishes such as a Provençal vegetable tian or baked pasta. £7.85, vintageroots.co.uk
Bargain basement
Altano Douro 2010
The astonishing sun-baked slopes of the Douro River in Portugal also impart a very distinct sense of place to vines mostly used for port, but here combine in an intensely fruity, smoky, but still fragrant red, made from organic grapes in the remote Vilariça valley by the Symington family, one of the oldest names in the port trade. Around £10 elsewhere, so the current 25 per cent discount at Waitrose is a very decent price. £7.49 (until 9 October; normally £9.99), Waitrose
Life & Style blogs
Million pound investment to bring Liverpool homes back into use
Dozens of empty homes in two of Liverpool’s most deprived areas will be brought back into use thanks...
London renters are getting poorer and moving further out
Plus, do energy saving measures boost house prices?
- 1 Serena Williams apologises after comment that rape victim 'shouldn't have put herself in that position'
- 2 Disability campaigners celebrate 'victory' after government rethink over plans to make it more difficult to claim disability benefits
- 3 Bankers could face jail after report urges the Government to introduce new criminal offence for reckless management
- 4 Breaking the Silence: In the reality of occupation, there are no Palestinian civilians – only potential terrorists
- 5 We never knew Nigella Lawson - and we still don’t
How will you make today delicious?
Tell us how you plan to make today delicious and you could win a £50 M&S gift card.
Win a Nook® Simple Touch eReader
Find out how Nook® is supporting the Evening Standard's Get Reading campaign - and your chance to win one.
Free reading festival for families
Follow The Standard's campaign to get London's children reading - and experience this unique event at Trafalgar Square on 13 July.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
iJobs Food & Drink
Graduate Trainee Opportunity – Executive Recruitment
£20,000 - £45,000 OTE: Co-Venture: Working on international markets without ge...
Graduate Trainee – Recruitment Consultant
£20,000 - £45,000 OTE: Co-Venture: Working for this company will give you a ch...
Associate/Director of Transport
£40000 - £60000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...
Travel Sales Consultant
£18000 - £35000 per annum + Award-Winning Benefits & Uncapped Comm: Flight Cen...
Babies behind bars
Sonic youth: The high-pitched sound alarm
The art of living in small spaces
Can technology lure us back to the high street?
The 10 Best new smartphones
First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan





Comments