Wine with Leslie: Why a wine's scent is so important - plus bargain European bottles
Some wines have stronger scents because of thicker skins (eg Albariño), but sometimes it is just the nature of the grape and its location — for example Burgundian Pinot Noir
What sense do you value most? I’m guessing the ability to smell is probably low on the list for many people — but for me, it would be a disaster to lose my sense of smell.
The fear among wine professionals of catching Covid is acute as you might expect as the ability to taste and smell is crucial. Scent is also closely linked to memory as the way the brain works allows us to remember scents extraordinarily well: a mere whiff can transport us back to childhood or to a lost romance.
With wine tasting, the scent of a wine is usually the primary memory trigger. Tasting the wine should confirm what you smell and it can be disturbing if the taste is different to what you are expecting.
My recommendations this week are all wines with intriguing aromas. In the case of the inexpensive Lidl Champagne, that scent is from the production process more than the grapes but you could not mistake it for anything other than Champagne.
Lidl has some new wines in stock since the start of the month and besides the wines featured here you should also look out for a floral fragrant demi-sec Alsace Grand Cru Mambourg Gewurztraminer (€14.99). The wine bursts with lychee and rose water aromas and has textured creamy fruits, but I also realise that demi-sec is not a style that suits everyone. This is not quite sweet enough for most desserts (fruit desserts might work), but I do recommend trying it with some rich pâté or with a plate of strong cheeses — there are few things more pleasurable.
The Grand Tokaji Selection Furmint (€9.99) is also lightly sweet and worth a try but of the two the Alsace is much more interesting.
I feature a dessert 5 Puttonyos Tokaji here as it is too good to miss and will age for a decade or two if you don’t want it this weekend, save it for when soft fruits are in season perhaps. If you are partial to dessert wines you could also consider Lidl's Passito Toscano for €8.99 which tastes like liquid sultanas and raisins and is rich enough to be poured over ice cream.
Finally, I recommend a trio of food-friendly scented beauties and a juicy red.
This fragrant tasty Portuguese white hasn’t made an appearance here since 2016. This is a typical southern Portuguese white made from Arinto, Fernão Pires, Verdelho and Antão Vaz plus some Chardonnay. Ripe pear and tropical fruit aromas with vanilla hints, full flavoured and textured but with finesse and balancing acidity and a pleasing lemon-lime freshness on the finish.
Séguret is a small Southern Rhône Village permitted to place its name on its labels. This generally indicates it is in line for Cru status like its neighbours Rasteau, Gigondas and Vacqueyras.
This has pleasing ripe berry fruit aromas with crunchy blackberry and blueberry fruits on the palate and a pleasing fruit-driven finish. Its sister Côtes-du-Rhône at €7.99 is also fruity and pleasant but a good deal lighter.
A rare opportunity to try a famed wine at a bargain price. Tokaji was the world’s most expensive wine for a millennium until the Communists made a mess of things. A 5 Puttonyos Tokaji is usually €40+ and while this is lighter in style it has classic honey and sweet apple pie aromas, a creamy luscious palate with floral honey and lime essence flavours and a long finish. Try with apple pie, blue cheese or foie.
Finding Champagne to recommend under €30 is always a challenge but I was quite impressed with this new Champagne from Lidl. Sourced from Maison Burtin, a Lanson-owned supplier of private label Champagnes.
Yeasty citrus and biscuity aromas with a touch of preserved lemons, rounded and creamy on the palate with good fruit density and lemon zest and green apple freshness on the finish.
Stockists: Matsons, Cinnamon Cottage, Bradleysm Luceys Mallow, McHughs, Baggot Street Wines, Blackrock Cellar, Clontarf Wines, Jus de Vine, Martins.
Another fragrant floral white, this time from Catalonia. Xarel-Lo can have a lovely perfume when treated right — here a few percent of Muscat and Malvasia help it along.
Poached pear and cooked apple aromas, fruity and textured with bitter lemon tones on the finish.
Also try Albet i Noya’s organic Xarel-lo if you spot it (Mannings, Little Green Grocer).
Stockists: Vintry, Martins, Baggot St Wines, Whelehans, Searsons Monkstown searsons.ie, independents
This is from Collines Rhodaniennes IGP in the Northern Rhone between Condrieu and Côte Rôtie. Viognier from Condrieu can cost €60 or more so this is a small bit more approachable: floral and fragrant with tropical fruits, peaches and ripe cantaloupe melon aromas, textured and linear on the palate with a light mineral freshness on the finish.
Stockists: O’Briens, Selected Tesco, Dunnes & SuperValu
This Limited Edition blend from Slane Whiskey was created to celebrate 40 years of music at Slane Castle. This is only the distillery’s third release since the foundation of the Slane five years ago.
A riff (pun intended) on Slane’s triple cask classic blend, this has Extra Virgin Oak cask aged whiskey mixed in to add an extra kick of vanilla and spice.
Aromas of honey and caramel with vanilla and spice in the background, fruity and creamy on the palate with gingerbread, dried fruits and butterscotch. On the finish, black pepper and cloves arrive with some lemon caramel notes. As per the pack’s suggestion you should also try it with ginger ale and an orange slice.
