Our Wines of the Month
March/April 2012
Good quality, well-priced Australian and New Zealand wine has just become that much closer with the announcement by Negociants, the UK-based wine importer and distributor 100% owned by Yalumba, that it is to sell direct to restaurants and independents. For those tired of the sub-standard New World wine that still proliferates at supermarkets, this can only be good news.
As well as entry-level Oxford Landing, Negociants represents a large number of mid range and high-end producers. These include names familiar to every fan of New World wine: Riesling specialists mesh and Pewsey Vale, sparkling Tasmanian producer Jansz (great wines but always worth paying the extra for the vintage over the NV cuvee), West Australia's Vasse Felix and Nautilus Estate from New Zealand. They also import some newer brands like the Tempranillo-focused Running with Bulls, However the main pull is the wide range of Jim Barry and Yalumba wines that Negociants' decision will hopefully make more widely available. For those who love their Barossa or Clare Valley Shiraz, and their Coonawarra Cabernets, this can only be good news.
At the high end, Clare Valley-based Jim Barry make The Armagh (Shiraz) and The Benbournie (Cabernet) but at much more modest prices, there is a range of choice including the wonderfully rich, full bodied The Lodge Hill Shiraz, currently on its 2009 vintage.
The Yalumba range is even more extensive with wines from Barossa, Eden Valley and elsewhere in South Australia. For fans of Shiraz and Cabernet - and of blends containing these - Yalumba is a must as it is for Viognier fans: the producer makes many, culminating at the high end with The Virgilius from Eden Valley, the producer's most prestigious white wine. Yalumba's range now includes a new-to-the-UK mid range wine, the Galway Vintage Barossa Shiraz 2010, which though still very young shows impressive depth, with mulberry, liquorice and cocoa flavours on the nose and palate.
The full range of wines that Negociants offer make it hard to chose two for our wines of the month. Let's have a go though.
Jim Barry's Lodge Hill Dry Riesling 2010 (white, £12) is a steely, characterful wine, quite elegant with lots of fruit (apricot and passion-fruit, amongst others), produced at one of Jim Barry's highest altitude vineyards. With 3.3g of residual sugar it retains some sweetness to give support to the zingy mouth feel. This works well as an accompaniment to Asian dishes but also on its own, as an aperitif.
Yalumba's spicy, full bodied The Strapper 2010 Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mataro (red, £12) deserves special mention for the sheer intensity of its mouth feel, revealing the warm silkiness of the Grenache blended with the warm intensity of the Shiraz and Mouvedre. This is very much a winemaker's GSM - there's lots going on here, with layers of soft tannins, dark berry fruit and liquorice, that will only evolve over time.
One can only hope that Negociants presence on the UK market will increase as a result of its decision to sell directly. The range and quality of its wines are a firm rebuke to those who say Australian wine has had its day.
January/February 2012
With supermarkets dominating UK wine sales, it is more important than ever to find outlets that sell a broad range of interesting wines from a range of countries at good prices. Step forward Virgin Wines. This online company has been through various permutations over the years but now seems to have found its niche by selling approachable and affordable boutique wines: it currently has some 500 on its website, with new world wines probably more numerous than old. It is an interesting list for those who appreciate slightly batty names - the Black Pig Single Vineyard Clare Valley Shiraz 2010 is well worth trying though I, for one, was disappointed by the absence of a pig on the label - as is the lighter, tangy and quite complex Magnificent Crowing Cockerel GSM 2009. However reliable old favorites are also there, including the delectable, very well made Missionvale Chardonnay (2009) from Bouchard Finlayson in the Western Cape.
Virgin Wines should also appeal to those who like unusual grape varieties - Lagrein features, and judging by the drop-down list of grape varieties, they often have much more exotic wines. Virgin also offers sometimes peculiar but still effective blends: the PinZin from Wellington in South Africa is one such, comprising Pinotage and Zinfandel. This works quite well although I'm still not sure which of the two are more dominant in this eminently gluggable wine. But the important thing is that most of the wines are pretty good, as well as innovative, so much so that we have chosen a red and white from their list for our wines of the month.
