I have been lucky enough to drink Chateau Bel-Air on a semi-regular basis as Joe Picalli and Seb buy a shipment of it each year as their regular drinking wine
. For me it is the wine equivalent of Anasazi Whites. It is consistently delicious and not the sort of thing you’d expect to find in a supermarket - except now it is – at Morrisons at an unbelievable bargain price of £10 a bottle.
The bad news for locals is that I have hovered up the current displayed stock at the Sheffield stores of Hillsborough and Meadowhead where it is sold and also Guiseley (en route to Malham). Howver, I strongly recommend that those in the Provinces seek it out.
In the process of tracking down stock it became apparent that not all Morrisons have a “fine wine” selection. Those that do have a section where the selection is displayed in wooden boxes. I think it is likely that the chosen stores corresponds with the list at the end of
this article. Reading that article I would have been tempted to try out some of their other offerings if I hadn’t already broken the bank.
Anyway back to the Bel-Air. Obviously needs to be warmed before opening and be sure to decant it by which I mean pour it into a jug to aerate it – there is no sediment to speak of. It tastes very average if poured direct. Also Seb says the maker has passed on producing it for the last 2 years – the harvest hasn’t been good enough or something.