Howard Park Leston Shiraz 2005 Margaret River, Australia
Vibrant red/purple colour. The nose is distinctly Australian, with some mint, eucalyptus and tarry spiciness, along with sweet red and black fruits. The palate shows lovely freshness, with tight dark fruit and good acidity, along with well integrated oak. A really fresh, juicy style of Shiraz with real precision – I reckon this will age well. It’s a classically Australian style, but with more freshness and focus than most. I reckon this will be peaking in five years but good for 10 more. 91/100 (£14.50 Bibendum) 04/08

The Aurora Vineyard Syrah 2006 Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand
A beautiful cool-climate expression of Syrah. It has a really lovely white pepper and spice definition to the raspberry and dark cherry fruit, with an almost Burgundian elegance and freshness. There’s lovely purity to the fruit here, which is ripe and dark with great natural acidity. Real elegance here: it seems nicely poised between the new and old worlds in style. Not a big, dense, showy sort of wine, but utterly compelling – it reminds me of the best of the Gimblett Gravel Syrahs in style. Bendigo is a warm subdistrict of Central Otago, which explains why they’ve been able to make this wine from somewhere you wouldn’t expect to excel with Syrah. 92/100 (£16.99 www.hellionwines.com) 04/08

Howard Park Riesling 2007 Great Southern, Western Australia
I reckon this is one of Australia’s very best Rieslings. It has a beautifully expressive, elegant limey nose, with a bit of floral perfume. The palate is bone dry but not at all phenolic or rough, with concentrated, delicate (but not fragile) citrussy, minerally fruit. There’s a hint of grippy tannin on the finish, which is pretty dry and perhaps a little bitter (but not overly so). A versatile, stylish and potentially long-lived Riesling of great appeal. 12.5% alcohol. 92/100 (£12.50 Bibendum) 04/08

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2007 Clare Valley, Australia
A drought vintage, with much warmer temperatures than the average (heat summation 1556  degree days versus long-term average of 1332 degree days), but this is still a superb wine. Attractive lime and tangerine peel nose is fresh and balanced. The palate is hugely concentrated with a dry citrus-pith character and minerally length. There’s some real richness and power here, but the delicacy of the variety persists. A beautifully balanced wine with some real weight and potential for further development. 13.5% alcohol. 92/100 04/08 (£10.99 Oddbins) 04/08

Domaine la Terrasse d’Elise ‘Le Pradel’ 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc, France
This varietal Cinsault, made in a non-interventionist style, is wonderful stuff. The nose has that purity and focus that I find in many ‘natural’ wines: there’s brooding, sweet, pure red berry and cherry fruit, with cedary, subtly fudgey, tarry warmth and a bit of sweet spice. The palate is elegant and smooth with lovely rich texture and pure, spicy red fruits. There’s just a hint of undergrowth, which adds complexity but never threatens to obscure the pure, sweet fruit. Complex, understated and balanced, this is a really assured wine. Beautiful stuff. 93/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene) 04/08

Duo Mythique Syrah Grenache 2006 Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
This is what the South of France does so well. It’s a bright, rather peppery red with sweet fruit bolstered by some pleasantly grippy tannins. Generous and spicy, with a nice savouriness. Good value for money. 84/100 (£4.99 Co-op) 04/08

Marks & Spencer Old Vines Grenache Noir 2006 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, France
This Roussillon Grenache weighs in at 14.5% alcohol, but this is a variety that handles high alcohol pretty well. There’s some sweetness to the blackberry and red berry fruit palate, but there’s also some firm, savoury tannin. Finishes with a bit of chocolatey richness. Attractive but not ‘obvious’. 84/100 (£5.49 Marks & Spencer) 04/08

Spier Discover Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Western Cape, South Africa
There’s some sweet blackcurrant and plum fruit here, along with a distinctively savoury earthiness. It flirts with greenness, and just about gets away with it. The bittersweet character of dark plums is the dominant theme, and for the price it’s quite attractive. 81/100 (£4.99 Co-op) 04/08

Casa Donoso 1810 Carmenère Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Maule Valley, Chile
An interesting, full-throttle Chilean red. Smooth, dark black fruits nose with an intriguing rubbery, chocolatey edge. The palate is firm and dense, with sweet dark fruits and a herby tang. There’s lots of concentration here, but the slightly bitter, plasticky finish spoils it for me. 82/100 (£9.99 Laithwaites) 04/08