The Coltbridge Reserve High Eden Valley Chardonnay 2010 (from South Australia, white, 14.5%) is everything a good Auusie Chardonnay should be. There is oak - I admit it, I like oak as well as some body in my Chardonnay - but not too much, whilst the plentiful summer fruit flavours (think peach and pear) are supported by light citrus flavours that balance the vanilla coming through from the oak. At £11.99 a bottle this is well worth splashing out for.
From the old world - the Tirol in northern Italy to be precise - comes Castelfeder Lagrein Klassiche 2007 (red, Italy, 13.5%) , a medium to full bodied mature wine that utilises its native grape to great effect. The wine has a deep berry colour and lots of spicy vegetal as well as liquorice notes to balance out this otherwise often tannic grape variety. For an essentially austere wine this has lots of creaminess on the palate and evolves well in the glass. Well worth trying at £12 a bottle.
November/December 2011
Fairleigh Estate Riesling 2010 (white, New Zealand), 12%, £8.49 Majestic
For many consumers, Riesling is a tricky grape to get right: it can be either too sweet - which renders it undrinkable with most foods and unsuitable to most British palates) or too dry, which can often mean an acidity level so through the roof it burns a hole in your stomach. This inexpensive Kiwi wine (currently on promotion at Majestic, making it £6.99 when you buy two or more) is just right; there's enough sweetness to make it an ideal aperitif but also to go with many foods, in particular Asian. For those not in the know, Fairleigh Estate is produced by Wither Hills Vineyards, and the range - which includes an acceptable and well priced Pinot Noir, i getting better all the time. Perfect for those wanting to escape boring Sauvignon Blanc during the festive season!
Devil's Corner Pinot Noir, 2010 (red, Australia), around £12, leading independents
"You try and find a decent Pinot under £15," I was challenged the other week. Well, here it is: a well made, relatively big Pinot from Tasmania imported by those lovely people at ABS Wine Agencies and made by respected producer Tamar Ridge. This has all the characteristics you look for in a New World Pinot - lots of cherry fruit on the nose and palate, plenty of spice and a nice, toasty flavour that makes it an ideal winter wine for those who veer away from a big Shiraz or Zinfandel. Will go very well with the Christmas Turkey - or goose, if that's your bird.
September/October 2011
Ritu Viognier 2010 (white, India), 12.5%, £6.99 (Waitrose)
I thought long and hard before deciding to include this wine as our white wine of the month. On the negative side, this is not by any means a great or arguably even a good Viognier, even at the price: South Africa, in particular, can produce much better (Brampton is one brand that springs to mind) as can Chile, and without the rather unwelcome bitter taste that comes through on the palate. However given where it comes from - Sahyadri Valley, near Bombay in the state of Maharastra - this is an impressive achievement, and proof that India is finally getting its winemaking act together. The spicy Syrah produced by this same winery and sold by Waitrose is probably the better wine but this is an acceptable glugger, with a lightly perfumed nose and welcome traces of peach and apricot on the palate. This website's raison d'etre is finding interesting wines for interesting times, from off the beaten track producing regions and countries, and this is a prime example of the many exciting changes sweeping through the wine world.
Montaria Reserva 2009 (red, Portugal), 14%, £9.99 (www.nakedwines.com)
Started a few years ago to promote up and coming wineries, Naked Wines seems to get better and better and this fine, fruity and bold blend from the Alentejo is a fine example of what the company is doing right. Using Syrah, Aragonez and Trincadeira - and aging in French and American oak for seven months - former consultant and now first time winemaker Antonio Ventura has produced an exceptional wine that will work well with most meats and cheeses, but also on its own. Powerful full-bodied berry flavours, hints of vanilla and chocolate make this a real crowd pleaser but also one likely to appeal to more refined palates. For some reason Naked Wines haven't hitherto concentrated much on Portugal - attention seems instead to be on South Africa, France and Spain - but on this evidence, it really should.
