Most wine lovers have a soft spot for Pinot Noir. It's a masochistic tendency. Not only does good Pinot Noir tend to be expensive, it can also be very hit and miss. For a slightly elusive wine that inhabits a tantalising middle ground between white and red,...
Finest Côtes de Gascogne Colombard Gros Manseng 2015, 11.5% (£6, Tesco) Bit of a bargain, this Côtes de Gascogne. And a really versatile food wine, too. We all know Côtes de Gascogne as a source of affordable, fresh - but perhaps slightly simple whites. This one isn't a...
Valdesil Montenovo Godello Valdeorras 2015, 13% (£9.89 when you buy 6, Majestic, or via Wine Searcher) We find we're turning more and more to the Godello grape variety as a reliably food-friendly, frequently good value wine. It has that unique blend of freshness but textural elegance that...
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Rouge La Taupe 2014, 12.5% (£30 for a magnum (150 cl), Marks & Spencer or via Wine Searcher in different formats) Looking ahead to autumn and the festive period can be dismaying. Planning the wine menu, on the other hand, proves remarkably uplifting. Take this wine....
Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Chardonnay 2014, 12.5% (£16, Marks & Spencer) OK, OK. So this Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Chardonnay isn’t for everyone. For a start, it has Chardonnay on the label. That'll put lots of people off. Then there’s the price, which makes it a special...
Harrow & Hope Blanc de Blancs 2013, 12% (£28-35, pre-release from the winery website) There are many reasons to visit Marlow, the picturesque Chilterns town on the Thames in Buckinghamshire. One is Tom Kerridge's famous two-Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers eatery (and also its more informal offshoot, The Coach)....
Wyfold Brut 2011, 12% (from £26.99, Laithwaites) Barbara Laithwaite has turned her talented hand from working with her husband Tony building the Laithtwaite's/Direct Wines empire (which they continue to do) to crafting this elegant, expressive English fizz from a south Oxfordshire hillside not far from their home...
Domaine André Perret Merlot, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2014, 13% (£9.95, The Wine Society) It’s fair to say both the label and style of this southern French red are a bit funky – edgy even. Not for everyone, maybe. But part of the reason it’s so...
Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 1986, Spain (c. £400, L'Assemblage, Cru World Wine, Brunswick Fine Wines or use Wine Searcher) Sometimes, very rarely, a wine comes along that stops you in your tracks. Shifts your take on the world, almost imperceptibly, but a minor earthquake all the...
Sesti Monteleccio 2014, Italy (£15.99 per bottle for case of 12, Armit Wines - or use Wine Searcher) This Monteleccio is a fabulous value wine from one of Montalcino’s most celebrated wine estates, Sesti. We visited not too long ago and were captivated by the stunning scenery...