It's still January, isn't it? Yeah, I thought so. Bugger.
The most depressing month of the year needs an injection of fun, and what better source than a nice glass of the good stuff. Some wine is more fun than others, and I'm a particular fan of a tasty glass of vino that has a deliciously silly name.
Bobbie Burns Shiraz
First things first: it's Burns Night. If you're looking for something to match your haggis (including Sara's fabulous vegetarian version she shared yesterday) you probably want something hearty like a Shiraz. What better than the Bobbie Burns Shiraz from Aus: big and beefy in body with bundles of fruit, and fun to show off at your Burns Night party. It's £12.47 a bottle from Good Wine Online.
Goats Do Roam White
With French wine names dominating the market, it's become a popular tease of New World producers to give soundalike names to their own wines. Goats do Roam in South Africa use Rhone varieties, in this case Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc (although their red wine is also yummy), and this pretty bottle is an obvious dig at Cotes-du-Rhone. I imagine you can't really tell the difference when you try to pronounce it after a glass too many. It's £7.00 a bottle from West Mount Wine.
Chat en Oeuf
Probably the most popular brand I'm mentioning today, these guys are playing the same sneaky trick as the Goats do Roam fellas but this is actually France poking fun at itself: Chat en Oeuf (playing on Chateauneuf, if you're not already with the programme) is from the Languedoc region of France. Again, they do a red version but I prefer the citrussy, apricot-filled flavours of their white. It's a steal at £5.99 a bottle from Ocado.
'Vavavoum' Corbieres
The South of France is clearly cottoning on to the idea that we like a giggle while we're glugging, and this gorgeous red is one of the best I've had in a long while. It's from the excellent Corbieres appellation, and is dangerously easy to drink. It certainly lives up to the name, and is particularly good value at £7.50 a bottle from The Wine Society.
Some Young Punks: The Squid's Fist Sangiovese Shiraz
I saved the best 'til last here, and this may well be my favourite wine of all time. This Aussie producer knows where it's at: they combine innovation in grape blending as well as the coolest name and the sexiest labels I've ever seen. It's £13.95 a bottle from N D John Wines and worth every penny.
We always used to buy The Italian Job at university. Mainly because of the name, but it was quite nice wine.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a Long Dog wine in Waitrose the other day. Clearly also a play on Languedoc, but no idea what it tastes like!
ReplyDeleteAnother brilliant South African wine (yes, we do have a pronounced funny bone down South :) is "Fat Bastard"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fatbastardwine.com/our-wines.php
I'd also recommend Laithwaites' 'Willy Willy' Shriaz. It's delicious and they've now taken the name a little further by the description on the bottle:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/nickbrett/5169226072/
Oooh oooh I've been to the Goats do Roam winery! It's in Fairview on the Western Cape and they have a resident pair of goats, who bizarrely live in towers with spiral staircases (no really: http://imgur.com/WfB6S) It's an amazing place to go as you can do a cheese and wine tasting for about £2.50 per person. Love it :)
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