Château Pontet-Canet 2007, 13%, France (c. £600 per case of 12 in bond, BI – but widely available, see also Wine Searcher) The 2007 vintage in Bordeaux wasn’t particularly memorable. As we noted when we last tasted the vintage in November 2011 (Bordeaux 2007 in stereo), the challenging...
Broglia Gavi di Gavi 2015, Italy (from £9 down from £14.99 until 21.2.2017, Waitrose - or via WineSearcher) At the discounted price, this Gavi is a bit of a bargain. What's more, it's a beautiful food wine to put with food, which is why I paired it with Marianne...
Journey's End Honeycomb Chardonnay 2016, South Africa (£10, Marks & Spencer) Poor old Chardonnay. I was told of someone recently who refuses to even allow it into the room, such is the virulent distaste they have for it. I'd argue this is to throw the baby out with the...
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2014, France (On very limited release from Corney & Barrow: £2,475 / case of 3 bottles in bond, £825 / case of 1 bottle in bond, £1,660 / case of 1 magnum in bond) As the frenzied excitement of the Burgundy 2015...
Meerlust Pinot Noir 2016, South Africa (£17-22, 2015 vintage currently at The Wine Society, Four Walls, Hedonism or via WineSearcher) I remember my first visit to Meerlust, back in 2003. Over a very convivial lunch with gravel-voiced owner Hannes Myburgh, a fair old quantity of his fine Pinot Noir...
Atlantis Santorini 2015, Greece (£11.50, Marks & Spencer) It's a little more expensive than we normally have on Saturday Kitchen, but this invigorating, succulent, illuminating Santorini white worked so beautifully with Tonia Buxton's lamb koftas with spicy tahini that I just couldn't resist. This truly was a delightful dish....
Lava Beneventano Aglianico 2012, Italy (£8, Tesco or via Wine Searcher) I recommended this hearty, seductive Beneventano Aglianico to partner a delightfully hedonistic beef fillet with cabbage and truffled mash by chef Fernando Stovell on Saturday Kitchen. The dish itself is like a deconstructed beef wellington - and...
Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-St-Georges 2015, 1er Cru Les Boudots (£660 per 6-bottle case, in bond, Goedhuis, Justerini & Brooks) Although the price of the Grivot wines this vintage veers into eye-watering territory, the quality remains unparalleled. I particularly like this Nuits for its gamey depth of flavour, allied...
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Nuits-St-Georges Blanc 2015, Clos des Grandes Vignes 1er Cru Monopole (£795 per 6-bottle case, in bond, Justerini & Brooks) My scribbled note for this white Nuits-St-George kicks of with the words ‘delightful, absolutely delightful’. From me, this is saying something. Tasted in the damp,...
Muga Rioja Blanco 2015, Spain (£9.99, Majestic or via Wine Searcher) This Muga white Rioja is a rare example of an elegantly oaked white under a tenner on the UK high street (and indeed elsewhere, if you care to check the Wine Searcher link). It made a seamless pairing...
Côté Mas Vermentino 2015, France (£8.49, Waitrose or via Wine Searcher) I'll admit it. When I first saw the recipe that Atul Kochhar was cooking on Saturday Kitchen - sumptuous spiced roast chicken with bread sauce, brioche-filled stuffing and gravy, all with an aromatic Indian twist -...
Domaine Jacques Rouzé Reuilly Rouge Pinot Noir 2014, France (£130 per case, Lupton Wines) It's rare to find a wine region described as somewhere 'Jeremy Corbyn would buy his Y-fronts', or a winemaker 'who makes Jeff Capes look like John Inman'. But then not every wine merchant is like...
Bienbebido Queso Tempranillo Vintae 2013, 14.5%, Spain (from £6.99, Majestic) This Bienbebido is a fantastic value, really satisfying red which I matched with Korean grilled beef short ribs by Jordan Bourke on Saturday Kitchen. I do like a wine that doesn't take itself too seriously. This bottle is a prime...
Zenato Villa Flora Lugana 2015, Italy (£9.99, Waitrose, or via Wine Searcher) I took in the sights of a delightfully festive (and Beatrix Potter-themed) Leeds Castle in this Christmassy episode of Saturday Kitchen - before selecting what is a consistently delicious and great value Lugana to go with salt cod...
Morandé One to One old vines País 2015, 12.5%, Chile (£6.99 when you buy 6+ bottles or £8.99 per single bottle, Majestic) Sometimes wine can be just a bit too serious. That's why we all need a good healthy dose of a wine like this Morandé old vines...
Fief Guérin Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie 2015, 12.5%, France (£7.99, Waitrose or via Wine Searcher) Muscadet is enjoying a bit of a renaissance at the moment and this Fief Guérin is not only a pleasantly refreshing, saline-inflected rendition, it also makes a fine match for...
Le Montrachet 2007, Lucien Le Moine, Burgundy, France - en jeroboam (Not commercially available but see Wine Searcher for other vintages) OK, OK, so it came as the 12th wine during a marathon dinner at the domaine. And yet, for a dinner positively swilling in fine wine of the highest...
Passimento Bianco Pasqua 2015, Italy, 13.5% (from £7.99, Majestic or via Wine Searcher) Oooooh but this Passimento Bianco by Pasqua is yummy! It's also seriously versatile with food. And you need versatility when you're trying to find a wine to go with confit chicken wing with blue cheese mousse and...
Fiano Sannio 2015, Italy, 13.5% (£9.50, Marks & Spencer) This was my attempt to pay homage to the hog - a delightful Fiano to go with Jason Atherton's wood-fired pork collar and crackling with sage and pine nut crumb on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen. Pork can be equally at...
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 1990, 14%, France (£350-500+, see Wine Searcher) ‘As a winemaker, you have to be humble in front of a wine like this,’ muses Caroline Frey, whose family took over historic Rhône producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné in 2006, of the estate’s iconic Hermitage...