Domaine G. Quillot Côtes du Jura Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes 2012, 13.5%, France (£8.99, Lidl, from 28th September 2017) Wow. This quirky, appetizing white is quite something. One thing's for sure: it won't be like any other Chardonnay you've tasted. Maybe it's not for everyone. But if you like your...
In the 1970s, a French customs official famously declared that English wine simply did 'not exist'. How times change. From a meagre total of around 1,500 bottles in the mid-1960s, English wine production now averages around five million bottles, with a national vineyard of some 2,000 hectares....
Colinas de Uruguay Albariño 2016, Uruguay (from £8, Sainsbury's) This refreshing Uruguayan Albariño was my wine pairing on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen for Freddy Bird's wonderful squid and carabineros prawns with bomba rice and aioli. It may seem an odd choice - but bear with me. Freddy's a big fan...
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Riesling 2017, Clare Valley, Australia (from £10.99, Majestic) We're big fans of South Australian Riesling in this household and the Lodge Hill is a lovely wine - dry, tangy and invigorating in its limey, green apple purity but also softening wonderfully when...
Sadie Family Wines Treinspoor 2016, Swartland, South Africa (c. £35, Lay & Wheeler, Noel Young, Uncorked, Hedonism, Handford, Philglass & Swiggot & more via WineSearcher) First things first: this is a wildebeest of a wine. It's wild - no domesticated decorum here. It has almost animalistic tendencies...
Colinas del Itata Old Vine Field Blend 2015, 12.5%, Chile (£7.50 down from £10 on multi-buy, Marks & Spencer) The joy of great food and drink isn't just that it's delicious. It's also that it gives us something to talk about and share. Stories, in short. This wine...
Surani Pietrariccia Fiano 2016, 13%, Italy (from £8.99, Majestic) I recommended this versatile Piano to go with Lawrence Keogh's squid-ink risotto with saffron chilli squid on Saturday Kitchen. It's a stunning recipe, really vibrant not just in flavour terms but also its striking yellow-and-black colour on the plate. The...
Saturday Kitchen Sling So, it was World Gin Day and I was asked by the producers of Saturday Kitchen if I had any thoughts to share on the subject. I certainly did. I love it. It's a great British product. We have some lovely gins down our way...
Tapa Roja Old Vines Monastrell 2015, Spain (£9, Marks & Spencer) When you've got a chef who looks remarkably like Wolverine - then you need to pull a wine out of the bag that will put hairs on your chest. So to speak. Tomer Amedi was cooking a beautifully heart-warming...
Taste the Difference Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015, France (£8.50, Sainsbury's) OK, so I got the mickey taken out of me for wearing a pink shirt AND recommending a rosé at the same time. Fair cop. But this combo was worth it. I recommended this delicious, dry, elegant and...