A very interesting virtual wine tasting last night as we returned to France, specifically to Southern Rhône, where our ‘house red’, Brunel de la Gardine Côtes du Rhône 2018, took on Rhône powerhouse, Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2016 in a compare and contrast tasting.

Members of the Waud Wine Club have visited both of these vineyards before during a couple of Tour du Vin’s – and it certainly was a thought provoking tasting picking the nuances between two quite similar wines.

First up was the Brunel de la Gardine Côtes du Rhône 2018 – our house special at £11.95 per bottle. A blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre (GSM) – this is the classic Rhône style.  Made using traditional wine making methods and aged in cement vats – this wine certainly is a crowd pleaser with the typical hedgerow fruits, earthy notes and spice. Full and velvety on the palate, juicy and subtle. This received a decent average score among our tasters of 7.87.

We then followed up with the Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2016. Guigal make circa 4 million bottles of this wine year on year – and it was a pleasant surprise to all how good it was. Again made using traditional wine making methods, this time aged 1 year on oak. With the two years of extra bottle age compared to the Gardine, there was slightly more complexity on show. This wine also had a slightly different composition, with 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. A wine that was enjoyed by all, deemed good value at £14.50, and subsequently received an average score from our tasting panel of 8.28.

For the coveted ‘Canape of the Week’ competition – we had some very good entries this week that were almost impossible to pick between. However, the point of difference was made by the Henderson’s as they were flying the French flags in the background – so congratulations Simon and Dawn for providing a little bit of je ne sais quoi!

Please click here to check out the slide deck, as well as enjoy the photos below.

We look forward to heading north to Loire for our next virtual tasting in two weeks time, to try the super wines of Pascal Jolivet. (please get in touch if you would like to join in – sophie.battinson@waudwines.com)