Lidl Ireland are introducing some limited release French wines in their stores from Thursday 24th September 2020 in what they are calling their “September Wine Cellar”. I tasted the majority of them at the first press tasting since Covid first hit and can give them all a thumbs up. They aren’t likely to win any major awards but they are very good value for money and give wine drinkers a chance to try something representative of a style they might not have tried before.
Here are my brief notes on four of the light whites included in the event:
Le Rocher de Saint Victor Picpoul de Pinet 2019
As I am fond of saying, Picpoul is the “new Muscadet” (see an example of the “old Muscadet” below). It is generally light and clean, unoaked and somewhat saline – and rarely expensive. Unfortunately it can also be lacking and flavour and overly acidic. Not this Picpoul! It does have the saline streak – which makes perfect sense given that the AOP overlooks the brackish Etang de Thau – but also some juicy citrus fruit. A default phrase to accompany Picpoul de Pinet is “great with seafood”, but this goes beyond that – it’s like licking oyster shells! This is a Picpoul full of character for very little moolah.
- ABV: 13.0%
- RRP: €8.99
- Stockists: Lidl Ireland
Domaine des Deux Vallons Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2019
If you are new to Muscadet then the label above contains two very important pieces of information:
- The wine is made in the Sèvre et Maine subregion (named after the two rivers which flow through)
- The wine has spent time Sur Lie, i.e. in contact with the dead yeast cells which fermented the wine and give it a creamy, bready aspect.
What the label doesn’t impart is the quality of the wine – but thankfully it gets the thumbs up from me. Compared to many Muscadets this has very good depth of flavour, not that easy to produce on the Loire’s Atlantic Coast. It’s full of Granny Smiths apples and zesty citrus, perfect for an aperitif or with oysters.
- ABV: 12.5%
- RRP: €9.99
- Stockists: Lidl Ireland
Les Aubrières Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019
This is an IGP Val de Loire wine, the former Vin de Pays category. The exact location(s) the grapes were sourced from isn’t known but it’s made in a Touraine Sauvignon style. It pours very pale in the glass and has a very expressive nose of cut grass. This isn’t like realising that a neighbour is mowing their lawn, it’s like seeing a pile of cut grass and face planting in it! Mouth closed, obviously. There’s also a hint of green bell pepper on the nose. These aromas continue onto the palate but the grassiness is joined by a herby character. This is a very appealing wine.
- ABV: 13.5%
- RRP: €9.99
- Stockists: Lidl Ireland
Trésors de Loire Pouilly-Fumé 2019
We stay in the Loire with this Treasure, but more specifically in the famous appellation of Pouilly-Fumé, over the river from Sancerre. Although also 100% Sauvignon Blanc, this wine is quite different in character from the one above. It still pours a very light green in the glass but the concentrated aromas and flavours are fruity rather than grassy. I Intense citrus come to the fore in the shape of lemon and grapefruit, but also ripe gooseberry too. The flinty finish is long and elegant. This is one of the best whites I’ve ever tasted from Lidl.
- ABV: 13.0%
- RRP: €14.99
- Stockists: Lidl Ireland
Star Pick
My pick of the four wines above is the Pouilly-Fumé, a Treasure by name and a Treasure by nature.