Tesco Wine Fair London - what did we like

I went to Tesco's Wine Fair in London over the weekend - our 2 grown up boys came with us ( first-timers) with their girlfriends.
We all tried alot of wines, some of us remember alot of them, some recall few......But- life is a learning curve, lots of time and lots of things to learn along the way....... :)

What we liked -:


Firstly - Zinfandels - the Bonterra is an Organic Zin from California, full bodied, juicy, fresh and lots of character, the Ravenswood we have drunk for a number of years and admired the wines that Joel Peterson ( Ravenswood's founder) made - but since it was bought by Constellation Brands 2 years ago have felt that the quality and distribution has changed, but Tesco are now stocking the 'Old Vines - Lodi region Zinfandel again at a cost of £9.99 per bottle ( much better than their base Zin which lacks depth, character, length and is a poor example - but cheaper ), while the Bonterra one came in at £11, for me the Ravenswood was rich, juicy, sweet and fresh, ready to drink now, while the Bonterra one was slightly over extracted and would suit a food match better ( venison, beef, hearty stews, veggie dishes with punch..... all go well ). Another option would be Dancing Bull Zinfandel at £8 per bottle .

• Tim Adams - such a delightful, down to earth, charming guy - and a brilliant wine maker, he makes wine from his heart - we tasted a few on his stand, my favourite that I have bought before ( and will buy again) is The Fergus from the Clare Valley 2007, it is a blend of Grenache, Tempranillo and Shiraz( or Syrah), it was a silky charming elegant wine which had amazing length and persistence, a stunner at £8.99 - a  wine to buy - great!
• Other Tim Adams wines that are great - The Semillon 2008 - and the Pinot Gris 2009/10 - I loved them both - do go and try them.

• If you are looking for some wines to see you through the Christmas period - we found 2 that we all loved and nearly fell over at the price, the first was Aguila Coleccion Reserva Carinena 2007 at £4.50 a bottle, and Gran Fabrica Carinena Gran Reserva 2001 at £5.00 a bottle - and this won a silver medal at the IWSC and 91 /100 Parkers wine guide - amazing value - but you have to like Oak in your reds ( though this was not oak heavy I felt, balanced, but the oak was part of these wines character).

• We also tried a McLaren Vale 2009 Wirra Wirra Church Block blend, it was Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot mix and the price was £10, full bodied, juicy fruit and lovely oak in the spicy mix, well balanced, but the alcohol was high - as they often are from this area.....14.5%, but a lovely rich wine!

Toward the end of the day we tasted 2 delish wines - but at a higher price - sorry - but it had to be done!

• Villa Antinori Toscana 2008 - basically a SuperTuscan ( though not called so on the bottle/site) , Sagiovese and then Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, there were lush black and red fruits, juicy and full on the palate, like a new world Chianti, great fresh acidity, amazing long length with dark fruit and spice at the finish - charmming elegant, crafted..... all words that could be used in this wines description..... £14.99 a bottle - but worth it - I think!

• Tesco's Finest Hermitage 2007 - a wine that was silky, fresh but had grippy tannins, lovely syrah character and the length was amazing, fine tuned, elegant and gentle, lovely - at £20.99 - a treat! Enjoy!

We tried many more wines - but these are the ones that stood out - and the ones that I will think about when I order, there were some lovely Pinot's especially the Tesco's Finest Central Otago Pinot Noir, smooth, fresh, fruity but with that great animal nuance that alot of the Pinot's have - and what I like, we also had some lovely Rieslings.....Alsace, Clare Vally......Too many wines to mention, but it is a great way to try lots of different wines in an easy atmosphere, try and walk away - or ask questions, or......