First up is this Brazin Old Vine #Zinfandel ‘21. Big punchy Californian fruit with an incredible licorice finish. This was actually my Blind Taste exam red, and is a bit ‘marmite’ but lovely. £15 ish, various suppliers, but www.thewinesociety.com/product/braz... (2/9) - ThreadSky

tomstaniford.bsky.social • 116 days ago

First up is this Brazin Old Vine #Zinfandel ‘21. Big punchy Californian fruit with an incredible licorice finish. This was actually my Blind Taste exam red, and is a bit ‘marmite’ but lovely. £15 ish, various suppliers, but https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/brazin-lodi-old-vine-zinfandel-2021/ (2/9)

Comments

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

Next up is this Portuguese red from @TheWineSociety. I haven’t tried it yet, but their Generation Series is usually great value. Mostly Touriga Nacional- a variety also popular in port (I love port) so high hopes. £14 https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/the-wine-societys-generation-series-douro-2019-organic/ (3/9)

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

And another @TheWineSociety Gen Series crowd pleaser. Reliable Cali Merlot. Easy-drinking, plummy, velvety companionable joy. Goes with basically everything. Great value. £14 https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/the-societys-150th-anniversary-generation-series-california-merlot-2021/ (4/9)

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

then perhaps my greatest find. It’s got oodles of structured black fruit, some tantalising cedar, and really nice balance. It’s also £6. That’s not a typo. It’s not going to win IWSC, but it is astonishingly good value claret. Try it. Please. https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/bordeaux-superieur/p27697 (5/9)

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

And another Lidl triumph… £13 for this St Emilion Grand Cru. Again, not GC Classé or Earth-shattering,but at this price point who really cares? Punches well above its weight and for red Bordeaux fans this is an absolute steal. Quaffable class. https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/st-emilion-grand-cru/p10000289 (6/9)

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

Final dry red… this is a robust Mediterranean Syrah. I haven’t tried it yet, but at £14 with a 94 score in the latest @Decanter mag I am very keen to give it a whirl. Also my first visit to my local @majesticwine https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/la-liquiere-terres-du-sud-faugeres-09536 (7/9)

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

Can’t have Xmas without Port. I find 20yr Tawny a real sweet spot for showcasing the fruit of terroir yet the skill of the producer and their process. This is a solid 94-score example. Bit pricey but on offer at Waitrose £37 https://www.waitrosecellar.com/products/graham-s-20-year-old-tawny-437522 (8/9)

boringscience.bsky.social•116 days ago

One of my favourites

tomstaniford.bsky.social•116 days ago

Unreal quality for 6 quid.

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