M&S has a ‘Found’ range of wines that lets you ‘experience exciting and undiscovered tastes,’ and draws on lesser known grapes. All the other ones in the range that were on display when I was in my local M&S the other day were familiar to me. This one I couldn’t recall, and couldn’t remember ever trying, unless it was in a blend, and I hadn’t remembered. So, in the boundary-pushing style that is Greater Senses, I bought a bottle. And then, a few days later, I tried it.
In the glass
My first reaction was, ‘Oh, it’s all cloudy and shit. That could be interesting.’ But then, reality set in, and as is invariably the case, it once more shattered my hopes and dreams. The wine wasn’t cloudy at all. That was due to the fact that I had used my Coravin on it, rather than pulling the cork. Once the turbulence (for lack of a better word) from the Coravin-ing settled down, it was a pale, heading towards medium, clear, lemon. It looked like white wine, in other words. I swept up the shards of my shattered dreams of a cloudy, funky wine and moved on.
The nose
Something. That’s what I smell. I think it’s green apple. Or maybe apple skins, of an indeterminate colour. It’s noticeable. It’s not a scent I wonder if I am imagining, but it isn’t prominent. But it’s there. And it has something to do with green apples.
The palate
‘Thin, yet round.’ That’s the first thing I wrote down. It probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I’m sticking with it. It’s lighter bodied than I was expecting, yet there’s a certain mouthfeel that I don’t normally associate with light, thin wines. Perhaps that’s because it is at 13.5% ABV, and that’s a bit higher than you might usually expect for a thin white wine. Or maybe I’m just not having a good wine-tasting day.
It’s a rather pleasant wine, and still about green apples. Perhaps with some mixed green and red apple skins thrown into the mix. There’s perhaps a hint of pear. Also a hint of lemon on the rather short finish. The back label suggests peach (among other things) but I’m not getting any.
It’s a fine, quaffable white wine. Enough acidity to keep it from being flabby, but not really a zesty wine. I drank it on its own for this tasting, with no food pairing. With that in mind, I’d go with either some poached white fish, or perhaps a cheese toastie.
Rating
Yummy overall. Visually, It’s Wine. It’s pleasant, drinkable, and there’s not much more to say.
Sustainability
No information, except that the M&S website mentions the producers use ‘sustainable practices,’ without further details.
The technical info and such
13.5% ABV, Mtsvane. £10 from M&S (no link inlcuded, since it’s not currently showing on their website).