Tim Adam's at Tesco - an Easter Bargain!

Every now and then a real bargain comes along. Real means it's not  fake! I cannot stand supermarket offers that say a wine is now only €6.99 down from a whopping €13.99 and on and on  .... it takes me forever to work it all out.

What's a Real Bargain? This is what a Real Bargain is..

    Very good Winemaker

        Very good Wine

            Very good Price

                Simple really

Tesco began it's Spring Wine Festival yesterday and I'll review the whole shooting match next week. Right now though I just have to let you know that they are selling three different Tim Adam's wines for only a tenner each. 

Very Good Winemaker

Tim Adam's will be in Ireland next month when he will give, in association with Wines of Australia, a Masterclass Riesling tasting at Ballymaloe (with John Wilson of the Irish Times in the Chair). See my blog on this last month - Ballymaloe Hosts Riesling. He will also give a similar Masterclass to the trade at Fallon and Byrne. See my blog from last year Tim Adams and the Clare Valley - How does He/They do it So Well? where I report on a tasting he gave in Dublin in 2010 - From Clare to Here - and on my own visit to his vineyards in the Clare Valley, again in 2010.   

Very Good Wine

This what I wrote last year and I haven't changed my mind one little bit:

Tim Adams Semillon  €17.59  I have never fully understood how this grape fell out of fashion. One day it was the perfect blending grape, the next a promising varietal and then it fell off the radar! It's a hard grape to grow well and to understand. Perhaps that's why it needs the help of brilliant wine makers like Peter Lehman and Tim Adams to flourish and to express itself? Granted this wine will 'divide the camp' but its savoury strength, stalky/woody heart and immense body feel and structure will allow this to age for a long time and to accompany big hearty meals along the way. Need a white with your blue steak?

Tim Adams Shiraz €17.59 Clare Valley Shiraz is among the best in Australia. It's soft and seductive. Perhaps it will always be overshadowed by the Barossa's reputation but to be honest this wine from the Clare suits modern lifestyles because it is so incredibly versatile. It has an expressive and big bouquet with spice and ripe berries gushing, and a soft, inviting, even alluring, palate. Soft cheese, well roasted pork with apple and even warmed salads - now there's a thought!   

Tim Adams The Fergus €14.99 Great winemakers are often defined by their blending skills rather than their handling of single varietals. (Clearly the best wine makers are adept at both....) I always have an affinity with the Fergus because of an age old association with the Fergus River in Co Clare, Ireland. Don't let a label fool you. The Fergus of the Tim Adams label refers to one of his neighbours who was particularly kind to Tim one year when he was in desperate need of healthy grapes. Look up the web site for the full story.  The Fergus is dominantly Grenache based but has Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, and increasingly, Tempranillo components. Age this or drink it now. Either way it is always ready to be drunk in a very immediate way.   

Very Good Price

€10.00