Uvas Douradas, Bairrada DOC Reserva 2010 - Wine Review

We recently enjoyed a bottle of Uvas Douradas, Bairrada DOC Reserva 2010.

I know I've mentioned it in my previous wine review blog posts, but I'll say it again - we buy a lot of the wine we drink from Lidl. And I do mean a lot, as we drink a lot of wine.
Well, when I say we buy our wine from Lidl, I mean Mr.R - because he's the one who does the shopping.

Lidl is really good for wine, they have a good selection and reasonable prices.
This Portuguese wine is another bargain from Lidl, it's good value at £4.79, and it tasted much better than the price may suggest.

On the nose there were aromas of rich dark fruits, on the palate it was fresh, and young for a 2010, with delicious flavours of blueberries, blackberries, plums, spice, and a hint of tobacco, followed by a pleasantly smooth dry long finish.
We'd happily buy this wine again.

From the label - 

This ruby red wine is made from the Baga grape variety, which is typical of the Bairrada region. Its intense flavour is reminiscent of plums and raspberries, with characteristic notes of rosin as well as hints of coconut and vanilla, which are emphasised by the cask maturation. 

This full-bodied wine with a harmonious structure and long-lasting, fresh finish is ideal as an accompaniment to meat, particularly game. 

Have you tried Uvas Douradas, Bairrada DOC Reserva 2010?
Do you buy wine from Lidl?

Château Venus 2011, Graves AOC - Wine Review

Mr.R bought a bottle of Château Venus 2011, Graves AOC, from Lidl, it cost £8.99.
He bought this wine a while ago, before Christmas, but I've only just got round to blogging about it.

This Château Venus 2011 is from the Graves region of Bordeaux, its name comes from the gravel-rich soils of the region which are known for producing elegant, perfumed wines.
It's predominantly Merlot, hence the dark juicy plums on the palate, and a slightly tart finish from the tannins.
It's definitely a wine with an enticing aroma that makes you eager to taste it; blackcurrant, cherry, and plums, and a subtle hint of leather.

This wine is one of almost fifty new wines that Lidl now stock as part of 'The Lidl Premium French Wine Collection'. The prices range from £4.99 to £25.99.
Here's is what Lidl say about this wine -
Graves is one of Bordeauxs oldest appellations, producing wines that offer a good balance of flavour and freshness. With dark, plummy fruit and real crispness, this would be perfect with rare steak or fattier meat like duck. 

As soon as we opened the bottle and poured the wine into a glass the gorgeous vibrant violet colour certainly got our attention, closely followed by the beautiful aroma. We got delicious blackberries, juicy plums, ripe cherries, and damsons - our taste buds were tingling.
Château Venus 2011, Graves was quite dry, of medium acidity, and plenty of ripe tannins.
Although it a few years old, it still tastes very young and quite light, it would probably mellow and develop more depth if you kept it for a few years.
But as I'm sure you know if you've read any of my other wine review blog posts, that's not how we treat our wine. We buy it. We drink it. And this was a very drinkable wine.
If you haven't tried it yet, go and get a bottle, now - while stocks last.

So, yep, once again Lidl has done good.
This is, as I've already said, but feel like repeating, a very enjoyable and drinkable wine.
Château Venus 2011, Graves, 13% vol.
CHATEAU VENUS, 3, Pertigues – Brouquet 33720 Illats – France.
Have you tasted Chateau Venus 2011, Graves?
What did you think of it?

Wild Blackberry - Free Food!

A few days ago during our early morning walk with Barley, our lovely Lurcher, Mr.R saw some blackberries growing along the side of the coastal walk.
He picked what we agreed was the largest blackberry, and it was big - compared to all of the other berries, but as you can see it was almost lost in his hand.
The climate here is obviously just not warm enough to produce lovely large blackberries. Despite its miniscule size this blackberry tasted nice, and it's free so we're not complaining.
Having said that, we do miss our old life in the South of France. But we have lovely sea views, so it's not all bad.

Ha! Rambling as usual.
I only wanted to post this seaview, blackberry photo - so I think that's more than enough words.
Do you have blackberries growing where you live?
Big, ripe, sweet, juicy blackberries?
Do you eat them as they are, or take them home and use them in a recipe?