July/August 2011
Avery's Pioneer Range: Tasmania Riesling 2009 (white, Australia), 12.5%, £10.99 and Avery's Project Winemaker: Clare Valley Riesling 2010 (white, Australia), 13.5%, £9.99 (www.averys.com)
Two whites this month, both from Avery's and both in their own different ways, crackers, proof that these approaches to producing and exporting wine works very well, not least because they illustrate so well the characteristics of the respective regions. The Tasmanian wine, from Tamar Ridge, probably has the edge: very mineral but with lots of fruit aromas - passionfruit and green lime - that works well on the attack but holds its own, with some nice residual sugar. The South Australian Wine is bigger and chunkier but also somehow drier although nice floral flavours make this a great but delicate partner to most fish dishes. Try them both if only to see that how differently the same grape variety can behave in different locales and soils.
Satrapezo Saperavi 2007 (red, Georgia), 13%, £24.35 from www.gaumarjos.com
This is, quite simply, the most extraordinary wine i have tasted this year - and in a good way.
Those in the know - or those who shop at Waitrose, which stocks another Saperavi, Orovela - will already be familiar with Georgia's signature grape, the Republic's answer to Malbec or Shiraz. What they may not know if that increasingly Georgian winemakers - drawing on Georgia's heritage as the oldest winemaking country in the world - are looking to the past in making their wines, which historically were crushed, fermented and stored in clay amphorae (Qveri) that were buried in the ground and lined with beeswax. Satrapezo is made according to these traditions until primary fermentation before being put into barrique and undergoing malolactic fermentation. The result is this fine, full-bodied and flavour-some wine, with lots of black fruit, tar and liquorice, good supportive tannins and a round, warm finish. This will age for many years but is drinking very, very well now. Great with meats and cheeses - which is how Georgians like their wine - or on its own, ti savour its remarkable flavours.
May/June 2011
Avery's Project Winemaker: Vondeling Mourvedre 2010 (red, South Africa), 14%, £8.99 from Avery's (www.averys.com)
There is something quite heroic about Avery's Project Winemaker collection: so far mostly Australian wines, this range has been developed as a series of joint venture's between the Bristol-based wine importer and winemakers in a particular region to capture the region's essence for wine enthusiasts, at a price that won't break the bank. This first South African wine in the series is from Vondeling, in Voor Paardeberg, and is a cracker despite its youth. Full of cinnamon and wood flavours but with minimal oak this has quite a few years ahead of it but also tastes pretty impressive now.
Cave de Ribeauville Collection, Andante: Gewurztraminer-Muscat 2009 (white, France), 13%, £9.89 from Bibendum Wine (www.bibendum-wine.co.uk)
It's summer - at last - and there's the old conundrum: what white to drink. Well, you can put away your Chardies and Sauv Blancs because this interesting and well-made blend from Alsace is a real cracker. Made by the region's - indeed France's - oldest cooperative, this is a fruity, off-dry blend of 80% Gewurzt and 20% Muscat and is an ideal aperitif but also food wine. Lovely aromas, this really puts the A into Aromatic. My only complaint is that although Cave de Ribeauville have a great range of wines, just a small fraction is available over here; I guess we should be thankful that this excellent value wine is amongst them. Deserves to be much better known and appreciated.
March/April 2011
Dowie Doole California Road Shiraz 2008 (red, Australia), 14.5%, £16.99 from John Armit (www.armit.co.uk)
There's nothing like a big Aussie red to cheer you up, even when the weather is getting better. This one from Australias home of Shiraz is a real cracker: lots of spicy fruit (blackcurrant and black cherry predominately), nice vanilla undertones, well used oak and great body. Dowie Doole's California Road vineyard has been planted for over 125 years making it one of South Australia's oldest vineyards, and one of the lowest yielding. This wine will continue to improve for another 8-10 years but is drinking well now. Try with roasts and hard cheeses.
Incognicio Viognier Shiraz (white, South Africa), 13%, £8.99 from Virgin Wines (www. virginwines.co.uk)
Here's an odd one. I have to admit I did a double take when I loked at the label but yes, this is a white wine made from mainly Viognier but also Shiraz grapes, which as you, I and just about everyone else knows, are RED. Winemaker Nico Vermeulen's trick is to press them only slightly so no colour comes out, and then cold ferment the wine, mixing it with viognier. The result is very moorish, perfect as an aperitif and with fish, but even more as a conversation stopper. "Shiraz, thought that was a red wine? Yes, it is but..."
