Asda Extra Special Wine.

Asda are not really known for their wine, in fact they are probably the weakest of the main supermarkets for the wine choice. Especially the one in Hulme that we occasionally frequent. However they have improved it of late with some decent additions to the Extra Special Range.
First I tried the Primitivo Pugila 2010.

I remember where we were when we first drank this grape. We'd asked the sommelier if they had any American red Zinfandel at Abode in Manchester. We love this wine, especially if you get a good one. I presume it's unfashionable as you don't often see it. (M&S used to do a good one; Zamora but have sadly deleted it). He advised us that Zinfandel is the American ancestor of the Primitivo grape. So there we enjoyed our first bottle of Primitivo.
I bought this Extra Special Puglian Primitivo as it was only £5 from £7. (I actually trust Asda more than Tesco that this wasn't a 'fake' bargain.)
It's not a fine wine for a special occasion it's just great for glugging on a Saturday night. It was exactly the wine I had in mind to go with pizza or pasta. It's sweet, dark cherry and rich ripe blackcurrent. It has very soft tannins, and is a bargain no frills Italian at just £5 right now.
8/10.

The next wine is not a million miles away, despite it being a new world wine, as it's another soft easy drinking bottle, the Extra Special Malbec Mendoza 2012 (£6.48).

It is a lovely soft velvety juicy affair, and another one that I enjoyed with pasta. It's like ripe berries in a bag picked on a hot summers day. It may be overly ripe for some, but I enjoy this style very much. It's apparently made by Trivento, the Argentine arm of Concha y Toro, and it shows. They have adopted this grape in Argentina, and I've not drunk a bad one yet.
Excellent, though I still preferred the Aldi one.
8/10.

So a big thumbs up in general for the Asda Extra Special range from me. They're no frills everyday drinking wines and provide excellent value for money.

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