Recent sales figures have confirmed a trend that has been obvious to the wine trade for years: an increasing preference for drinking white wine over red wine. This is a reversal of the trend from the 1980s until only a few years ago, when British consumers viewed big, heavy, fruit-laden wines, such as Aussie Shiraz or Californian cabernet, as the perfect wine. But tastes have changed, along with an interesting increase in people’s intolerance for the tannins found in such wines, and so demand has increased for both white and rose wines, with the latter now consumed year round not just in the summer.
One of the last defences of strong red wines has been that they are the only ones capable of holding their own with traditional English food, such as roast beef or cottage pie. However, while that may be arguable with some of the most popular white wines, such as Pinot grigio or New Zealand sauvignon blanc, it is certainly not universally true of white wines. Instead, there is a whole world of rich but dry white wines which can hold their own against anything that you can put on a plate, and you can buy them at most supermarkets. Best of all, as they are not as well appreciated as the Sauvignon Blanc et al, you can get amazing quality wine at a very reasonable price. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Gavi: The Piedmont region in northeastern Italy is famous for its fantastic red wines, but it also produces gorgeous white wines. One of these is Gavi, more formally known as Cortese di Gavi because it is made exclusively from the Cortese grape and Gavi is the region. Gavi wines are crisp and refreshing, with a good body and so bone dry that they’ll leave your mouth tingling. Waitrose currently has a Broglia Gavi, with a whopping 13.5 per cent alcohol, at £10 down from £16.99.
Cotes du Rhone: As with Piedmont, the Rhone are of Southern France is famous for red wines such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape (literally the new castle of the Pope, and originates from when Avignon was the seat of a rival pope to the one in Rome) and Cote Rotie. However, the white wines it produces are amazing, with Hermitage Blanc and Condrieu (the most perfect example of the viognier grape) two of my all-time favourite wines. However, even basic Cotes du Rhone whites are usually excellent, and full-bodied enough to stand up to beef and Yorkshire puddings. Try Sainsbury’s offer of Famille Perrin Cotes Du Rhone Reserve at £10 down from £12. This is the same winemaking family that produces the legendary CNDP Chateau Beaucastel, and their skill is very evident in this wine.
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