Jordi Miro Garnacha Blanca 2015, Spain, 13.5% (£9, Marks & Spencer or via Wine Searcher) White wine for game? And from a little known Spanish region (Terra Alta) to boot?! This one raised a few culinary eyebrows when I recommended it on Saturday Kitchen. But, as ever with game, it's...
Taste the Difference Barbera d'Asti 2014, Italy, 13.5% (£7, Sainsbury's) This own-label Barbera from Sainsbury's is really good value - and very autumnal in feel, with a heart-warming touch of spice to an otherwise silky dark-fruited style. It made a fantastic Saturday Kitchen match for a very autumnal dish...
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...
Villa Borghetti Valpolicella Ripasso 2013, 13.5% (£10.99 when you buy 6, Majestic or via Wine Searcher) So what to choose with a classic bolognese ragu with focaccia by the delightful Italian maestro Gennaro Contaldo? There are plenty of options, from Bardolino (in a lighter style) to Chianti (in a...
Chatel-Buis Montagny 2013, 13% (£10.39, Waitrose or via Wine Searcher) I recommended this classic white Montagny to go a with a suitably classic, elegant dish on Saturday Kitchen by Frederick Foster - paupiette of sole with wild mushrooms and herb sauce. We found that a good Chablis also works...