Forrester’s Back Chenin Blanc 2007 Western Cape, South Africa
A fresh, bright focused Chenin Blanc showing clean, mineralic fruit with a hint of richness and a rounded texture. It’s very appealing: dry, but not too acidic, with a bit of the richness of Chardonnay without the heaviness that this variety sometimes shows. 87/100 (£6.99 Oddbins) 04/08

Sizanani Chanin Blanc 2007 Stellenbosch, South Africa
A really crisp, bright Chenin with fresh lemony acidity and a bit of smoky, flinty funkiness. Crisp and bone dry, so best with food. Tasty stuff for the price. 84/100 (£5.99 Oddbins) 04/08

Familia Zuccardi Pinot Grigio Torrentes 2007 Mendoza, Argentina
A really successful aromatic white wine, with striking floral, grapey aromas and a fresh, crisp palate. It’s not as flirty as some Torrontes can be, and better for it, I reckon, with the prettiness of this grape variety combining well with the food-friendliness and crispness of the Pinot Grigio. 87/100 (£5.99 Oddbins) 04/08

Domaine Treloar ‘Tahi’ 2006 Côtes du Roussillon, France
The top wine from this domaine, who advocate the use of sustainable viticulture. It’s a big old wine, made with a fair dollop of new oak, but there’s more than enough fruit to deal with it. Tight, dark, concentrated and quite tannic, this could do with a few years to become more approachable and is potentially very long-lived. Ripe dark fruits dominate, with a subtly roasted coffee oak edge and a bit of plummy bitterness on the finish. There’s a lot going for this wine, but it’s pretty tannic and full-on at the moment, and the tannins overpower the finish. I’d be fascinated to see how this wine will taste in a decade: I reckon it will be pretty serious. 93/100 (£16.50 Leon Stolarski) 04/08

Landelia Malbec ‘Single Vineyard’ 2005 Agrelo, Mendoza, Argentina
A bit of a bargain this: it’s a dense, dark, fruit driven Malbec of real poise, with some purity to the sweet dark fruits nose that’s nicely complemented by some meatiness and a bit of spice. The palate is densely fruited with chocolatey richness and earthy, spicy complexity, finishing quite savoury. Tastes much more expensive than it is, and is acceptably modern, with lovely focus and purity. Surprisingly low alcohol (13.5%) considering how ripe the fruit profile is. 91/100 (£8.49 Virgin Wines) 04/08

Domaine de Joncier Lirac 2005 Southern Rhône, France
Deep coloured and quite substantial, this southern red has sweet, ripe red fruits with a bit of spiciness and some savoury tannic grip, battling it out on the finish with some alcoholic heat. It’s better than this description sounds, though: a ripe, plummy, satisfying Rhône wine with some depth and concentration. 89/100 (Waitrose) 04/08

Domaine Treloar One Block Grenache 2006 Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
This is quite a big wine, with sweet, lush, almost jammy blackberry and raspberry fruit, coupled with some spicy tannic structure. Good depth of flavour and ample fruit expression here: a satisfying, warm, food friendly wine. 89/100 (Leo Stolarski) 04/08

Marks & Spencer Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007 Curico Valley, Chile
Fresh, crisp nose with a bit of melony fruit and a hint of minerally sulfur. The palate is crisp and vibrant with lemony, grapefruity notes and high acidity. A very fresh and zingy sort of white that would be great with food but is perhaps just a tad austere for sipping on its own. 84/100 (£4.99 M&S) 02/08

Stamford Brook Shiraz Viognier 2006 South Australia
Made for Sainsbury by Angoves. Lovely fresh sweet dark fruits nose with a bit of pepper and some meaty richness. Really focused and appealing. The palate is pure, peppery and bright with great balance. It’s not at all confected or soupy. For the price, this is really good: as well as sweet fruit, there’s a fantastic savouriness and a bit of old world peppery Syrah character that I really like. Delicious. 88/100 (£5.99 Sainsbury’s ) 02/08

Loredona Pinot Grigio 2006 Monterey, California
I’m not sure about the packaging: it comes in a clear-glass, Alsace-shaped bottle that doesn’t flatter the wine at all. But the juice itself is quite nice. It has a grapey, fresh nose that’s a little spicy – it reminds me a bit of Muscat. The palate has a bit of herby freshness and a slightly rounded texture. An attractive wine. 87/100 (£8.50 Bibendum) 02/08

