Sainsbury's wine festival

Sainsbury's has an extra aisle set aside for wines until March 2. There are lots of wines on offer and they're all pigeon-holed into categories such as 'ripe juicy reds' and 'easy drinking whites'.

Tipping's Tipples has collared three bottles to try from the festival.

I've got a complaint about Jekel Merlot 2000, one of the wines in the promotion. It's a plum and damn fine cherry pie sort of wine from California. Unfortunately it seems to evaporate rather rapidly after opening. At least that's what my friend Dave said, when I went to pour myself a second glass.

Dave had dished-up seared sirloin steak, topped with a sauce of sauted onion, mushrooms and red wine, as an accompaniment to the merlot. Good food and good wine - you can't beat that! It's just a shame Dave quaffs wine in similar quantities to sea water taken in by a plankton-feeding whale. The velvety Jekel Merlot is half-price until March 2, a very good buy at £4.99.

On the subject of bargains, what sort of wine can you buy for £2.99? A very good one in Villa Malea Oaked Viurra 2003, which is another of the festival half-price offerings.

This Spanish white (don't let that put you off) is really peachy. There's a lovely dryness to this straw coloured, crowd pleaser of a wine. It's lightly oaked and would go nicely with a crisp jacket potato and cheese.

Also in the festival but this time reduced in price, rather than half-price, is Chianti Rufina Riserva Villa di Vetrice 1999 at £6.99, that's £2 off.

There's something fleshy about this wine. No wonder chianti was Hannibal Lecter's favourite drop!

It's slightly less full-bodied (pardon the pun) than most examples of this Tucsan tipple but it's full of flavour nonetheless.

I do, however, have a problem with this one when I stick my nose in the glass. There's an aroma of overheated electrics. You know, the smell you get after making your Scalextric car go too fast.

I wouldn't mind trying the other 40 or so wines in the festival. I'm sure it would make my life taste better.

Jekel Merlot 2000, £4.99 from £9.99 at Sainsbury's

****

good wine with nothing to Hyde

Villa Malea Oaked Viurra 2003, £2.99 from £4.99 at Sainsbury's

****

the man from Del Monte he say yes

Chianti Rufina Riserva Villa di Vetrice 1999, £6.99 from £8.99 at Sainsbury's

**

not in pole position

Updated: 14:18 Tuesday, April 20, 2004