January/February 2011
Arco do Esporao 2008 (red, Portugal), 14%, on special offer at £7.11 until January 25. Available exclusively from Waitrose
Here's one to banish the winter blues - a big, beefy Alentejo red made by Australian david baverstock at Esporao, one of the country's oldest wineries. This is a full-on, blackcurrent, liquorice and chocolate red made with Syrah, Aragonez and of course Touriga Nacional. Unlike the higher end wines from Esporao there's not a huge amount of nuance here but this isn't trying to be that sort of wine. Goes very well with most meats and cheeses but also, frankly, does pretty well on its own. Will develop a little over the next 2-3 years but drinking very well now.
Nelson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2009/2010 (white, South Africa), 12.5%, £8.14. Available from Corney and Barrow.
Almost the polar opposite to our red of the month, this low key, fruity and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc from Paarl is made by Lisha Nelson, daughter of the estate's owner. She has got the tone exactly right - lots of fruit (greengage, a hint of apricot and peach) but also lots of freshness and zest, to make this an ideal aperitif or accompaniment to fish or poultry. Made from selected, hand-picked grapes, the wine puts most similarly priced South African Sauvignons - and even some Kiwi ones - to shame. Light, zesty and appealiing, this is summer in your glass.
November/December 2010
Fetzer Barrel Select Pinot Noir 2006 (red, California), 14%, £10.99. Available from www.ocado.com
I'm not normally a big fan of branded wines - especially recently where so much quality has been sacrificed for price - but this new addition to Fetzer's Barrel Select range is a real cracker. Finding a decent Pinot Noir for this price can prove challenging but this well-crafted example from the Sonoma Coast has lots of character. All the characteristics of a good Pinot are there - a nice, lightly perfumed nose, lots of cherry and cranberry fruit on the palate, coupled with lovely hints of black pepper in the aftertaste. Medium-bodied but with sufficient weight to improve even a day or two after the initial opening. Will go really well with autumnal food and Sunday roasts.
Herdade dos Grous Branco Reserva 2008 (white, Portugal), 13%, £16.95. Available from www.greatwesternwines.co.uk
Luis Duarte, the winemarker at Herdade dos Grous and its neighbour in the Alentejo, Malhadina Nova, is one of the more outgoing winemakers I have met in this region, and like his wines, not afraid of speaking his mind. Although Alentejo whites long played second fiddle to the region's hefty, big bodied reds, that is now changing and winemakers are prepared to experiment with the region's indigenous white grapes, notably Antao Vaz and Arinto, which in days gone could often produce rather average results. This outspoken white is a great example of a marriage betwen the first of these grapes (Antao Vaz), Verdelho - most comonly seen in Spain - and Viognier. The result is a fabulous wine. Unlike Duarte's impressive Herdade dos Grous Branco - also available from Great Western Wines, for £10.45 - this feels almost new world in taste and texture with the careful use of new oak bringing out the full flavour of the fruit. Lots of apricot, mango and guava on the palate, this is an elegant wine, doubtless thanks to the Antao Vaz making its presence felt. A treat on those dark grey nights as we plod towards Christmas.
Previous Months
September/October 2010
Falorca T-Nac 2005 (red, Portugal), 13.5%, £13.50. Available from: www.castas.co.uk
This is a real surprise: Portugal's most famous grape, whose original home is the Douro Valley, is increasingly being grown all over the country now with impressive results. This wine, produced in the Dao region by Quinta Vale Das Escadinhas, is a full-bodied, spicy reminder of how delicious and meaty good TN can be, even when it is grown away from home. It is also further evidence of how Dao has improved over the past 15 years, having thrown off its cooperative-heavy reputation; its generally granite soils can produce wines of real character and this is a prime example. The wine has almost animal characteristics and is fabulous with meat and heavy pasta dishes. A must-have for autumn, when light is in short supply and winter seems already to be drawing in.