Cederberg Sustainable Shiraz 2006 Cederberg, South Africa
Ripe but focused red berry fruit nose with a subtle greenness. The palate is vivid and fruity with a vibrant berryish character and good acidity. There’s a hint of spicy seriousness, but overall, this is a juicy good-time red of some appeal. 86/100 (£6.99 Waitrose) 02/08

Cederberg Sustainable Chenin Blanc 2007 Cederberg, South Africa
An organic Chenin grown at an altitude of over 1000 m, this is incredibly fresh with lovely bright lime and herb aromas, as well as a tanky ester-like character. The palate has a bit of creamy richness, but, again, the dominant feature is citrussy freshness, along with a bit of spice. A versatile fresh white wine. 87/100 (£6.99 Waitrose) 02/08

Yalumba Organic Shiraz 2006 South Australia
Certified by NASAA and the Soil Association. This is quite a bright, fresh, medium-bodied plummy red wine with a fresh spicy twist and a hint of meatiness. It’s not at all heavy or confected – rather, there’s fresh bright fruit and a nice savouriness, which makes it really food friendly. 13.5% alcohol. I found this a bit tight and reduced on opening, but after decanting and leaving overnight the fruit was much more expressive the next day. 88/100 (£7.99 Waitrose) 02/08

Brampton Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Western Cape, South Africa
Slightly muted herby, minerally nose. The palate has some rich, quite ripe tropical fruit which combines with a fresher, grassy, green pepper character. I’m a bit unsure about this – it doesn’t seem very integrated to me. 84/100 (Virgin Wines) 02/08

Ulysse Cazabonne Pauillac 2005 Bordeaux
This negociant wine is declassified from a top Pauillac property, and it's quite a serious effort. It's dark, minerally, savoury and gravelly with a tight structure and good acidity. The focused dark fruits and firm tannic depth make this quite challenging without food, but I really like it - it tastes like left bank Bordeaux should taste, and while it will probably age nicely over the next five years, I'm enjoying it now. 90/100 (£15.49 Averys)  02/08

M&S Fairtrade Pinot Grigio 2007 Famatina Valley, Argentina
This is a really attractive aromatic white wine with a grapey, melony, herby nose that leads to a palate kept fresh by a citrus kick. At 12.5% alcohol this is a light, expressive white with a nice personality from the La Riojana co-operative. 84/100 (£5.49 M&S) 02/08

Equality by Las Lomas Chardonnay-Viognier 2007 Maule, Chile
A fresh, fruity, estery white with some rich texture under the almost-spicy bright nose. A fruity unoaked style that would work well with spicy food. Lively and fresh. 83/100 02/08 

Canaletto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2005 Italy
This appealing, savoury red wine has a vivid, spicy dark fruits aroma. In the mouth there’s a hint of meatiness to the chunky, spicy dark fruits. It’s amazingly food friendly with good acidity and some spicy earthiness on the finish. 84/100 (£4.99 Sainsbury) 02/08

Meerlust Chardonnay 2006 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Quite a European-styled nose with tight, minerally, lemony fruit supported by classy vanillin oak – not at all fat or showy. The palate is mineralic and fresh with taut, rather lean fruit, high acidity, and plenty of new oak in evidence. This is quite a serious effort that needs time to fully integrate and unwind. It’s sort of hard to judge right now, but I think it will turn out to be a really interesting wine with a few more years in bottle. 91/100 (£17.99) 02/08

Joseph Mellot Sincérité Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Vin de Pays de Val de Loire, France
A bright, fresh, savoury-style Sauvignon showing grassy, green pepper-laced fruit. It’s almost austere, with rather green fruit and high acidity, but in the context of this wine it works well. A food friendly style. 84/100 (£5.99 Averys) 02/08

Domaine Rizière Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
Very bright and lean with crisp green apple fruit and a taut herbiness. It’s a bit short and ungenerous, but the high acid, fresh style might make it a useful food match. 80/100 (£5.49 Averys) 02/08

