All-purpose or flexible wines are probably the most useful category of all. These are democratic wines that will please most wine drinkers, including the most discerning palate, and provide a perfect companion to just about every kind of food. So, no poring over long restaurant wine lists when you want to talk to your friends or worrying about choosing a wine that goes with wildly different dishes and tastes.
All-purpose means red and white wines that you can drink before and throughout the meal, including starter and main course. They also come into their own if you are serving a buffet comprising multiple different foods.
The same rules apply for red and white. We are after wines without too much or too little of everything; medium levels of alcohol, fruit, tannins and acidity. It doesn’t mean that they lack personality or quality; these are just wines that won’t dominate or get lost.
Save the big reds like Barossa Shiraz, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Amarone and the tannic Bordeaux for another day. Avoid anything too assertive such as a gewürztraminer or too light like a German Kabinett. Check the label and look for wines that have 13-13.5 per cent alcohol.
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Flexible whites include albariño, Alsace pinot blanc and riesling, unoaked chardonnay, and grüner veltliner. With red wines, think New World merlot and shiraz, lightly oaked or unoaked tempranillo, pinot noir, gamay (Beaujolais) and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo,
Depending on the occasion, you might want to consider two of the greatest all-purpose wines; they might not please everyone, but rosé and sparkling wines are remarkably versatile and a great choice for a mix of different foods.
McGuigan Black Label Merlot 2024, South East Australia
12.5 per cent, €10.50
Soft, easy ripe plum and blackcurrant fruits with a lick of spice and a rounded finish.
Widely available including from Supervalu, Tesco and Dunnes Stores
Caminante Tempranillo 2024, Viña Albergada, Spain
13 per cent, 13.95
A Rioja in all but name, this offers serious value for money with supple fresh red cherry and blackcurrant fruits and a lengthy smooth finish.
From Blackrock Cellars, Blackrock, Co Dublin; Cappagh Stores, Galway; L’Atitude 51, Cork; MacGuinness Wines, Dundalk, Co Louth; TheNudeWineCo.ie; Redmonds, Dublin 6; World Wide Wines, Waterford
Mâcon, Burgundy, France, 2022 Bourcier-Martinot
13 per cent, €15.99
Slightly waxy orchard fruits, subtle hazelnuts, and a long dry finish. Good intensity of fruit and nice balancing citrus acidity.
From O’Briens
Albariño, Manuel d’Amaro 2024, Rías Baixas
13 per cent, €23.95
A vibrant acidity provides balance to the rich, ripe, mouth-watering peach and nectarine fruits, a touch of honey and hints of lemon zest.
From La Touche, Greystones, Co Wicklow; McHugh’s, Dublin 5; Coach House, Dublin 14; MacGuinness, Dundalk; Nolan’s, Dublin 3; The Hole in the Wall, Dublin 7; Gibney’s, Malahide, Co Dublin; Kelly’s, Dublin 3; Leonard’s Trim, Co Meath; Thomas’s, Foxrock, Dublin 18; Drinkstore, Dublln 7; Shiel’s, Malahide