Vinoptima Ormond Gewurztraminer 2006 (white, NZ), 13%, around £15. Contact importer Berkmann Wine Cellars for stockists. (www.berkmann.co.uk)
Auntsfield Estate Long Cow Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 (white, NZ), 13.5%, around £12. Contact importer Stokes Fine Wines for stockists (www.stokesfinewines.com)
Two whites this month, very different but both really impressive in their own right and indicative of how New Zealand continues to evolve and mature as a wine-producing nation. The Gewurz is quite simply delicious; slightly off-dry, this handcrafted wine by Nicholas Nobilo has plenty of spicy and floral flavours to satisfy any fan of this beguiling grape. This will work really well with Asian food in particular but is very moreish on its own (as I discovered). The Sauvignon Blanc was almost as big a surprise. Regular readers of this site will know I am no fan of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, feeling it is the noughties answer to the over-oaked Aussie Chardonnay that got such a bad name in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Long Cow (so named because the grapes were grown near the Long Cow paddock where Auntsfield cows once grazed) is in another league from those sub-£8 bottles of SB that now fill British supermarket shelves. Produced on what has been identified as the oldest wine-producing estate in Marlborough, this is a well-crafted wine with plenty of peach, apricot and light floral flavours but mecififully without the bitter nettle/cat's pee taste that can so often overwhelm SB. This is a very elegant wine with a lot going on that has forced me to re-evaluate my jaundiced view of the Kiwi flagship grape.
July/August 2010
Penny's Hill Cracking Black Shiraz, 2008 (red, Australia)
OK, I know high summer is hardly the ideal time to drink Shiraz from McLaren Vale - unless you want to wake up the next day sweating and with a Wine Head - but on the off-chance you have a cool day, or simply get tired of "summer reds" (whatever they are), I cannot recommend this more highly. A deep, almost purple colour gives some idea of the intensity of the brambly fruit within, whilst the palate is full and rich, with toasty vanilla giving warm definition to the fruit. Earlier vintages of this wine - easily identified by its black label and above that, a red dot - have won awards and rightly so. This is Australian wine at its best. One sip will remind you why we all once fell in love with wines from that country. £15. Available from www.slurp.co.uk and other retailers.
Chateau Musar 2003 (white, Lebanon)
Most people know this famous Lebanese producer for his now iconic red, of which the 2003 vintage has just been released. However the white is also well worth trying, particularly for those wanting a change from their usual summer tipples and keen to try something with true terroir. This unusual, almost eccentric blend of two indigenous white grapes Merwah and Obaideh (oak aged for six months) is a million miles away from a boring Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc and is really moreish, particularly with Levantine food. Rich yet also quite lean, this has only 12% alcohol and seems to change for the better once opened (I finished the bottle two days after opening it and it was only then at its best). Serve off-cold, at around 15 degrees celsius, to taste the full flavour of this intense, quite fascinating wine.£13.95, available from www.swig.co.uk and other leading retailers.
June 2010
Quinta do Alem Tahna 2004 (Douro, red, Portugal)
In these days of bland conformity, there's nothing quite like a good Portuguese red to remind yourself of how individual and satisfying a wine can be. This old vines red from the Douro, made by Quinta do Avidagos, has many of the usual suspects - Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (better known to us as tempranillo) Tinta Baroca. Except, that is, the most famous - surprisingly perhaps there's no Touriga Nacional, Portugal's most famous grape and usually a shoe-in for wines from this region. Perhaps the maker wanted the other grapes to speak for themselves and certainly this sturdy, full-bodied and fruit driven wine is none the worse for the absence of TN. To compensate, it even contains some of Portugal's many hundreds of grape varieties you may not have heard of, including Tinta Carvalha and Tinta Amarcia. Good nose, smooth on the palate with a wonderful long finish: what more could you possibly ask of a good red? £19.95. To purchase, check with the importer Castas at www.castas.co.uk. This is one of the most interesting importers around, focusing exclusively on lesser known but often great Portuguese reds and whites.
Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay 2007 (white, California)
You may be familiar with Sonoma-Coast, the rather Burgundian chardonnay made by Sonoma-Cutrer, sold in Waitrose and Ocado and often discounted to £10. A good and reliable wine, but this blend from Sonoma-Cutrer's Russian River vinayards is much better. It's still quite European in style but with a slight new world edge: hints of warm oak and soft vanilla on the palate to accompany the firm acidity and minerality, which are the hallmark of the Sonoma-Cutrer range. Although 2007 was quite a dry year in Sonoma, there's lots of nice fruit here: white peach and apricot but also tropical flavours including guava and toasted coconut. Delicious with food or simply as a classy aperitif to accompany daydreams about driving Route One in a convertible. £16.95, Lea and Sandeman and other leading independents.
May 2010
5 Fincas Reserva do Emporda (Castillo de Perelada), 2005 (red, Spain)
Aside from Ribera del Duero - which you don't tend to see much of in the UK - I've been down on Spanish wine for quite a while now, something not changed by the recent Wines of Spain tasting in London, which was a bust. The wines made by the historic estate of Castillo de Perelada in northrn Catalonia are something else though, as a recent tasting showed. This is their entry level wine, a sturdy and impressive blend of Merlot, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillio and Cabernet Franc (enough grapes there). It reflects a combination of terroirs, from the richest to the more modest, on the Emporda estate. The result is quite stunning: complex in structure but with a lovely firm finish, with plenty of fruit showing through. If like me you had lost your faith in Spanish wine, this will restore it. £13. For availability, check with the importer, Coe Vintners 0208 8551 4966.
Villa Nespes Traminer 2008/09, (white, Slovenia)
Made inland at Zelina, croatia, this is something of a find. A soft, slightly floral aroma is echoed on the palate with warm lychee flavours underlain with a hint of rose petal, making this a wine to be sipped and savoured. The label describes this as a medium-drywine but given that this usually implies lots-of-sugar-but-doesn't-want-to-say-so, this is rather misleading: off-dry would be a better way to describe this fragrant, moreish wine. Well worth a try. Waitrose, £7.49.
April 2010
Tsantali Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Organic (red, Greece)
Most people reading this will be familiar with Greece's ongoing wine renaissance; the days of cheap Retsina have long gone, although many recession-hit Greeks will doubtless be turning to it again. What is so surprising about this medium to full bodied red is the sheer confidence with which it has been made. Unmistakably Cab Sauv, with strong cassis flavours, its pleasingly firm structure makes it a perfect partner to most meat dishes and cheese. Even better news is that Waitrose is currently offering it at 20% off as part of its Mediterranean showcase. If Greek wine producers could produce more quality wines at prices like this, and export them, they would be making an appreciable dent in the trade deficit. Waitrose, £7.99.
Cooper's Creek Arneis, The Little Rascal 2008 (white, New Zealand)
OK, I know this isn't going to be to everyone's taste but here at oldandnewworld we like off-the-beaten-track grape varieties and they don't come more weird and wonderful than Arneis. Native to Piemonte in northern Italy, Arneis - which means little rascal in the local dialect - is (as its name suggests) a difficult grape. The results are often disappointing (which is why you see so little of it) and it needs to be drunk young, so not one for forgetting about at the back of your downstairs closet. Cooper's Creek of Gisborne have done a fine job here, producing a lean but attractive and well-made wine that makes an excellent aperitif but which will also go well with most fish. Imagine a toned down viognier with lovely lemon, peach and aromatic herb flavours. Something different for a warm spring evening. Berkmann, £11.95.
March 2010
Waitrose Reserve Shiraz, 2007/2008 (red, Australia)
Australia's most reliable grape variety is in fine form here, in this excellent value full-bodied wine made by St Hallett in the Barossa Valley. Lots of warm berry fruit and cherry, and well-balanced tannins. This makes a substantial accompaniment to most meat dishes and proves - if proof were ever needed - that South Australia's Barossa Valley remains a natural home for new world Shiraz. £8.99, Waitrose.
