Wines to drink when trying to impress
Written by Gavin Suttie
I’ll set the scene. You’ve been on a few dates with a new love interest. They suggest a dinner at their place for your next round of courting. “I’ll bring the wine,” you enthusiastically blurt out completely unprompted. You panic. Why did you suggest that? Your wine knowledge is average at best, and you really want to impress this new potential life partner.
At this stage, the easiest thing to suggest would be to break the bank on a top Grower Champagne, First Growth Bordeaux, or Grand Cru Burgundy - very impressive. However, 95% of the population (myself included) don’t have the budget for such delights, and an even higher percentage don’t actually care.
What will really impress your admirer is coming in armed with something tasty, something a bit different (not too different), and something with a backstory. Step in you – the story teller.
Tuffeau Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature, Plou et Fils, Loire, France, 2022 – £17.95 Cork & Cask (Edinburgh)
Whatever the question, fizz is usually a great answer. However, when choosing your sparkler, it doesn’t need to be an arbitrary question of ‘cheap Prosecco or expensive Champagne?’ I find that the wines that sit in the middle of that spectrum are, a lot of the time, much more interesting.
Tuffeau Blanc de Blancs from Plou et Fils is sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay grapes in the ‘méthode traditionnelle’ or ‘the same way they make Champagne,’ as you’re more likely to say to your budding new lover. Other examples of fizzy wines using this method are Cremant or Cava – but just make sure to buy a good quality – the extra few quid for Spain’s most famous sparkling export will save you from reaching for the Rennies.
Hailing from the Loire Valley, ‘Tuffeau’ refers to the chalky soils of that region, which, coupled with its bone-dry sweetness level, contribute to a beautiful, steely minerality with bright apple and citrusy flavours. It’s the perfect start to a night in – and with a trendy crown cap you don’t even need to learn how to pop a cork.
Pazo Señorans, Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain, 2023 – Cuku (Glasgow) £23.80 RRP
When it comes to whites, in 2025, a bog-standard bottle of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc isn’t going to cut it – especially if you are out to impress. There is, however, a reason for the popularity of such wines. They are easy to drink – bright, lively, refreshing – all great buzzwords for the drinkability of cheap white plonk. With that in mind, a safe bet when choosing your white is to go along these lines, but just turn up the volume a little.
Albariño is a grape variety that grows in Northern Spain and Portugal (where it’s called Alvarinho) and thrives in coastal regions like Rías Baixas. With the vineyards situated right on the coast, wines made from Albariño have a beautiful saline freshness that will make you cry out for an oyster or six (which I’m led to believe is an aphrodisiac – go figure). The grapes for Pazo Señorans Albariño are hand-harvested from sustainably grown vines and fermented in stainless steel tanks – enhancing those aromatic fresh flavours of nectarine, citrus zest, and white flowers that will have you and your partner quickly reaching for a second glass.
Pazo Señorans are one of the very top producers in the region, and widely recognized as a benchmark for premium Albariño – a grape that is definitely having its moment right now.
Eric Texier, Brézème Rouge, Northern Rhône, 2022 – The Fine Wine Company (online) £29.95
All good wine stories start with a nuclear scientist falling in love with winemaking on rock climbing trips to the Rhône Valley – right? Well, that is the story of Eric Texier, who, with his wife Laurence, now farms 12 hectares of vines across Brézème and the Ardèche. They farm everything organically, only use native yeasts, and don’t use much sulfur – the thing that Instagram has probably been telling you gives you a headache after drinking two bottles of supermarket red. This is natural wine, but not as you know it.
Northern Rhône is where Syrah was born and where Syrah is King – also known as Shiraz by the Aussies. But this isn’t like reds you may have tried from Down Under – here, the climate is cooler, and the soils are rich in limestone, aiding a slow growing season and giving the wine character and depth. This is a big wine from a big personality – a wine with an abundance of brambly black fruit flavours and black peppery spice.
Eric Texier’s Brézème Rouge is everything you should try to be on a date night. It’s comforting, it’s unconfrontational, it’s charming but it’s not too polished. Unlike some of its neighbours from more famous areas in the Rhône, it’s a little more rough and tumble – which is exactly how any good dinner date should end.
This article was first published at ISSUE 1 Oysters & Martini Magazine: HOT STUFF
