World Cup of Wine Round Two

The second round of fixtures saw some dull games, but there were some thrillers too and Costa Rica provided the biggest upset by qualifying from a group featuring three previous World Cup winners, including England, after just two games. Just the three wine match-ups in this round; let's see how the wines fared compared to the football.

Spain v Chile

Spain: classic European wine-producing country, famous especially for its aged, oaky reds from Rioja. There's plenty more to the country than Rioja, though: aromatic Albariños from Rías Baixas in the north-west, zesty Txakoli from the Basque country, muscley Monastrells from Jumilla in the south-east. Recently, Spain has been producing too much bulk volume wine at too low a price, undermining its reputation and the industry, but once you get above the £10 mark Spanish wine can punch its weight with any in the world.

Raimat Blanc de Blancs Albariño-Chardonnay 2013 (c.£10)

Raimat takes up a third of the Costers del Segre DO, inland from Barcelona, where the Cava giant Codorníu has since 1914 experimented with making sparkling wine from non-traditional grapes, in particular Chardonnay. This unusual, but well-balanced, wine combines the floral freshness of Albariño with citrus and tropical fruits from Chardonnay.

Chile: as featured in the first round of matches against Australia, Chile is a young wine-producing country still learning its trade. The challenge for Chile is to produce wine that is genuinely good value for money and not just cheap.

Tabalí Reserva Especial Chardonnay 2012 (c.£10)

This is a terrific example of Chilean wine punching above its weight - creamy apple flavours with the use of neutral oak to produce a wine that's both refreshing but with plenty of body and substance to give the wine a satisfying structure.

wine result two interesting uses of the Chardonnay grape, to produce good-value wines that provide a great deal of complexity for the price. Spain 2-2 Chile

actual result a disappointingly flat performance from Spain which saw the World Champions crash out against a vibrant, exuberant Chile. Spain 0-2 Chile

Japan v Greece

Japan: I wrote about Japanese wine in a recent blog, but the country is far more known for sake than wine. Sake is made from rice (meaning it can't be called wine, which has to be made from grapes) in a wide range of styles, from dry to sweet, fresh and crisp to oaky and full bodied. This number of styles can make sake a confusing drink, but it also means there's always a sake to suit different occasions or palates.

Akashi-Tai Daiginjo (c.£35 for a 72cl bottle)

The style of sake in part depends on how much the rice is milled or "polished." As this delicate sake has been 60% polished, it is light in colour, and it has refreshing floral and peach and melon aromas. Another factor in the style is the proximity to water - Akashi is near the sea and this sake has a definite salty character.

Assrytiko vines in Santorini are protected from the wind by wooden baskets

Greece: It is easy to mock Greek wine, but wine has been made there for millenia and there is high-quality wine to be found if you know where to look. The best whites come from the Assyrtiko grape, especially on the island of Santorini, and reds from Xinomavro in northern Naoussa. (Greek grape names may be hard to pronounce but, as the maker of the wine below pointed out to me, names of grapes are always hard to pronounce if you don't already know how to say them.)

Gaia Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2013 (c.£20)

From Santorini, this an intriguing, complex example of Assyrtiko. It's made using indigenous yeasts which are allowed to develop and ferment without any interference, giving the wine a slightly funky, barnyard quality. With the slight use of oak as well as acacia, it would be difficult to tell this apart from a quality Burgundy white.

wine result two drinks full of local character, demonstrating the best of their tradition to the outside world, though only one can be classed as a wine. Japan 1-2 Greece

actual result a forgettable game between two poor teams who most definitely did not demonstrate the best of their traditions to the watching world. Japan 0-0 Greece

USA v Portugal

USA: a wine-making powerhouse that's just going to get bigger and bigger. The industry is concentrated in California, which makes more than 90% of the country's wine. However, each of the 50 states does make wine of some sort. Washington is the second largest wine-producing state, followed by New York and Oregon. The latter produces Pinot Noir that rivals Burgundy in both style and quality, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Washington are a bridge between Bordeaux and Napa Valley.

Clos du Val Merlot 2010 (c.£30)

Merlot is a grape that gets a bad press, but in the hands of a quality winemaker it remains one of the world's great grapes. Clos du Val, founded by Frenchman John Goelet in the early 1970s, are one of the generation of Napa Valley producers that gained international acclaim following the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris. This is a classy but inviting Merlot, with ripe black fruits and a lovely spicy toastiness from the use of oak.

Portugal: as mentioned in the first round of matches, Portugal is more famous for its fortified wines than its still. However, it now produces high-quality whites and reds, especially in the Douro (the area where grapes are grown for port production), Dão, and, increasingly, Alentejo further south. There are over four hundred indigenous grape varieties found in this small country, giving Portuguese a unique identity.

Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2009 (c.£25)

Touriga Nacional is the most important grape for the production of port, and it also produces the most distinctive of Portugal's red wines, with floral, perfumed aromas. This rich, powerful, oaky wine from one of Dão's up-and-coming producers is a great example, and one which will get better and better over the next five years.

wine result a clash between two high-quality, powerful, ageworthy wines. USA 3-3 Portugal

actual result an open, entertaining game, with a surprisingly strong performance from the USA, who were denied victory by a last-minute Portuguese equaliser. USA 2-2 Portugal

The next round of matches will feature Italy v Uruguay, Australia v Spain, and USA v Germany