Averys Fine Chablis 2006 France
Subtle and fresh, this isn’t your usual Chardonnay. But it’s not your usual Chablis, either – it lacks the mineralic raciness that sets good Chablis apart from most other expressions of this grape. There’s a hint of straw to the slightly rounded fruit on the palate, which is otherwise a bit neutral. It’s nice enough, but at this price I think it’s a bit of a let down. 84/100 (£10.79 Averys) 02/08

Laurent Miquel Nord Sud Syrah Grenache Rosé 2006 Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
A crisp, dry style of rosé that’s a pleasant light pink colour and has herb-tinged berryish fruit. Good balance and quite food friendly – it’s not at all heavy or forced. 84/100 (£6.99 Tesco) 01/08

La Cuvée Mythique 2005 Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
A blended red made from the selected produce of 55 different growers, including grape varities such as Carignan, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. It has a dark, savoury, spicy nose with some richness to the fruit. The palate is earthy and spicy, with dark fruits and some well integrated oak. The result is a very drinkable, warm spicy red that’s highly food compatible. 87/100 (£6.99 Co-op, but on offer at £4.99 18 Feb–4 Mar 2008) 01/08

Nepenthe ‘Tryst’ Cabernet Sauvignon/Tempranillo/Zinfandel 2005 Adelaide Hills, Australia
Not all Aussie reds are big heavy blockbusters. This is a juicy, vibrant blend of Cabernet with some Tempranillo and Zinfandel, and it has a pure, focused nose of blackcurranty fruit, with just a hint of mint. The palate shows ripe, sweet berry and blackcurrant fruit with nice freshness and a bit of a spicy plummy twist on the finish. Highly drinkable, although it still weighs in at a hefty 14.5% alcohol. 88/100 (£8.99 Tesco) 01/08

Yalumba Y Series Sauvignon Blanc 2007 South Australia
Fresh, pure, bright nose with subtly green herbal fruit. The palate is crisp and tight with nettley, herby fruit and a rounded, fruity finish. Quite a stylish effort that’s modern and commercial, but not too in-yer-face. Only 11% alcohol. 86/100 01/08

Yalumba Y Series Riesling 2007 South Australia
This is fresh, bright and fruity, with a crisp limey edge to the generous, slightly herb-tinged fruit. There’s a nice richness to the fruit here: it isn’t as bone dry tasting as some Aussie Rieslings, but I don’t think there’s much residual sugar – rather, the richness comes from some ripe fruit which adds a tropical edge to the limey zestiness. 87/100 01/08

Yalumba Y Series Unwooded Chardonnay 2007 South Australia
This is crisp and fresh, but with some nutty richness, too. But I’m not really sure about it. There’s a bit of a minerally reductive note on the nose and the palate seems a little hollow, finishing with some bitterness. I guess it’s OK, but I don’t enjoy it all that much. 80/100 01/08

Heggies Botrytis Riesling 2006 Eden Valley, Australia
From grapes hand-picked in May grown in vineyard at 550 metres in the Eden Valley. Open, sweet and herby with a rounded sweet apple and lemon character. This is sweet, grapey and richly textured. Attractive but not too complex. 86/100 06/07

Successiores de Benito Santos Igrexario de Saìar Albariño 2004 Rias Baixas, Spain
Wonderfully fresh, precise and full nose with some citrussy notes. The palate is fresh and bright with a pithy, citrussy character and some nice minerally complexity. A lovely wine. 90/100 06/07

Huet Petillant Vouvray 1987 Loire, France
Crisp and precise with lovely refined straw and herb flavours. No rough edges. Quite sophisticated with a bit of fizziness and great acidity. 92/100 06/07

Papin Muscadet Le ‘L’ d’Or 1990 Loire, France
A bit funky with some cheesy, herbal notes. Still quite fresh with a distinctive mineral/rocks sort of structure and good acidity. Long, savoury finish. 88/100 06/07

Domaine de Bellivière Hommage à Louis Derré 2000 Coteaux du Loir, Loire, France
Wonderful stuff: sweetly fruited but with a spicy, slightly funky mineral edge. It’s gravelly and a bit minerally. Light, perfumed, complex and expressive, this is a lovely wine. 91/100 06/07

Prince Poniatowski Aigle d’Or Vouvray Petillant 1993 Loire, France
Yellow/gold colour. Fresh, striking cheesy, almost cidery savoury nose with some bready notes. The palate is tangy, fresh and a bit funky, with high acidity keeping it fresh and bright. 88/100 06/07

Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprost Riesling Spätlese 2006 Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany
Expressive open nose leads to a powerful palate with lovely expressive minerally spicy presence to the fresh lemon, melon and honey fruit. Drinkining brilliantly now. 91/100 06/07

Daniel Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spätlese Gold Kapsule 2006 Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany
Quite tight and precise lemony nose with a bit of honey. The palate is concentrated with lovely richness of texture. Some elegance, too. Sweet and honeyed with nice minerally, spicy complexity. 90/100 06/07

Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese 2005 Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany
Focused nose shows sweet melon, lemon and some minerals and spice. The palate is rich and viscous, yet still fresh and transparent. There’s potential for this to be a long-lived wine – I reckon it needs a lot of time to show its best. 90/100 06/07

De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier 2004 Yarra, Australia
Fantastic stuff, combining ripe red and black fruits with a lovely vivid, spicy, peppery freshness, and tight focused structure. This is quite European in style. Flirts with a hint of greenness, but in the best possible way. A brilliant cooler-climate Aussie Shiraz that should develop well over the next five years. 93/100 (£13.99 Tesco, Oddbins) 06/07

Clos de Gaimont Vouvray Sec 2005 Loire, France
There’s hope for the world of wine while there is still Vouvray. This has a herby nose with some of that damp straw/wet dog Chenin funk. The palate is fresh and dry but richly textured with broad, herb-tinged, slightly honeyed spicy fruit. A modern-styled Chenin with a bit of old-world complexity. 91/100 (£8.99 Virgin Wines) 06/07

Kaituna Hills Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Marlborough, New Zealand
A Marks & Spencer own brand, made by Montana. Attractive, intense nose is nettley and fresh, with some grapefruit and green pepper notes. The palate shows great balance, with some greener, fresher notes balanced with some ripe, tropical fruit. It’s a sophisticated, well balanced example of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that flirts with fatness (14% alcohol) but stays fresh. 89/100 (£8.99 Marks & Spencer)  01/08

Errazuriz Estate Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2006 Casablanca Valley, Chile
I like the concept behind this wine. 'Wild Ferments' are those where cultured yeasts aren't added. What happens is that indigenous yeasts from the vineyard and winery environment begin the fermentation slowly, and then after a while the regular wine yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, kicks in and finishes the job. Because of this, the wines that result (particularly the whites, in my experience) have added complexity of flavour, and a rather different mouthfeel. And here, with this Chardonnay, it works well. It has a warm, complex nose of butter, toast, herbs, vanilla and fruit spanning the spectrum from figs to lemons. The palate shows nice toasty complexity and nice fresh acidity, finishing long. Altogether, this is a thought-provoking, rich style of Chardonnay that may well improve with a couple of years in bottle. Good value for money. 90/100 (£9.99 Tesco, Stone, Vine and Sun; £11.95 Berry Bros & Rudd) 12/07

Montana Terroir Series Corbett’s Legacy Pinot Noir 2006 Waipara, New Zealand
One of the new terroir series from NZ giant Montana, this is a brilliant wine from the Waipara region, near Christchurch on South Island. There’s a bit of spicy, earthy presence to the meaty dark fruits nose. The palate has a nice spicy, earthy depth to it with good acidity. It’s a really lovely complex, savoury wine. 93/100 (Not sure of stockists – imported by Pernod Ricard UK) 11/07

Casa de Mouraz Branco 2005 Dão, Portugal
This organic white Dão is a bit of an oddity, but it’s fantastic. Lovely reductive, burnt match nose combines with some barrel-ferment richness. Long, broad, full palate is minerally and fresh with lovely depth of flavour. A very distinctive Burgundian style. 92/100 (£8.99 Duncan Murray Wines, Philglass and Swiggot, Corks of Cotham) 12/07

Domaine du Closel La Jalousie Savennières 2005 Loire, France
A really fantastic, intense dry Chenin from the Loire, boasting aromas of herbs, honey, straw and lanolin. The palate is concentrated, mineralic and dry, with a strong savoury, almost cheesy character to it. Nice acidity keeps things very fresh. It’s quite a challenging drink now, but I reckon this will age very well and pick up complexity over the next decade. 90/100 (£9.95 The Wine Society, £11.95 Tanners) 01/08

Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Walker Bay, South Africa
A fresh, intense and rather unusual Sauvignon Blanc from a relatively cool-climate maritime region in South Africa. The dominant feature here is a distinctive green pepper, chalky methoxypyrazine streak, which adds some savoury complexity to the intense herby, grassy fruit. It’s a concentrated wine that would work very well with food, but isn’t really suited to casual sipping. Beautifully packaged with a lovely label, a half-length silver capsule (a la Ridge) and a high quality natural cork. 88/100 (£8.99 Noel Young, www.sawinesonline.co.uk)  01/08

Cono Sur Visión Gewürztraminer ‘Las Colmenas’ 2007 Casablanca Valley, Chile
A perfumed, aromatic white with lovely fresh floral, grapey, lychee aromas. The palate is dry but exuberantly fruity showing fresh, citrussy, gently herby, grapey flavours. There’s nice concentration of flavour here, along with some delicacy—this grape variety is one that can tend to be overly heavy and fat at times. Delicious and food friendly. 89/100 (£7.99 Majestic) 12/07

Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 2006 Marlborough, New Zealand
Lovely nose: fresh, spicy meaty red fruits here, with nice perfume. Ripe but still very fresh and quite cherryish. The palate is complex and spicy. It's really expressive with lively acidity and an appealing meatiness. A delicious wine. 92/100 (£11.99 Tesco, Thresher, Booths) 08/07

Champagne Jean Moutardier Cuvée Selection NV
Quite deep coloured, this is a 50:50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s a serious Champagne. The intense, toasty nose has a fine herby edge and hints of toffee. The palate has rich toast and brioche notes, along with a bit of nuttiness and some citrus freshness. Great depth and intensity: a full flavoured style that is just delicious. Brilliant stuff. 92/100 (£19.95 Great Western Wine) 01/08

Herbert Triebaumer Ruster Ausbruch 2002 Burgenland, Austria 
Yellow/gold in colour, this is a rich, almost pungent sweet wine with lifted aromas of cantaloupe melon and apricot, alongside spicy and herbal notes. The palate is viscous (163 g/litre residual sugar) with bold, concentrated flavours of ripe apricot, citrus and melon, together with some spicy complexity. It’s a serious wine of real class and intensity that just manages to stay balanced despite the immense sweetness. 93/100 (£21.95 Great Western Wine) 01/08

Bouza Tannat Las Violetas 2004 Uruguay
Aged in a mix of new French and American oak, this is a varietal Tannat from Uruguay. It is deep coloured and has a forward, rather modern nose showing ripe, chocolatey dark fruits with a bit of warm spiciness. The palate is quite interesting: alongside the forward fruit and spicy new oak, there’s firm tannic structure and a smoky, slightly rubbery complexity, along with some plummy bitterness. It’s a dense, forward, food friendly wine style with lots of presence, not a million miles away from some of the denser, more savoury Chilean reds. 14.5% alcohol. 88/100 (£9.95 Great Western Wines) 12/07

Baron de Ley 7 Viñas 2001 Rioja, Spain
Made from all seven grapes that are grown in the Rioja region, this is aged for three years in barrels before a further year in larger foudres. There’s some sweet coconut and vanilla oak on the nose, but this is less apparent after the wine has been open for a while. The palate shows a combination of sweet oaky notes with some fresh cherry and berry fruit to form a rather harmonious, well mannered whole. I’m usually not a huge fan of the ‘traditional’ Rioja style because I reckon the wine spends just a bit too long in wood for its own good, but there’s no denying that this is an attractive, accessible, mellow sort of wine that’s evolving quite nicely. 88/100 (£16.99 Tesco) 12/07

Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly ‘La Croix des Rameaux’ 2005 Beaujolais
From old vines tended by a terroir-driven producer in conversion to biodynamics. I must confess, my first thoughts about this wine were ‘bretty Beaujolais: doesn’t work’. But after leaving it open for a while, it’s gaining some aromatic complexity, with a pure, smooth, elegant red/black fruit core emerging from the grip of the earthy spiciness of what I suspect to be a bit of brettanomyces. It’s quite tannic and earthy, still, on the palate, but overall I’d say this is a pretty serious effort that I think will end up being one of those wines that just works, whatever the brett police might say. It just gives the impression of being a living wine which will look great on some occasions, and a bit awkward on others. But it’s worth persevering with. 89/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene) 12/07

