Every week this month, we will be answering your #WednesdayWineQuestions. To send us a question, you can respond to a #WednesdayWineQuestions post on our Facebook page or simply email us here.
Q. I’ve been enjoying some of my tried and tested Davy’s favourites during lock-down (particularly your red & white Burgundies) and thoroughly enjoying them as usual, but I feel I could use this time to broaden my palate! Are there particular regions/producers that I should consider?
A. (Katya Sapozhnikova, wholesale team) First of all, those are very good choices and two of our most popular wines for good reason. However, as you say, now is a good time to try new things so here are a few suggestions.
If you like red Burgundy, why not explore wines from other renowned pinot noir producing countries like New Zealand. Mount Brown is a really good example of NZ pinot and has featured in Decanter’s list of top pinot noirs under £20 in the past. While it doesn’t have quite the same reputation as New Zealand, Chile also produces some excellent pinot noir and Ventisquero have a very good example from Leyda and at around the same price point.
Staying in New Zealand, if you are prepared to spend a little more, do look at Central Otago. These wines are more fruit forward than red Burgundies, but very complex. While they are not cheap, they are more affordable than many red Burgundies and ready to drink straight away. I recommend Te Kano Pinot Noir 2017 – delicious!
For whites, I suggest looking at Ventisquero Grey Chardonnay and Sidewood from Adelaide Hills. Both very different to White Burgundy but I think you will enjoy the comparison.
It is easy for all of us to drink the ‘noble’ grape varieties most of the time so exploring indigenous grape varieties is always interesting. Why not look at Hungary, Portugal and Italy, the country most famous for having so many indigenous grape varieties (over 700!)
There is so much to talk about on this topic so please email us at wines@davy.co.uk with any more questions.
Te Kano vineyards