We don’t seem to have had a Wine Club offer from Corney & Barrow for a while and, with associate director James Franklin and his wines in cracking form at our Wine School the other day, I’m delighted to welcome them back to these pages.
It’s a typically classy selection, too, with three fine French wines and three super South Americans. And, thanks to some fancy Franklin footwork, plus the fabled Brett-Smith Indulgence, named for managing director Adam Brett-Smith — whereby £6 is lopped off each case of 12 bottles when you order two cases or more — we’ve managed to keep every bottle under a tenner. Hooray!
First, the 2014 Dominio de Toyo Torrontés (1), an exuberantly fragrant white from high altitude vineyards in Argentina’s remote Famatina Valley. Torrontés, Argentina’s signature white grape, has gained quite a following of late, and sipping this it’s easy to see why: it’s fresh, it’s lively and it’s just that little bit off-piste, with heaps of lychees, roses and peaches on nose and palate, but — ah — it’s nicely dry on the finish. I suppose its nearest equivalent would be Gewürztraminer. Incidentally, it makes a very moreish spritzer with sparkling water and lots of ice and even a sprig of mint. £7.05 with the Brett-Smith Indulgence, down from £7.95.
The 2013 Terre de Lumière Viognier (2) from the Languedoc is equally charming and a delightfully accessible example of one of my favourite grape varieties. We’re lucky to get our hands on it, since James Franklin tells me that a lot of it gets sold to canny Corney & Barrow staff, so taken are they with it. The flirtatious, come-hither notes of peaches, apricots and honeysuckle are kept well in check by a touch of citrus and a keen underlying acidity and freshness.
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