La Grange des Combes 2013, France, 14% (£9.99 when you buy 6, Majestic) If you like your reds a bit funky, this is a bargain. Strictly speaking, this Grange des Combes is AOC St-Chinian-Roquebrun, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. It’s peppery, meaty and full of...
Royal Tokaji Dry Tokaji 2015, Hungary, 13% (£7.99 when you buy 6+ until 26.9, Majestic) It’s always refreshing to come across a white with a bit of attitude. This Royal Tokaji Dry Tokaji was lurking with intent at the recent Majestic press tasting. The Tokaj region is more...
Disznókő Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 1999, Hungary, 11.5% (£40, Fine & Rare) If only all history lessons were this tasty. The Tokaj region in Hungary is famous for its historic sweet wine, for centuries the wine of kings until its fortunes took a turn for the worse...
Bouchard Aîné & Fils Pinot Noir 2014, France (£6, Sainsbury's or use Wine Searcher) It's rare to find a decent Pinot Noir* under a tenner. So for £6 this Bouchard Aîné & Fils Pinot Noir is a rare bargain. I featured it on Saturday Kitchen as an accompaniment to a...
Saint Mont 2014, France (£8.50, Marks & Spencer) South-west France really is a treasure trove for us wine hunters - and this Saint Mont from M&S is a brilliant example of why. It's great value. I recommended it on Saturday Kitchen to go with a delicious but tricky-to-match dish...
Parker Favourite Son Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Australia (£7.49, Waitrose) What to recommend when the great Pierre Koffmann is cooking venison with raspberry and bitter chocolate sauce on Saturday Kitchen? I went for the hedonistic rather than the classic option. Both had their merits (the classic being a...
Waimea Estate Pinot Gris 2015, New Zealand (from £9.99, Majestic) I picked this juicy, succulent Waimea Estate Pinot Gris to go with tandoori lamb by Atkar Islam on Saturday Kitchen. Generally, we find white wine goes well with lamb and is often an over-looked pairing. But the matching makes total...
So come on - where do you stand in the great Sauvignon Blanc debate? Some people hate it - saying it's too obvious, boring, short-lived or just too popular for its own good (in UK shops, it's now the best selling grape variety by some margin). But...
Finest Soave Superiore 2014, Italy, 13% (£7, Tesco) Some Soave is so mass produced and irredeemably characterless, it isn’t much better than dish water. But the good stuff is wonderful (see this Pieropan La Rocca tip). And this cheeky little number is amazing value. Because of the way...
Morandé One to One Gewürztraminer 2016, Chile, 13% (from £6.99, Majestic) First things first. The Gewürztraminer grape isn’t for everyone. (Even if you can pronounce it properly…) It can be super perfumed and luscious in style, a bit oily and rich, so it can easily put people...