Tipple of the Month – September 2016

Published on: 15 Sep, 2016
Updated on: 15 Sep, 2016

Jeremy Blood of the Surrey Wine School

As readers may have seen in the article: Bumper Grape Harvests Expected at Successful Local Vineyards Guildford is becoming a renowned wine producing are in its own right.

Of course, many of us enjoy drinking wine from all parts of the world and, in what we hope will be a new regular feature, Jeremy Blood from Guildford based Surrey Wine School will be revealing his locally available “Tipple of the Month”.

by Jeremy Blood

I always start getting very excited when autumn is just around the corner, not because I get my favourite woolly jumper out, but because I can start thinking about new seasonal wines to enjoy.

And one of my very favourite places at this time of the year is the South West of France or le Sud-Ouest.

I guess it’s overlooked, as it has to contend with the popularity of Bordeaux, its famous neighbour however it offers far more to the curious and adventurous wine drinker than many other wine regions in France.

I also find that their local wines work very well with the bigger foods we tend to eat at this time of year as the grapes ripen and have a richer flavour and texture to them.

My tipple of the month is therefore from the appellation of Saint Mont. Saint Mont Blanc 2014 stocked by Marks and Spencer and priced at £8.50. This lovely dry white is a fruity and vibrant blend of three local grape varieties gros manseng, petit corbu and arufiac.

Saint Mont – This month’s top tipple – as recommended by Jeremy Blood and available at Marks & Spencer.

It has lovely aromas of grapefruit and pear and has a fuller body than most whites which means it can pair very well with stronger fish and also white meats like chicken and pork. I love it with a nice piece of the local Ossau Iraty cheese.

Click here for more information about Surrey Wine School, or call 01306 898569 or 07436 072518.