The best wines to drink in 2021

Matthew Jukes, a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year Trophy, picks out the best wines you should be tasting in 2021. He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and his four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piemonte and 100 Best Australian Wines are published on his website matthewjukes.com. These reviews were originally published in MoneyWeek

This cosmic creation was well worth the wait
2016 Roda I Reserva rioja wine
We have all had to wait an eternity for the new Bond film to be released, and I have had to sit tight for a slightly shorter period for my favourite ever Roda I to arrive on our shores, and, in truth, it has felt longer than the 007 delay. But, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and the world’s most famous secret agent and this epic Rioja have both hit impossibly high notes with their respective performances. I have followed Bodegas Roda for all of its 34 years, and I have tasted virtually every wine this imperial estate has made, so when I say that this is the most impressive Roda I Reserva I have ever tasted, I hope it spurs you into action. The merchants listed have indicated their enthusiasm for selling this wine, and at give or take 50 quid, it is hard to think of a Spanish red to compare with this cosmic creation.

It is stunningly well-made and everything from the epic nose to the profound palate, to the oak, fruit and depth of flavour is nothing short of astounding. It is still a baby, but is perfectly balanced and can be enjoyed now. This prodigious wine will run for a decade with ease, and it is a true vinous gem that deserves to strut its stuff on the very best dining-room tables in the land.

£38 per bottle, £228 for a case of six, laywheeler.com; £289.67 per case of six, goedhuis.com

The finest Vinho Verde I have ever tasted
2020 Soalheiro, Primeiras Vinhas, Alvarinho, Vinho Verde, Portugal
I experienced a eureka moment in August. While dining at a smarty-pants fish restaurant in Portugal, a wine waiter asked me if I wanted to taste a “special wine” they had just received but that hadn’t yet made it onto the wine list. Of course, my answer was yes. I am sure many readers will be familiar with Soalheiro – Portugal’s most famous, ubiquitous, bargain-priced and, it has to said, delicious Vinho Verde.

Goodness knows how many cases are made of this stuff because it lines up on every supermarket shelf in the country. In fact, it is one of the most exciting things about summer hols! I was aware of a hierarchy of VVs from this terrific winery, but I rarely come across them, and so when I was presented with 2020 Primeiras Vinhas by a sommelier who was bursting with pride and eager to know my thoughts, I was a little more than excited. This is, without any shred of doubt, the finest VV I have ever tasted, and it arrived in the country a few weeks ago.

We tend to drink Vinho Verde ice-cold under a blazing sun, but this top-of-the-range wine, made from the original and oldest vines and seeing the merest hint of oak, is a true epicurean’s delight. It is exquisitely expressive in every department without ever overstepping the mark. Chablis fans will know what I mean when I say it is the Raveneau of Vinho Verde. And when you have experienced this epic treat, track down 2020 Granit another sensational wine from the Soalheiro portfolio.

A heavenly and exotic Lirac

The wine-tasting invitations are flooding in and, when Yapp sounded the trumpet announcing a specialist Rhône extravaganza, I dropped everything to attend. Yapp has been the most famous Rhône specialist in the UK for all of my 35 years in this wonderful business, and so you will forgive me for writing you a shopping list of essential purchases this week, starting with this heavenly and extremely keenly priced white Lirac. Exotic, smooth, detailed and refreshing, give white Burgundy the heave-ho for a week or so and invite this wine into your repertoire.

In addition, 2020 Argiles Blanc St Gayan (£9.95) is a crazy bargain and a lovely light-white glugger for all-purpose entertaining. The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Père Caboche (£25.50) is one of the finest value and most impeccably balanced whites I have seen from this renowned estate. The Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Alain Graillot (£25) is a snip to secure a white Crozes from the most famous of all estates in this dramatic region. The 2020 Le Petit Caboche (£11.50) is an ebullient, forward-drinking red from Vaucluse, and it is already into its stride. The 2019 Lirac Rouge Maby (£15.25) is the red version of my featured white, and it is sensational. The 2019 Sainte-Agathe Domaine Vernay (£24.75) is an epic syrah with Côte-Rôtie-esque pretension. The 2017 Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude Graillot (£42) was simply jaw-dropping. And finally, the NV Clairette de Die Achard (£17.95) is a hilarious fizzy sweetie.

A thrilling Portuguese red wine at a thoroughly reasonable price

I find myself talking up great wines every single day. Last year I talked up 2016 Quinta da Romaneira Reserva on this very page, and it is a magnificent wine slowly evolving into a titan of the Douro. The 2017 vintages are in stock this year, and at 30 fewer pounds per bottle, this grand estate’s Sino is sounding genuine alarm bells in the wine trade. So, in contrast to my lifelong, spend-more-and-spend-accurately mantra, I am genuinely talking you down this week so you can experience a thrilling red wine with a thoroughly reasonable price tag.

Romaneira is run by Christian Seely of AXA Millésimes, which controls the interests of legendary estates such as Châteaux Pichon Baron and Suduiraut as well as super-star Douro leviathan, Quinta do Noval. Carlos Agrellos makes Romaneira’s ports and wines and while this is a small property and a less starry name, the wines crafted here are stunning.

Sino is made from traditional varieties Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cão, it is matured in old oak for ten months, and it sports a genial 13.5% alcohol level. It is a pure and sonorous wine with immediate charm and drinkability – an epic advert for classic Douro red wines. There is more than a smattering of claret-like flair here – not surprising given Christian’s vinous heritage. So save some cash with this alluring, autumnal red wine.

An impeccably balanced Ribera

This is the fourth wine that I have written up from the La Rioja Alta wine company in the 783 times I have put pen to paper in this column. That’s a good percentage of appearances for a single wine company, but this red is not from Rioja. I must admit that I got a little excited as I tasted this masterful Ribera, and then my palate took a step back when I learned that the alcohol percentage is a little over 15% by volume! Hefty, but I can assure you that this lusty fellow is impeccably balanced on the palate. It is one of the most expressive old vine Riberas I have tasted, and given it is only five years old, the fruit and tannin, and the 16 months spent in new French oak, are all very integrated.

My wine-scribe pal Tim Atkin has awarded this beauty a heady score of 96/100. There is a phenomenon in the wine world called score-creep. This is when seemingly mesmerised wine journos hand out nosebleed scores to all manner of ill-deserving wines. This disease is rife in our industry and something which punters have wisely learned to ignore after having consumed far too many wines with high-nineties scores and dreary flavours. Mr Atkin is not one of these fools. If I scored wines out of 100, I would also be up among the clouds. There is another attractive number attached to this wine, too – £35 is a small price to pay for this degree of sophistication.

An exquisite Champagne to celebrate and drink with enthusiasm

I am out on a limb this week because, as I write this column, nothing is confirmed. I am crossing my fingers that Waitrose receives its stock on time so that come Monday you can be first in the queue to buy the finest-ever release of this exquisite wine. Hot on Waitrose’s heels, thefinestbubble.com should also have receive their allocation of 242.

Roederer is a serious House and the wine trade has held its breath, willing this wine to work. The 2017 vintage is the 242nd at this illustrious wine business and forms the base of this Champagne. Blended into the picture are reserve wines from 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and oak is more than present in the whole.

Does it work? Yes, yes and yes again. It is very rare in our helter-skelter existence to have a world-famous wine company launch an affordable wine (yes, £52 in this context is affordable) with this much élan and obvious build quality. The 242 is every inch a Roederer wine, but it is a little more forward, lustier, more expressive and more palate-coating than the more refined, classical vintage releases which we traditionally treasure.

This is Roederer’s short-cut wine – it gives us an illusion of flamboyance and decadence, and it lasts just until you take the next sip and this, in itself, is a triumph. This is not a wine to cellar, nor is it one to analyse too closely. It is a wine to celebrate and drink with enthusiasm, and we all need things like this in our lives.

A top-flight claret on the high street

It’s funny how my drinking habits have remained relatively constant over the years, even though my palate veers all over the place on account of the tens of thousands of wines that I taste. I don’t think I have dipped into a single claret since writing my Bordeaux En Primeur Report back in May, but I have been quietly willing September to arrive. Each year this glorious month signals to me, at least, that the Bordeaux season is back on, and it will stay with me for the next eight months. While it is always amusing to pluck bottles from the cellar, it is very rare to find top-flight, reasonably priced bottles of claret on the high street, and it is rarer still when they happen to be drinking rather well.

I have long been a fan of Deyrem Valentin, a hidden jewel in the Margaux crown. Made from 50% merlot, 49% cabernet sauvignon and 1% petit verdot, and spending 15 months in 50% new French oak, this classic recipe could result in any manner of flavour, but at Deyrem you can always rely on subtlety, balance, silkiness and style.

My mother told me some 50 years ago that her favourite style of red wine was Margaux. The wines these days are, on the whole, a lot more extracted and powerful than they were a couple of generations ago, but this is the sort of wine she would have adored. Deyrem has never altered its style – honed, engaging, polished and in perfect equilibrium; this is fabulous for autumnal drinking.