£12.95, The Wine Society
It's no exaggeration to say I've never had a wine quite like this. Usually I can say a wine reminds me of so-and-so, or it's a bit like something else, but this Pinot Meunier, which hardly knows whether it's red or pink, is entirely itself – low in alcohol, big on personality and absolutely delicious.
The Wine Society lists it as a red wine, but it's deep pink and makes an excellent aperitif, served lightly chilled, if not colder.
Mind you, it also goes well with food, sashaying across the palate with exuberant strawberry fruit, a sprinkling of baking spices and pomegranate seeds, gently crunchy acidity and a spicy final flourish. It's a useful match for curries: I had it with four Sri Lankan vegetarian dishes. It also went well with pork cutlets flavoured with black garlic, rosemary and juniper, accompanied by caraway-spiced roast cauliflower and wilted spinach.
The Meunier is one of the four completely new wines that now make up The Blind Spot Australian range. In a new departure, the Society is providing the funds for winemaker Mac Forbes to buy the grapes for this range, rather than buying parcels of wine, as in the past. The Meunier grapes previously went into sparkling wines (the grape variety's main claim to fame is as one of the famous Champagne trio). I've written about the other three wines here.
11%. Empty bottle weight: 450g
The Blind Spot Pinot Meunier 2021, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
£12.95, The Wine Society
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