Château La Vieille Cure Fronsac 2002 Bordeaux, France
I’d actually ordered the 2000 vintage of this wine, but Sainsbury delivered the 2002. I phoned customer services, and they said they did have some 2000 in stock, and they’d arrange an exchange. A month later they hadn’t, so I ended up losing patience and opened a bottle of the six that had been delivered. It’s pretty good, considering this is Bordeaux and it cost just a little more than £10. There’s some evident oak, but with it some rather stylish gravelly, minerally red and black fruit. Good concentration and nice definition are allied with nice but not too advanced ripeness levels. A solid Claret that may well age nicely over the next 3–5 years. 88/100 (£14.99 Sainsbury’s, on offer at 25% discount) 12/07

The FMC Forrester Meinert Chenin 2006 Stellenbosch, South Africa
This is perhaps South Africa’s finest expression of Chenin blanc. It’s a big old wine with a mighty flavour impact, and comes mainly from low-yielding old bush vines planted in 1967, which is my vintage. Harvested at full maturity, the grapes are treated to a wild-yeast fermentation in new French oak 400 litre barrels, using late harvested botrytised Chenin as a blending wine. Maturation on the lees ensues, with a total of 10 months in the barrel. 9.7 g/litre residual sugar. This is powerful, viscous and concentrated, with sweet vanilla, herb, honey and spice notes. It’s very broad and attractive with an almost sweet tropical fruit quality and some warm, sweet creamy depth. Not really in a Loire style, but really intense and interesting. 93/100 (Tesco, Waitrose, Great Western Wine £16.95) 12/07

Terras Gauda Albariño 2006 O Rosal, Rias Baixas
This is utterly brilliant. It has a beautifully precise aromatic nose with perfumed, slightly herby, ripe melon and lemony fruit. The palate is deliciously fresh with light, subtly grapefruity citrussy fruit along with some richer ripe melon notes. Great balance here to create a thrilling white wine that’s a perfect match for seafood dishes. 92/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene) 12/07

Les Nivières 2005 Saumur, Loire
From Cave de Saumur. I love this wine. A varietal Cabernet Franc from a ripe vintage (13/5% alcohol), it has a nose of leafy, spicy, deep blackcurrant fruit with a distinctive minerality. The palate is quite dense, savoury and tannic with lovely fresh, sappy blackcurrant fruit and a mouth-drying finish. It’s a really intense, food friendly sort of wine that captures the essence of Loire Valley reds. So much character, it gets a surprisingly high rating from me. 90/100 (£4.99 Waitrose)

Cathy & Jean-Luc Gauthier Domaine du Crêt de Ruyère Morgon Tradition ‘Cuvée Nature’ 2004 Beaujolais, France
Made naturally, with very little intervention and just a small addition of sulphur dioxide at bottling. Palish in colour, this has an elegant, gently aromatic nose of pure cherry fruit with some earthy, mineralic complexity. The palate shows supple, gentle cherryish fruit together with subtle earthy, forest floor notes and a bit of spice. It’s quite pure and elegant; a wine that beguiles rather than bullies, but there’s a danger that its subtlety could end up being overlooked. It tastes natural. 90/100

Cathy & Jean-Luc Gauthier Domaine du Crêt de Ruyère Morgon Tradition ‘Cuvée Nature’ 2005 Beaujolais, France
With a bit more presence and impact than the 2004, this natural cuvee shows a nose with warm, spicy, earthy notes along with some ripe cherry fruit. The palate is dense, earthy and spicy, with some grippy tannin and ripe, attractive berry and cherry fruit. The earthiness here makes me think of brettanomyces, which is again suggested by the finish, but this is a wine that works quite nicely. There’s a lot of interest and complexity here. 89/100

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV, Champagne
Tight, focused lemony nose with bright fruit and some depth. Real presence on the palate which is concentrated, savoury and very fresh, with good acid and assertive citrussy fruit. Pure and concentrated: a savoury, tight style. 93/100 (£40 Oddbins, Adnams, Berry Bros & Rudd, Lay & Wheeler, Noel Young) 11/07

Weingut Stadt Krems Weinzierlberg Grüner Veltliner 2006 Kremstal, Austria
Aromatic and quite full, with a rich melony fruitiness coupled with some brighter, peppery notes. Quite generous and sweet. The palate is rich textured and soft with a lovely fresh pepperiness, giving a counter to the sweet fruit and stopping it from being at all flabby. There are some citrus pith notes, too. Brilliant stuff. 92/100 (£10.99 Averys) 11/07

