Covela Edição Nacional – white
Serving a magnum of wine always adds a bit of ‘wow factor’ and so the experts say, the larger volume of wine in the bottle allows for better bottle ageing. This perception of superior quality is one of the reasons why a 1.5 litre magnum of wine or Champagne is more usually more expensive than two 75cl bottles.
Another reason is no doubt that the winery has additional costs making the packaging for their larger format bottles which, of course, are made in smaller quantities than the standard size. But anyone who loves wine also loves magnums and is usually happy to pay a few euros more.
This extremely tall and quite unusually shaped magnum from Covela caught my eye at Apolónia recently and the price, at just over €15, was also attractive.
The wine itself is a very good, easy-drinking and well-balanced dry white, fresh on the nose with notes of citric fruit and flowers, with a nice rounded palate.
But what I love most of all about it is the shape of the magnum. It is, to say the least, quite awkward; too big to stand upright in the boot of most cars, too long when lying flat to fit in most domestic refrigerators, too tall to chill in the average-sized frapé and so on. But all is forgiven once served to the table.
When hosting a dinner party for six last week, the length of the bottle enabled me to effortlessly reach across the table and deposit wine directly into the glass of my most distant table guest!
Promotional price at Apolónia Supermarket
(valid from October 3 to October 9)
Covela Edição Nacional – white: €12.95 (retail price €15.95)
By PATRICK STUART [email protected]
