The Hidden Sea Wine company first came to my attention when winning an award at last years Peoples Choice Wine Awards for its story behind the label.

The South Australian wine producer proudly states that they remove and recycle 10 plastic bottles from oceans and rivers, for every bottle of wine that they sell, which is a win in anyone’s books, but is this just a gimmick to sell more wine?

When I was invited to try some of their wine for myself, I was eager to see if it was all hype or if the contents of the bottle delivered as much of a perk as their environmental credentials.

With a vineyard based on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, the company also tells the story behind its label, which features an magnificent whale, influenced by the fossilised remains of an ancient whale, which contributes to the rich, fertile soil in their vineyard, which also acts as a natural and unique filtration system for growing the grapes that make their wine.

The Hidden Sea Wine is now available throughout the UK in stores such as Sainsbury’s, Asda, Co-op and Booths, and I was sent three different bottles to try.

The first is a Chardonnay. Now we’ve all come across ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) types, which is rather puzzling with a grape variety that is basically a blank canvas for a wine winemakers, allowing them to impart their own techniques and preferences on the wine, resulting in such a variety of profiles form the same grape.

Of course I understand, that with the huge difference in Chardonnays on the market, that unless you know what you’re getting, it can be a bit of a gamble, but it can also mean that you can be rewarded with something exceptional.

The Hidden Wine Chardonnay is one such example. Priced from around £8, the wine is incredible fresh and vibrant, it has great acidity and can be enjoyed with or without food. With a nose of melon and ripe peach it transports you to a tropical summer. On the palette lemon and lychee combine with light oak. For me the wine is perfectly balanced and pleased both myself who usually drinks heavier or aged wines and my partner who always orders a Gavi, paired with its price, I am actually blown away with how good it is.

Next up I try the Shiraz, which is lush and deep in colour, aromas of blackberry, cassis and plum combine with a nice spicy finish on the palette, it is bold and has beautiful refined tannins and doesn’t present itself as the 14.5% abv that it is. For the price this sells at, it is an absolute steal!

As the song goes, two out of three aint bad, but I’m a little premature for that, as I haven’t yet tried the third in the set, which I had been sent.

The Rose is the last to be tried ,and on opening the bottle I am immediately hit with strawberries even before I pour a glass. This is a lighter wine at 12% abv and combines Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, yet despite containing some bold red grapes, is a pale pink, due to minimal skin contact.

On the palette the strawberry is fresh and it has a great citrusy acidity. Its easy drinking and fresh on the palette and makes me yearn for a hot summers day (if only).

I really didn’t know what to expect from this trio of wines and to be honest I was sceptical with its price point and environmental claims, when in truth, what I have discovered is that not only are these wines a bargain, the taste amazing, are well made AND they are helping the planet at the same time – what’s not to love!?!?!

I would highly recommend looking out for them at your local supermarket.

Disclaimer

The Hidden Sea wines were sent to me as PR samples. The tasting notes and opinions are those of Manchester Food Tourist and as always are impartial and honest