Tupari, Pinot Gris 2009 (white, New Zealand)
Sauvignon Blanc may account for 80% of New Zealand's wine production - and Pinot Noir may be winning all the critics' plaudits - but Kiwis are now increasingly good at producing fine aromatics. This delicious, full and zesty pinot gris is a prime example; a beautiful light floral bouquet with lots of pear and spice on the palate and a delicious finish that will have you hankering for another bottle before you know it. This is an excellent aperitif wine that will also go very well with Japanese food and fish. Anything, in fact.£14.99, Oddbins.
February 2010
Enrique Foster, Reserva Malbec 2005 (red, Argentina)
Malbec has become a popular drink amongst the chattering classes but the truth is that the quality of some of the wines available on the British market has been increasingly hit and miss. The fall of sterling against the Argentine peso coupled with the determination of importers to continue offering wines below the crucial £10 per bottle threshold probably explains why. This impressive, spicy full bodied wine from Mendoza will restore your faith, and help banish winter blues. Meaty, with blueberry and cherry flavours and wonderfully smooth tannins, this is a wine that tastes great without or with food (think steak or grilled lamb chops). £14.25, Private Cellar (www.privatecellar.co.uk)
Seresin Estate, Gewurztraminer 2008 (white, New Zealand)
OK, I know Gewurtz is not to everybody's taste - unless they are sitting down to an Asian meal, which it can complement so well - but this delicious wine from New Zealand's leading bio-dynamic winemaker should be enough to win converts. A beautifully made off-dry wine with lots of fresh lychee, peach and apricot flavours, this gives Alsace a good run for its money. Makes an excellent aperitif but also is an excellent accompaniment to - yes - Asian foods and shellfish. Just realeased, it also serves as an excellent introduction to the high quality wines made by Seresin, which seem to get better with every vintage. £14.70, John Armit (www.armit.co.uk)
January 2010
Sasso Arso, Villa Bizzari Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 (red, Italy)
I never imagined I would find myself recommending one of Italy's more workaday wines as my red wine of the month, but this Montepulciano d'Abruzzo really lifts the spirits at this gloomy time of year. Full of smoky cherry flavours and with strong rustic undertones this is a good value food wine and a cut above most Montepulcianos. Italian wines are often inconsistent and disapponting - at least the less expensive stuff they deign to export here - but this is a real find. And the fact your friends may chuckle over the wine's name is surely another plus. £9.14, Private Cellar, (wwwprivatecellar.co.uk).
Journey's End "The Haystack" Chardonnay 2008/09 (white, South Africa)
Apologies to the anything-but-chardonnay brigade, but this grape, at its best, remains one of the most flexible and enjoyable, and far more multi-dimensional than most of its rivals. This delicious vanilla-charged example from Stellenbosch - in fact the vineyard is right next to Vergelegen and Morgenster - is all that a good chardie should be, with aromatic soft fruit on the nose. £9.50, Bibendum, (www.bibendum-wine.co.uk).
December 2009
Orovela Saperavi 2005 (red, Georgia)
If you can find any - word has already gotten out - this beautifully firm, balanced and subtle wine makes a perfect accompaniment to Christmas dinner. Made exclusively from the Saperavi grape, indigenous to Georgia (the post-communist country, not the US state) this has fantastic cherry and mulberry on the palate and a warm, toasty finish. The relatively low alcohol - just 12.5% when you are expecting 14.5% - and impressively curvaceous bottle make this a welcome change. And Saperavi is well worth trying too, if you haven't previously had the opportunity. £15, selected Waitrose branches.
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2008 (white, South Africa)
Visitors to Anthony Hamilton-Russell's beautiful estate in Hermanus, South Africa, can be forgiven for coming away wishing they could dump their lives and start over somewhere just like this. Realists not given to such flights of fancy will just have to make do with his eponymous wines. But what wines: the Pinot Noir has always been impressive but has been creeping up in price almost every year. Better value in its own way is the only other wine directly bearing the family name, an impressively well structured Chardonnay, which manages somehow to combine Burgundian complexity with new world freshness and vigour. There's lots of peach and apricot here and 2008 is an excellent year. Again, this will drink really well with the Turkey or indeed anything else you care to put on the table. £19, Avery's of Bristol and selected independents.
