It seems that there shouldn’t be any illusions about summer coming back. Damn it.
Getting back home and trying to sort out something comforting to eat also requires some thought about what to drink with your supper. I am expecting something warming, satisfying and matching to your comfort food. And organic of course. Will you say I am expecting too much?
I have previously raised a question of how our expectations match or mismatch with the wines we drink and how it affects our satisfaction. Ultimately, a brilliant wine that is simply not what we want or expect it to be will not trigger that ‘yeah!’ sensation within our bodies and souls.
Let’s explore this rather extensive list of new organic wines and how they can meet our expectations for a comfort food match. Explore and buy organic!
AOC Luberon Rouge 2012 Château la Canorgue from Rhône Valley, France
The wine opens up very slowly and has a bittersweet character when you taste it. The aftertaste is much nicer and fuller – generous red fruit (cherries) with a touch of black fruit all together create deepness with pronounced profile of herbs, spices and liquorice.
I was a bit disappointed with its bitter flavours, but they transform into a mineral and lightly perfumed wine, which is pleasant and intriguing, with its mature but playful nature.
You will enjoy its long earthy finish. The wine was oaked, but just for 4-6 months, so you feel that elegance from it without a loss of perfumed character Carignan is so famous for.
Do you think that minerality is a sign of terroir driven wine? I am not certain about that claim and nobody knows an exact answer to it, but this wine from rather unknown French appellation displays this quality quite clearly.
26/35
This organic wine was sourced from The Wine Society for just under £7 – a truly cracking value for this Carignan.
Gerisena Seleccio 2012 from Emporda, Catalunya, Spain.
This organic red is indeed deep ruby in colour, expresses pronounced and generous black fruit flavours together with charred wood and kicking earthiness.
I must say that the flavours do not disappoint as some ripe black cherry and black currant notes appear. The wine tastes more fresh, playful and easy going.
Further on it has a very long finish, full of blackberries and dark cherries with refreshing acidity, yet so integrated into the wine it’s like you are biting a fresh ripe cherry. Aromas are more of blackcurrant so the wine seem to show more layers to it.
This organic red wine from Emporda is overall a very round one, yet refreshing as there is no major oak noticeable, so the profile is definitely not overpowering. Do not feel like it will be too much for your comforting suppers – it will only underline its best qualities and marry beautifully with proteins in it.
I believe this wine opens up further with some aeration – it expresses some tender notes of violets and spice (think thyme and rosemary), it all screams quality with this wine’s diversity of flavours and spicy notes.
It is a very good wine that could be just a bit more concentrated (it is just a bit watery in terms of a texture), yet its style suits a warmer weather and a need for a fresher yet very pronounced red.
I can definitely say that Emporda is amusing me! 🙂
28/35
Old School 2012 Minervois, France.
Sourced from Vintage Roots for £9.75. They have called it ‘irresistible’. Well, let’s see!
The wine has a very good array of black fruit (blackberries and bramble) flavours, but also plums and cherries. You can taste a generous amount of fruit and sweet spice (vanilla and hints of cloves).
It is a pleasant and rich organic wine with subtle sweet spice and even a bit of refreshing acidity so it won’t just taste too stale and flabby. It is indeed very smooth and nicely flowing.
This Old School bottle has a nice balance between fruitiness and a mouthfeel – the wine is not that full, but more medium bodied and not overpowering – something I like to taste when the evenings turns out to be colder and not that exciting as the ones during summer. A good match for our autumnal expectations.
27/35
Altamente 2014 is made from organic Monastrell grapes and coming from Jumilla, Spain. It was also sourced from Vintage Roots for just under £9.
When I think about Jumilla, it comes to my mind that due to this region’s hot climate I will get something very strong in alcohol, but equally powerful in black fruit, sweet spice that comes from maturation in oak barrels and overall a character that can overpower majority of suppers, well, if it is not grilled lamb of course!
This particular example of Jumilla wine is fresh and refreshingly juicy; its sweet dark and red fruit flavours give way to some sweet spice – think vanilla and hints of cloves.
It is more fresh and full of red fruit flavours here. I think some of it is coming from its young age, but they (winemakers) were definitely after a certain (think fresh) style of wine.
25/35 (not just because my expectations were not met, but just a very odd wine, not unpleasant, but too fresh for what it should be.
Le Carignan de Maris 2012 is a pinnacle of things organic – it is indeed organic and certified by Ecocert, but it is also sustainable and fiercely supporting biodiversity.
