Drinks of the Month

Morrisons The Best Marques de Los Rios Rioja Blanco Reserva 2011

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on July 21 2017 at 14:32

I’m flagging this up not because I think you’re all going to love it - mature white wines are not for everyone* - but because I think it’s a fantastic achievement for a supermarket to stock a six year old wine of such quality in its own label range.

It was the only supermarket wine to be given the top accolade of Gold Outstanding at the 2017 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) - one of only 38 such medals handed out at the awards.

It’s an extraordinary wine full, richly textured and golden. but with a surprisingly fresh finish for its age - comparable to a great white burgundy at a fraction of the price (You should also I think drink it out of burgundy glasses) Although you could pair it with meat such as grilled pork I’d personally favour rich fish dishes such as hake or turbot or chicken or guineafowl with a creamy sauce. It would be good with a mature Manchego too. If you love oaked white rioja - and I do - it’s a real steal at £13.

While you’re in Morrisons take advantage of the special offer they’ve got until Sunday on their medal winning sherry range which is down to £5 a half bottle. Their The Best Oloroso Sherry won an IWSC Gold and the Manzanilla and Palo Cortado were awarded a silver.

*If your favourite wine is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for example I think you might struggle with this.

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