A sweet surprise in store for you

Apr 3 2008 By Laurence Mccoy

NEW wine names are appearing all the time, but rather than actually standing out from the crowd many tend to taste disappointingly similar - not bad by any means, but perhaps just a little bit bland.

So every now and then it's good to come across something that is wildly different.

Mention sweet red wine and a lot of people would be fetching their coats, but fortified vins de liqueur, made in a similar way to port, are very popular in France.

And although Maydie may sound a bit ominous translated into English, it certainly has a more than lively personality.

It's produced by the Laplace family from Tannat grapes at Château d'Aydie in the Madiran region in the south-west of France.

Leave this fascinating wine in a glass for a few moments and the powerful scents begin to waft around the room: blackberry, licorice, menthol, elderberry.

It's thick, densely dark purple and you might expect a correspondingly muscular flavour, so that the sweetness comes almost as a surprise - damsons and baked plum crumble disarmingly balancing the obvious sturdy tannin structure and high alcohol (17 per cent).

The thick-skinned Tannat grapes are also high in polyphenols, powerful antioxidants which are claimed to be good for your heart.

But you don't really need an excuse like that to try a small glass or two as an aperitif or with a rich chocolate dessert.

Maydie is available from The Wine Society for £10.95 per 50cl bottle (see www.thewinesociety.com).

For those who don't like too many surprises, New Zealand Sauvignon can usually be relied upon to deliver those trademark thirst-quenching and pungent grassy flavours.

Maven Sauvignon 2006, from Marlborough, is no exception, with deliciously ripe, invigorating tropical fruit and a long mouth-filling richness that's a perfect pick-me-up for the the spring that surely must be around the corner. It's £9.99 at Thresher's and Wine Rack, but buy three and it comes down to a very reasonable £6.66 at Thresher's.

For another bright and intense Kiwi Sauvignon, Ara Composite 2006 (£9.95 from www.winedirect.co.uk) has plenty of vibrant, crunchy peapod and zesty lemon flavours.

From Australia, Cape Mentelle Sauvignon/Semillon 2007 (widely available around £10) has crushed nettles and an additional complex seam of waxy richness. And Nepenthe Sauvignon 2007 (£8.99 at Tesco) is bracing, lively, crisp and citrussy.