Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 139

Island Life - February/March 2011

food

Splendour in
the glass!

By Matt Whishaw - The Island Wine Company

Winter is nearly over, but
the food on our plates is still
rich, warming and hearty. So
we need to find appropriate
wines to match. Winter wines
are big, red, earthy and spicy
with lashings of fruit. It
takes plenty of sunshine to
make such powerful wines
so southern regions around
the Mediterranean spring to
mind.
Southern Italy is a source
of robust winter reds which
will not break the bank. The
Primitivo grape is indigenous
to Puglia, the heel of Italy’s
boot, and it delivers powerful
raspberry and cherry flavours
with a twist of spice.
Another of our favourites is
Sicily’s Nero d’Avola grape
with its generously sweet
black fruit. These wines are
unmistakeably Italian with
that wonderful savoury
streak of leather and licorice
that sets them apart from
elsewhere.
It is no surprise that Spain is
home to many great warming
reds. The Tempranillo grape
is the mainstay of Rioja, but
further west, in the exciting
region of Toro, it also makes
one of the most exuberant
and concentrated reds you
will find in Spain. Closer to
the Mediterranean is Yecla,
where the Monastrell grape
(aka Mourvèdre in France)
makes vibrant, juicy ‘fruits of

the forest’ wines. Just one
glass of either will convince
you that Spain is the most
exciting country in the
modern world of wine.
The southern Rhône
deserves more than an
honourable mention for
classic warming reds made
from Grenache, Syrah and
Mourvèdre amongst other
grapes. Châteauneuf-du-Pape
needs no introduction,
but prices have soared for
the better wines. Nearby
Lirac offers better value for
similarly rich, powerful and
luscious wines. Blends of
these Rhône grapes are not
uncommon around the new
world, although you need
look no further than South
Australia’s Barossa Valley for
exquisite, concentrated and
velvety ‘GSM blend’ reds
from ancient vines.
New world and old world
alike, these wines all share
certain attributes: plenty of
alcohol, masses of fruit and
more generosity than finesse.
They all offer pure hedonistic
pleasure in the glass and are
perfect with a rich stew or
tender slow cooked meat
dishes. Now is the time to
enjoy them while the cold
weather persists. After all,
spring and summer will
bring so many different wine
options to your table.

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