Louis Guntrum Pinot Noir 2017, 13.5%, Rheinhessen, Germany (£13.99 down to £10.49 until 16.7.2019, Waitrose Cellar) Is Pinot Noir the wine lover's ultimate grape? And, if so, where do you find great value bottles of the same? A short while ago, I posed these questions on social media. In answer...
Roebuck Estates Classic Cuvée 2014, 12%, Sussex, UK (Enquiries via website) One of the wonderful things about working in wine is the potential for making new discoveries. Roebuck Estates is my most recent. Until mid-June, I hadn’t heard of Roebuck. It was only after chairing the WineGB Awards...
Denbies The Brokes Botrytis Ortega 2016, 10%, England (£60 for 375 ml, Denbies) ‘Celebrating the sparkling success of English still wine’ is an inspired turn of phrase, and it belongs to Ruth Simpson. It was uttered at a masterclass I was hosting on English still wine together with...
Chapel Down Bacchus 2018, 12.5%, England (from £12, Sainsbury's, Ocado, Waitrose) Bacchus is a fascinating grape. It's originally from Germany but the UK seems to have co-opted it as its own and now it's England's answer to Sauvignon Blanc - aromatic, tangy and seemingly able to capture...
Nero Oro Appassimento 2017, 14%, Sicily, Italy (£8.99, Majestic) For those who like their reds a bit smoother and richer, this is for you. It makes a really versatile drinking partner for many dishes – partly because the appassimento (drying the grapes) gives a bit of richness and...
Naoussa Single Vineyard Xinomavro 2016, Apostolos Thymiopolous 13.5%, Greece (£15.50, The Wine Society) The Greek grape variety Xinomavro literally translates as ‘sour black’. So this gives you some idea of the kind of punch it can pack. (Susie describes it as, ‘like Nebbiolo on speed’.) This rendition is pretty...
Oreinos Helios Agiorgitiko Seméli Dry Rosé 2017, 13%, Greece (£8.50, The Wine Society) Wow! The colour on this wine is something else – vivid rich cherry red, really deep for a rosé, which gives you a hint of what’s to come… This is a pink wine that packs a...
Mas Martinet Bru 2016, 14.5%, Priorato, Spain ($39, €18-22, £18.68 Justerini & Brooks) Catalonia is one of our favourite wine regions on the planet. It’s such a beautiful part of the world. Amazing food and wine. Wonderful people. A Mediterranean coastline that veers from the tourisy to the...
Nivola Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro NV, 10.5%, Italy (£11.99 on mix 6 until 22nd April, then £9.99 until 29th April 2019, Majestic) Lambrusco is having a moment. This brilliant wine shows why. It’s hard to know what to do with sparkling red. But the Italians are resourceful, and...
Why Domaine Etienne Sauzet Bourgogne La Tufera 2017 is a standout from the early tastings of this great but not stellar vintage...