Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022, Coal River, Tasmania, 13.5% (c £65-85, Momentum Wines, Hedonism, Vincognito or internationally via Winesearcher) 'Give us a tasting featuring fine wines from around the world - and make it interesting.' That was the brief. So I headed over to Portugal with a spring...
Bodegas Cota 45 Ube El Reventón 2022, 13% (c £25-30, decantalo has the 2023, Fourth and Church has the 2021 - or find it internationally via Winesearcher) In February 2024 I gave a masterclass at Barcelona Wine Week. It was a great experience - excellent event, interested people,...
Vik 2019, Millahue, Cachapoal, Chile, 14.5% (c £100-115, Slurp has the 2015; also internationally for other vintages - find Vik in Winesearcher) Cabernet Sauvignon is the workhorse of Chilean wine. It accounts for nearly a third of the entire vineyard. So it's not surprising there's a fair...
Château Cheval Blanc 1949, St Emilion This isn't an attempt to grandstand. I was lucky enough to try this very special wine during a recent visit to 'The Fort Knox of wine', 100 feet underground in Octavian's Corsham Cellars, and I thought it would be interesting to...
Lyme Bay Pinot Noir 2020, 12.5%, England (from £27.99, Lyme Bay website & cellar door, Amps Fine Wines, Fareham Cellars, Tivoli, Elizabeth Rose, Wickham Wines etc) When we put this tip out via social media, someone responded along the lines of: all English Pinots taste like battery...
Banks Brothers Chardonnay No.3, 13%, Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa (13%) (£21 for three 250ml cans) We've been trying a fair few wines in so-called alternative formats recently. Including cans - like this one. And this is, without doubt, the best wine we've ever tried out of a can. It's very...
Bride Valley Pinot Noir 2018, Dorset, England, 12% (£21.50, Bride Valley) This is a sprightly, elegant red with a spring in its step, a joie de vivre and a youthful charm, all of which captures something of its proprietor, Steven Spurrier, who recently died aged 79. His passing...
Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Margaret River, Western Australia, 13.5% (£47, Stannary Wine) One of the five founding wineries of the Margaret River region back in the early 1970s, Leeuwin estate has built an enviable reputation as one of Western Australia’s leading lights. In a region famed...
Busi-Jacobsohn Classic Cuvée Brut 2017, Eridge, England, 12% (£38, Busi-Jacobsohn.com) Let's be honest, some sparkling wine (including champagne) can be dull. Boring. It's fine, it's classic, it's more or less what you expect but it just...
Hacienda San Juan Pinot Noir 2015, San Antonio, Chile, 13.5% ($34, Vinos del Rey (Miami) and Crescent Inc (NY)) Freshness. Elegance. Complexity. That's what the best wines from San Antonio can give you. This coastal region is a relative newcomer in Chilean wine terms but right from the...