On top of that recycled glass was used to get this bottle to the store you’ve found it.
I find this effort truly remarkable.
Let’s go back to the taste though. The wine is fresh, perfumed and mellow. It is not very strong in alcohol at 13.5%, so this mellowness can be explained easily. How about the fruit?
Its refreshing black fruit has hints of blueberries and some ripe red plums. There are some strawberries somewhere on the back. The wine is indeed very exciting with the fruit content, its fresh acidity and finishing with its mellow roundness.
I can say that it is a very good straightforward Carignan grape, which I started to adore recently.
It is not overly complex or perfumed, as it can be, so the organic rating is 26/35
The next wine was sourced from Vintage Roots for £10.75 and when visiting their website you can also note that 20% of the wine is made not from Carignan but from Garnacha, hence you can taste strawberries and this strong juiciness. Knowledge is power, isn’t it?:)
Above mentioned Garnacha should shine through when tasting Terrae 2014 No sulphites added (NSA). No sulphites status means you are getting straightforward and pure flavours of a grape, but also wine that is much more healthy for people that are allergic to many things or suffering from asthma.
Pure Garnacha grapes show robust red berry flavours, they are very clean, pure and juicy. At the first sniff, aromas are a bit off, but its flavours are vibrant, fresh and exciting, full of strawberries, plums and red currants.
The wine is playful and literally lingers on your tongue with its fresh acidity and straightforward fruitiness. There was no oak involved in its production.
26/35
It is probably the most interesting label I’ve seen lately! Do not get me wrong, I am not even obsessed with cars! Imagine this bottle in a bar. It simply screams ‘try me!’, but also puzzles with the question of why anyone puts a car on a wine label. I am talking about Benaco Bresciano Rebo Mille 2013 made at Pratello winery, which is located near Lugana, Lake Garda, Italy.
As with the other wines it is also organic, bears quite average alcoholic strength of 13.5% and made from a rare indigenous grape!
Indeed, Rebo is a local grape that delivers fresh, but quite robust black fruit flavours.
The wine is also oaked, so you get some sweet spice as well.
Overall, this organic Italian red wine offers a good juicy character, fresh and lingering acidity that counter balances some sweet notes of black fruit and vanilla. I am impressed – it is a very good wine!
Sourced at Vintage Roots for £14.5.
I have seen this wine at quite a few retailers, including independent ones. Fontodi Chianti Classico 2012 is an organic Italian red that shows good and generous cherry flavours coupled with violets and punchy perfume. It also shows well integrated oakiness with additional notes of vanilla and nuts.
The wine’s acidity is high as you can expect from Italian wines, but sweetish fruit and vanilla make it surprisingly round and pleasant.
I would say it is a definite yes for pasta bolognese, but also for meat-based dishes like lasagne, lamb ossobucco and cottage pie.
It is indeed a true gem for your comfort food – it is rather strong, powerful, full of fruit, but also acidic to cut through the fat and make your meal just a little bit more balanced.
Buy it from Vintage Roots or search for the local stock, it is rather good at the organic rating of 27/35
Finally, my recent Ocado grocery shopping featured a new bottle from Rioja called Navarrsotillo Terra Organica Rioja 2013.
The wine is smooth but very simple. I opened it when my party was just getting started, but the wine cannot cope with anything but a quick starter, it is appetising, but definitely not more than that!
You can taste thew wine’s grapes – Tempranillo and Garnacha are so prominent with the aromas of strawberry and cherry. The wine is mellow with quite low tannins (not my style, but it creates a feeling of ‘easy-going’ wine). It has some refreshing acidity, but its body is medium at most. I will advise that if you are searching for something more warming and satisfying then skip this one, it will simply disappoint you.
24/35
I am pleased with this selection of 9 organic wines (yes, all of them are indeed organic). Most of them will make a good stance at The Best Organic Wines top list, which serves a reminder to buy organic wines that are proven to be exciting and flavoursome. Some of the above mentioned wines could simply be avoided – they simply do not offer anything exciting. Yet most importantly, remember about your expectations – it is very try to match a rose wine with your comfort food dinner, but also challenging to think good of a red wine that is too fresh (not a bad quality for summer) when you want to snuggle under a blanket when it is suddenly cold outside. This is a power of met expectations.
Spend a minute and tell us what are your expectations from wines (organic wines I hope!) this autumn and let’s explore and enjoy wines together. Buy organic wines with confidence!
Cheers!
