Drinks of the Month

Delas Grignan-les-Adhemar 2013

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on December 7 2014 at 11:22

One of the problems about buying wine these days is that there’s just too much choice. But if I had to stick to just one wine this Christmas it would be this gutsy red from the Rhone.

It comes from a large but obscure appellation called Grignan-les-Adhémar (formerly Coteaux du Tricastin) in the southern Rhône but, as a typically Mediterranean blend of grenache and syrah it could easily pass for a good Côtes du Rhône Villages). The big draw - assuming you’re a member of the Wine Society - is the unbelievable price. It’s just £6.95 which for such a handsome-looking bottle is a complete steal.

I fell in love with the 2012 vintage at the autumn tasting which was if anything even better but it sold out almost instantly and as I hadn’t tasted the 2013 I had to leave it out of my Guardian Christmas column next weekend. Now I’ve had the chance to try it I still think it’s a great buy and as I imagine other Wine Society members do too I’d get in quick if you want some.*

As I say it would go with practically anything in the way of Christmas food short of the mince pies - the turkey (a much cheaper alternative to Chateauneuf), Christmas ham, roast pork, roast beef, a hot game pie, the cheeseboard … With any luck you’ll still have a few bottles for the chilly days of January.

* And if you’re passing by the Wine Society’s shop in Montreuil you’ll get it even cheaper though you’ll need to pre-order it I seem to remember. For those of you who aren't Wine Society members, lifetime membership costs £40.

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