Articles and Reviews

Wine Atlas Ventoux 2016

Posted by: Andy Kelly

Date: 21-10-2019

Southern Rhône spice and all things nice! This wine really surprised me and for all the right reasons...

What Ned said:

"Ventoux is a notoriously tough mountain stage on the Tour de France, artfully depicted on the label of this wine from Asda's own brand Wine Atlas range. Ventoux is also a famous high point among the recumbent vastness of the southern Rhône. This is very decent Ventoux indeed, dark, vivid, spicy and gripping; 14% alcohol".

The spice literally attacked my tongue….

I confess that I wasn’t particularly drawn to this wine when I was deciding what to buy in Asda recently but upon seeing the 9 rating that Ned put in his book I thought “why not”?!

It’s a very peculiar wine this. It’s a deep ruby colour in the glass with a pleasant nose of leather, mineral and hints of berries.

The palate, though, is something different entirely. The spice enveloped my tongue every time I took a sip. It was so pronounced that I could almost hear it saying “have some of that you wine tasting bastard”. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation but it was a little unexpected and I quite like wine with a bit of spice!

After giving the wine time to breathe, the Grenache/Syrah combination shines through with sour cherries and jam in abundance making it a very complex wine. It very nearly scored lower but on reflection you’re getting a very good wine that’s a brilliant introduction to southern Rhône reds. Best of all, it’s £6 and for that you simply can’t argue!

You can purchase this little gem from Asda here and I doubt you’ll find anything as complex for the money. Definitely worth a shout if you’re a fan of the area or you enjoy a Châteauneuf du-Pape and something a little friendlier on the wallet.