Price: 2.69
Three words: Spicy, drinkable, bargain,
Although it would be down right ludicrous for me to ever be labelled a wine snob, I normally find myself getting ever more cautious once the price of a bottle hits below the €3 mark.
A plethora of fear ridden questions tend to hijack my thoughts as I inspect the bottle, my untrained senses trying to sniff out any give-aways.
Will it be too vinegary? Will it taste like cat's piss and emit an unpleasant aroma skin to the smell of a wet fart? And then there's the worst case scenario...will it be just too damn undrinkable and have to be cast off ..*winces*...'cooking' wine?
I was faced with this dilemma when I came across a bottle of Chemin des Papes (which translates as Path of the Popes) last week, in my local Real store in Treptow. At € 2.69, I was chiefly suspicious, particularly as the label wasn't too shabby looking (was it trying to overcompensate for something??), but decided to fork over the pennies regardless and well, let's say for the sake of my credit card, I'm incredibly glad that I did!
Granted, on first sip, it does taste ever so slightly watery and perhaps, a little flat- lacking the voluptuousness that many other Rhone region wines posses. However, taking that into account- it isn't gut wrenchingly disgusting. A tasty blend of earthy, almost spicy flavours,
it's the kind of wine that would be a nice accompaniement to a hearty winter stew- sticky hands clasped around the glass as the fire burns and the weather disipates into autumnal gloom outside. In
fact I was so surprised by this wine's drinkability, that I did a little investigating online..and lo and behold, in the U.K it is priced at £6.99! So really, this bargain bottle is quite worth stocking up on!
