Sorcova Pinot Noir 2023

Romanian wine has become a bit of an obsession for me. Of course, Pinot Noir is often the most expensive wine on any shelf. This is a particularly painful truth for me, as Pinot Noir has become my favourite variety. Discovering an everyday bottle to enjoy therefore has been a tipsy endeavour. My wife has never been so pleased with a new hobby of mine. Finding a new contender was just enough of a reason to put away a glass or two (it's three) on a weeknight.

My discovery of the Sorcova Pinot actually started with the Waitrose Blueprint Pinot Noir. I hadn't paid much attention to country of origin on the label, and at a scratch over seven pounds, I wasn't expecting a great deal from what was in the bottle. My wife and I cracked open the bottle, and looked at each other in bewilderment. Our faces contorted, not because it was unpleasant, but because it was all quite unexpected. A completely new set of aromas and flavours, all against a plush, fruity familiarity.

Finally, I checked the bottle, and saw both that the wine was Romanian and produced by Cramele Recaș. The winery exports over half of all the wine coming out of Romania each year, and they do so under numerous labels, often created specifically for a supermarket. As such, right next to the Waitrose Blueprint Pinot Noir on the shelf was another bottle of Romanian Pinot Noir, the Sorcova, which is also produced by Cramele Recaș. The two wines are remarkably similar.

In fact, I've just rambled on about a completely different wine to the one being reviewed, so one might reasonably wonder why we even buy this bottle over the Waitrose own-label option. After all, the Waitrose option is listed at £7.50 before discount. We certainly have a preference for the profile of the Sorcova Pinot Noir, it's more rounded and satisfying, but if I'm being honest it comes down to the label. It's just a smidge more fancy to serve a non-supermarket wine, especially when it tastes like it could be worth much more than it costs. So we wait for a discount, and stock up.

In the glass

Light ruby, translucent. The nose is fresh cherry, raspberry, strawberry… sure, but also a liveliness that could be mistaken for smoke, tree bark or even latex (I will always maintain I get a hint of rubberiness from this wine).

The palate is much the same as the nose, which is pleasing. The fruit carries over, and that liveliness shows in a bright acidity, crunchy and moreish. The finish is medium in length but clean. It's definitely worth chilling slightly before opening, but can equally be enjoyed at room temperature. It's an incredibly drinkable wine, at all times, in all places.

A fair criticism to level is that there is nothing particularly complex here, it has a few prominent notes to offer. Of course it's a young wine, and costs less than many lifeless bottles available on supermarket shelves. I retract what I said, it's not a fair criticism, not at this price.

Worth it?

Without a doubt. Even at the RRP of £9.25 this feels like a steal. Waitrose frequently runs 25% discounts on six bottles or more. Buy six. Or twelve. Actually don't… leave more for me.