Chapel Down Blanc de Blancs 2009, England, 12.5% (£30, Wine Pantry and Chapel Down) It was a sunny evening with friends and we had a few wines open to go with tapas. None of them could stand up to the beautifully spicy pan-fried whole mini chorizo. 'Funnily...
Mud House Sauvignon Blanc 2015, New Zealand (from £6.50, Tesco) Hard to ignore this eye-catching deal (Majestic also have a similar one running at the moment). But it's not just that - I recommended this on Saturday Kitchen to go with a really fun, flavoursome dish by...
Taste the Difference Barbera d'Asti 2014, Italy, 14% (£8, Sainsbury's) So Italian - full of the fragrance of cherries and wild herbs, very stylish too. I matched this on Saturday Kitchen to pasta dish by Joe Hurd which incorporated nduja (spicy sausage) and tomato sauce. Show co-host Gennaro...
The Exquisite Collection Rioja Reserva 2009, 14% (£8.99, Aldi online) Pretty spot on Rioja Reserva at a fair price. It's very classic and there's plenty of wine for the price here. It's a dense, creamy and juicy red with hints of coconut and orange rind to complement the...
Jean Bouchard Hautes Cotes de Nuits red 2013, 12.5% (£9.99, Aldi online) The first duty of wine - whatever its colour - is to be refreshing. Gastronomic. Uplifting, if you like. Here's a red that does just that - and at a very fair, albeit not bargain...
Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2009, England (£35, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Farr Vintners, Lay & Wheeler) Very refined, accomplished and elegant fizz from the producer that really kick-started the modern English sparkling wine scene. This point was made particularly vividly because, at the same tasting, we were treated...
Imagine the scene. Steeply rolling hillsides, dark forests in the background, the foreground a hectic green sea of bush vines sprouting vigorously from rich terracotta soil. On a rickety table in the middle of the vineyard there is a glass of mysterious white wine. It...
Ramos Pinto Quinta do Bom Retiro 20 Year Old Tawny Port, Portugal (£35 for 50cl, Oddbins & others) There’s still a touch of fiery ruby at the heart of this gorgeous, amber-hued tawny. The nose is rich and raisined while the palate is smooth, biscuity and mouth-coating....
Jewel of Nasik Zinfandel Rosé 2015, India (from £5, Marks & Spencer) It’s not every day you get to recommend an Indian rosé on BBC1! This one’s juicy and fun, with plenty of succulent plummy fruit and a soft, easy-going feel. I paired it on Saturday Kitchen...
Taste the Difference Godello 2014*, Spain (£8, Sainsbury’s) The Godello grape variety nearly went extinct in the 1970s – it was down to the last few hundred vines, apparently – but it’s since been resurrected, to brilliant effect. It makes succulent, fresh, herb-scented whites that work superbly...