The Jancis Robinson Story | Mission Blind Tasting | Wine writing competition

Points east – autumn collection

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See this guide to our autumn collections.

We offer you our most geographically diverse assortment of more than 70 wine reviews here, divided first by country – Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey, then by colour and then in descending score order. Again, the UK retailer Marks & Spencer deserves a pat on the back for the hard work put in to finding some genuinely interesting wines from a number of these wine-producing countries definitively off the beaten track.

BULGARIA


RED

Soft and sweet and round. Fading but very ripe tasting. Very...

Some development, some freshness. Sweet and transparent...

Pale ruby. Slight dishcloth/wet wool note. A bit simple.

66% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 12% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet...

GEORGIA

WHITE

The Tbilvino vineyards are planted at an altitude of 300-750m...
The Château Mukhrani vineyards were planted in 2002 at a density...

RED

The Château Mukhrani vineyards are planted adjacent to the...

Tank sample. Inviting fruit quality and freshness. Slight...

From Akhasheni village. Nose is overwhelmed by sweet oak spice...

Very deeply coloured. Dark fruit but also a touch meaty with a...

Fermented in qvevri. Deep smudgy garnet. Lots of savoury black...

Semi-sweet red (RS 40 g/l) made from Mujuretuli and Alexandreuli...

Unnecessarily heavy bottle. Winemaker Lado Uzunashvili (also of...

Attractive and unusual old-fashioned sort of flask-shaped bottle...

Fruit from Tsinandali subregion. Aged in oak, unfiltered. Mid...

GREECE

WHITE

Assyrtiko. Big and a bit heavy. I think I prefer the standard...

Some skin contact. Exciting! Very light honey and grip. Lots of...

Dafni means bayleaf. Low-key nose and low acid. Some herbal...

The 100 square metres of Thymiopoulos vineyards are situated in...

ROSÉ

The vines here are pruned in a unique way known as “apolitaria”...

RED

Dark crimson. Thick and rich – very ripe indeed. Almost porty...

Dark crimson. Great tang on the nose. Pretty chewy. Dry finish...

Kotsifali and Mandilari with about 10% Syrah.
Light cherry red...
The Thymiopoulos vineyards nestle between the trees of the...
HUNGARY
WHITE

Slightly soft and floral. Great packaging but not as energetic...

A little muted on the nose for a Furmint. Tame Furmint, I'd say...

Attractive, rich cooked apple fruits and woodspice. Lovely...

Dry, medium bodied, stone fruit. Nice savoury finish with a...

Neutral nose with a slight aromatic signature à la Muscat. Dry...

Has the sort of ripe melon and yellow fruit with a creamy...

Fresh apple and lemon, with a stony character that evokes...

Green apples, ripe creamy fruit, a lick of oak – this gets it...

Very much a Viognier lookalike, with a creamy, soft palate...

Interesting green citrus and tropical fruit combination. Very...

Utterly screwball flor / oxidative character. Old blue cheese on...

Nutty and broad on the palate – tangible peanut character...

Off-dry, fruity and very pleasant yellow fruit character – melon...

Overripe apple, some oxidative, bruised character too. Rabbit...

Plenty of aromatic concentration for such low alcohol. Pretty...

Oxidative, honeyed nose. Has that phenolic grip and dried fruit...

Very opulent Muscat nose of grape juice, flowers and sweet spice...


RED

Interesting! Nuts, mint, blackcurrant leaf – so characterful...

This is a real oddity. It is sold as an EU Tafelwein carrying...

12-year-old Malbec vines have at last delivered apparently...

Closed nose. Fragrant, oak-dominated palate. Very commercial...

Dry, black fruit, soft tannins. Rather conventional, standard...

Slightly leafy with a dark black fruit core. Not dissimilar to...

Rich, plummy fruit. Soft tannins with a full body. Plump...

Open, countryside sort of aromas – in a nice way – like meadows...

Very, very prominent sweet vanilla (Hungarian?) oak. Mulling...

Strong medicinal character. Wood varnish too. Probably too...

Ageing very well – lovely earthy scent. Fruit is drying out...

Oaked. Riper black fruit than their junior version. Firm tannins...

Pleasantly leafy nose, and ripe raspberry fruit. Cinnamon stick...

Nice earthy development on the nose – appealing and savoury...

High acid, neutral fruit. Very sharp palate, with an un-fresh...


MACEDONIA


WHITE

Smederevka is the main indigenous grape variety in Macedonia...

RED

The vines here grow on a mixture of alluvial and clay soils...


ROMANIA...

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