Lovely Jubbly Chablis

Chablis

2007

Vin de Bourgogne

Lidl Stores £6.98

One week into my wine blog and we bump into our first bottle of white wine, and a fairly decent one it is too.

My sister and her husband have dropped in for the week to help out while Ruth is in hospital and the first evening's meal could only really be accompanied by white wine, for the simple reason that Sally and Bill are white wine drinkers. They're big on Muscadets and anything from Burgundy, and also like Pouilly Fuisse and Poully Fume. In other words, they like a decent bottle of French white that is simple and easy to drink and ideally comes with a bit of class.

On a limited budget you don't get a lot for your money in the Burgundy white section of any supermarket which is why I thought I'd try and kid them with a handsome bottle sitting on the shelves of Lidl. As I later explained to my sister (a very loyal Waitrose shopper and very regular visitor to its uber-smart store in genteel Lymington), Lidl is an even cheaper version of ALDI which is rapidly becoming quite a respectable shopping venue in its own right. Lidl however is still quite a raw, bare fluorescent tube-lit, in your face shopping experience and not for the feint hearted. Unless you're a hard core bargain hunter like me.

So, if you really can put all your preconceptions to one side (including the low budget interior) Lidl is well worth a visit for some extremely decent looking wines, including this little number at £6.98. For £9.99 I could have opted for the Chablis Premier Cru but I really wanted to give my taste buds the entry level experience, and also see if I really could pull the wool over the discerning palates of my sister and brother in law. How;s that for mixed metaphors.

Anyway, I'm delighted to say that with a good 2 hours chilling in the fridge, the entry level Chablis received lots of very positive noises from my guests who were aghast at the thrifty price and the really pleasing construction of this wine. The Chardonnay grape, which I have to admit is not my favourite, was soft and understated for the price and gave out lemon and pineapple flavours in a smooth and elegant presentation.

Personally, I need to drink a few more Chablis to make a fair and considered assessment of this wine so will return very soon to upgrade to the £9.99 Premier Cru. However, it pleased two people who drink more white wine than I could ever think about and I certainly liked the way this little number held its own on the table against an equally striking Muscadet.

I'd call this wine an elegant little run around. Young, fresh, easy going but good enough to be taken seriously and a sure fire bet for any white Burgundy fans who want something that does exactly what it says on the tin, or in this case label.

Very Decent Wine: 8/10 (good all rounder)

Value for Money: 10/10 (try and find cheaper)

Dinner Party Appeal: 8/10 (lovely label)

Probability of buying again 8/10 (I'll be getting more for Christmas)