Many consumers prefer to buy wines with a grape variety on the label. I can understand why. It gives you a good idea of how the wine will taste, and moving to other wines can require a whole new level of knowledge. Yet it means missing out on a lot of very good wines.
Many wines are blends, a mix of several varieties, regions or even vintages. Blending is done to improve the quality of the wine. You may be drinking a blend without knowing it, as it doesn’t always have to mention it on the label.
Bikavér, which translates as “Bull’s Blood”, is made from an almost bewildering array of local and international varieties: 60 per cent kékfrankos; 20 per cent merlot; 9 per cent cabernet franc and sauvignon; 8 per cent kadarka; and 3% syrah. It works beautifully.
The Pepe Mendoza featured below is made from a blend of viognier, macabeo, merseguera, and moscatel. According to the label: “The wine reflects the sea, the mountains, the character and all the magic of the Mediterranean.”
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The full name of the wine below is Bonkers Zombie Robot Alien Monsters from the Future ate my Brain (sur lie) V2. It is made by the talented half-Irish team at Sugrue South Downs in England. Bonkers is a still white chardonnay made from a blend of three vintages – 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Tesco Finest Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Signargues, 2020
14%, €12 (€10.50 with Tesco Clubcard)
Made from a classic Rhône blend of 54 per cent grenache, 39 per cent syrah and 5 per cent mourvèdre, this is a delicious, rounded, full-bodied red that would go nicely with red meats and firm cheeses.
Tesco
Idyll 2022 Szekzárdi Bikavér, Hungary
13%, €19.50
A beautifully crafted, elegant wine with light, succulent red cherry fruits, good acidity and gentle spice. Roast chicken, pork or duck.
Pinto, Dublin 9; BaRossa Wines, Dublin 4; Blackrock Cellar, Co Dublin; Delgany Wine Cottage, Co Wicklow; Lennox Street Grocer, Dublin 8
Casa Agrícola Blanco 2025 Pepe Mendoza, Alicante, Spain
13%, €24.50
A very seductive wine with herby aromas, textured red apples and vivid lemon zest. Try it with grilled fish, or seafood paella.
Avoca Ballsbridge, Dublin 4; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4; Blackrock Cellar; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Co Dublin; Red Island Wine, Skerries, Co Dublin; Neighbourhood Wine, Dublin 2 and Dublin 4
Bonkers, Chardonnay MV, Sugrue South Downs
12%, €45
A wonderful complex wine filled with textured ripe peaches, grilled nuts, cut through with a rapier-like acidity. Try it with grilled scallops with lemon and butter, or a slice of Comté.
The Counter Deli, Letterkenny, Co Donegal; Fallon and Byrne, Dublin 2; Fíon Eile, Dublin 7; Lilac Wines, Dublin 3; Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin
