Wines of the week: January 11

This week: Why do wines taste of certain things?

Normally we’d ascribe flavours to grape varieties or perhaps oak but sometimes the source of the flavour comes from the environment. Anyone who knows Australian Cabernet Sauvignon will know that they sometimes taste distinctly minty. In fact, many Australian reds, though not whites, have this odd but not unpleasant taste. It was recently revealed that the reason for this was simple: leaves from nearby eucalyptus trees were getting mixed in with the grapes. Not only this, but oils from these trees were coating the grapes so even careful sorting could not eradicate the flavour. This is one of the wondrous things about wine, how it takes on the flavours of local flora, fauna and even cooking. Why this is so could be as simple as leaves getting mixed up in the wine – or something more mysterious. Many English wines taste of elder flowers and tart apples, though there is no evidence that any of these substances have sneaked into the wine. Here are a few wines that taste of their home.

2010 Château Viranel Saint-Chinian Cuvée Tradition, £10.95: www.bbr.com

All the flavours of southern France in this powerful red: olives, rosemary and maybe even a bit of ratatouille. It’s like Elizabeth David in a bottle.

Tabali Shiraz Encantado 2010, £11.49: www.waitrose.com

Very different from its Australian cousin, Shiraz in Chile takes on all kinds of smoky, meaty flavours. It smells as if the smoke from an Argentine barbecue has drifted over the Andes and into the wine.

Three Choirs Regalia NV, £6: www.asda.com

Made from a medley of obscure German grapes but tastes of an English summer hedgerow.

Zind-Humbrecht Zind 2009, £16.99: www.waitrose.com

Here’s a rarity, a Chardonnay from Alsace and rather than tasting anything like Burgundy, it has a distinct floral note that is unmistakably Alsatian.