There’s something about the letter “P” when it comes to wine. Prosecco and pinot grigio are much loved, but there are plenty more examples, including the pinot family’s noir, black and meunier and Languedoc’s picpoul, with its two Ps, which is found on trendy wine lists.
One P more accustomed to lurking on the periphery is pedro ximenez or jimenez, a white grape that rarely gets a moment in the spotlight. PX, for short, sounds as though it was named after a conquistador — and indeed this obscure vine from southern Spain is also found in South America. It was taken there centuries ago by Spanish colonists.
In its homeland it’s best known as the mainstay of the unfashionable dessert wine of montilla-moriles and as a blending wine for making sherry. Palomino, another grape, is the main variety of Spain’s Jerez region, but pedro ximenez is ripened and then raisined in the sun, concentrating the sweetness and producing thick treacle-like brown wines used for sweetening.
A small amount is bottled and sold separately, usually labelled PX and tasting like a blend of Christmas pudding and toffee. It’s often said that it should be enjoyed splashed over ice cream, but it’s perhaps best incorporated in the ice cream, raspberry-ripple style. Lustau PX is sold in half bottles by Mitchells, O’Briens and independent shops for €14-€15, while Superquinn has Barbadillo PX halves for €8.99.
PX then has an interesting, but well-established role, which is why it’s so surprising to find a dry white version of the wine on sale in Ireland. It’s not about how well it tastes, but that it exists at all, and that it comes from Chile.
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The grape is grown in Chile’s northern desert-like Elqui Valley, in rocky hillside vineyards. Here PX wines are packed with minerally pear and pineapple fruit with a rounded palate and a tangy citrus finish. Lidl sells Cimarosa Pedro Jimenez 2010, a delightful, floral fruit-filled bargain, at €4.99. O’Briens has Chono PX 2010 at €9.99 and the same team also makes the Marks and Spencer PX 2010, left, €10.49, which has won a gold medal from Decanter. It was judged a “superb alternative for mass-market identikit wines”. Another P destined for popularity then.
GLASS ACT: South Australian Shiraz
Shiraz, or syrah, is a grape used worldwide to make powerful red wines, writes Ernie Whalley. It was introduced to South Australia in about 1840 by James Busby, the “father” of the Australian wine industry. High tannins and abundant fruit bestow ageing potential. To test this for yourself, buy two bottles of the same wine, not necessarily an expensive one. Drink one now and squirrel away the other for a year or more. South Australian shiraz has a likeable style and there’s considerable sub-regional variation, from the epic masculinity of the old-style Barossa region to the feminine allure of McLaren Vale. We tasted 19 and discovered a couple of one-hit wonders and no duffers. These four won the day:
Coriole Redstone 2008 (McLaren Vale)
Winesdirect.ie, Mullingar, €16.95
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GOLD
Ernie Whalley says: Showed the intensely perfumed nose, lovely greengage and mulberry fruit that I’ve come to recognise with McLaren Vale.
Martin Moran says: Packed with flavours such as pepper, blackberry and mocha, with a sumptuous silky and persistent palate.
18.5/20
Longview Yakka 2008 (Adelaide Hills)
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Obrienswines.ie, €12.99 until April 1, €17.99 thereafter
SILVER
EW says: Complex, generous and deeply satisfying. Savoury stuff, with dark berries, hint of fig and undertones of rich roasted coffee. Great value.
MM says: Terrific array of flavours including pepper, mulberry, cherry and coffee. Big, but there’s finesse, too.
18/20
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Penfolds Bin 128 2008 (Coonawarra)
Molloys.ie, €19.49 (widely available, from €20)
SILVER
EW says: Classical Coonawarra shiraz. Aromatic lifted nose leads to vibrant cherry-to-dark-berry fruit and a lively black-pepper kick at the finish.
MM says: The light eucalypt nose, typical of Coonawarra, supported by moreish cherry fruit and a lingeringsilky-smooth palate.
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17.5/20
John Duval Entity 2008 (Barossa)
Gibneys.com, Malahide; enowine.ie,D1; fallonandbyrne.com, D2; thewineboutique.ie, D4; sweeneyswine.ie, D11; redmonds.ie, D6, €34.99
GOLD
EW says: Absolute cracker that stood out in a hotly contested class. Glorious now and should get better.
MM says: Nobody knows more about shiraz than Duval, who has crafted a classic. A perfumed peppery beauty.
19/20