Di Barro Clos de Chateau Feuillet 2005 Torrette Vallee d'Aoste, Italy
This alpine red, from high altitude vineyards, is supremely elegant. The nose shows smooth, quite pure red fruits with a really subtle herby, sappy edge and a hint of sweetness. It's on the palate the wine excels, with ultra-smooth, elegant red fruits backed up by subtle herbiness and fine-grained tannins. It's a really pure, natural tasting wine of surprising concentration, despite it's rather understated personality - it doesn't force itself on you, but if you peek below the surface, there's some depth and seriousness waiting to show itself. Bottled elegance. 93/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene, c. £10 retail) 12/07

Cedro do Noval 2004 Douro, Portugal
This Douro table wine is one of the best-value examples of this genre around, and I reckon it can compete effectively with many of its more expensive peers. The nose is complex with dark cherry fruit and some spicy, minerally depth. It’s ripe and sweet, but savoury and balanced at the same time. The palate has some savoury tannic structure, some ripe cherry fruit and a pleasant plummy bitterness. Good acidity keeps it fresh. An appealing, dense, savoury wine that displays some warm-climate ripeness allied with old-world savouriness. 91/100 (c. £10 retail) 12/07

Sanguine Estate Shiraz 2004 Heathcote, Australia
This is a really expressive Heathcote Shiraz with a sense of place. The nose is quite fresh with sweet dark fruits together with a bright peppery, meaty character. It's aromatically alive and fruit driven, with a really appealing, almost floral complexity. The palate is ripe, sweet and dekicious, but there's a lovely freshness to the dark fruits which prevents it from becoming over-the-top. It's definitely a warm climate wine, but it's also fresh and expressive, too. 92/100 (£16.95 Great Western Wine) 12/07

Errazuriz Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Casablanca Valley, Chile
This is sourced from a block on the La Escultura estate, planted in 1992 with clones 242, 107 and Davis 1. 20% of the fruit (all hand harvested) was given 6 hour maceration with skins. It's nicely aromatic, with a fresh, slightly herby nose that shows good freshness and minerality, along with more tropical fruit richness. The palate is quite rich textured with lovely fruit sweetness giving it a rounded character (yet there's only 1.39 g/l residual sugar), along with good acidity contributing freshness. There are notes of grapefruit and herb, too. It's quite a concentrated and moderately complex Sauvignon of real appeal. A great buy at this price. 90/100 (£9.95 Berry Bros & Rudd http://www.bbr.com/, http://www.chileanwineclub.co.uk/) 12/07

Erazzuriz Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Again, a portion of the fruit here (24%) was given a 6 hour maceration to add body and aromatics to the wine. The wine has quite a zesty, citrussy nose with some fresh green herby notes and a bit of fruit richness. The palate is refreshing and quite crisp, but there's an appealing richness to the fruit, and a rounded character, too. Good concentration here, in a style that falls somewhere between the in-yer-face Marlborough (NZ) style and the more savoury Loire expression of this grape variety. 88/100 (£6.49 Oddbins, £7.99 Thresher, but three for two) 12/07

Errazuriz Estate Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2006 Casablanca Valley, Chile
I like the concept behind this wine. 'Wild Ferments' are those where cultured yeasts aren't added. What happens is that indigenous yeasts from the vineyard and winery environment begin the fermentation slowly, and then after a while the regular wine yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, kicks in and finishes the job. Because of this, the wines that result (particularly the whites, in my experience) have added complexity of flavour, and a rather different mouthfeel. And here, with this Chardonnay, it works well. It has a warm, complex nose of butter, toast, herbs, vanilla and fruit spanning the spectrum from figs to lemons. The palate shows nice toasty complexity and nice fresh acidity, finishing long. Altogether, this is a thought-provoking, rich style of Chardonnay that may well improve with a couple of years in bottle. Good value for money. 90/100 (£9.99 Tesco; Sone, Vine and Sun; £11.95 Berry Bros & Rudd) 12/07

Erich Maccherndl Riesling Smaragd Steinterrassen 2005 Wachau, Austria
Quite a deep yellow colour with some green tinges, this is a full flavoured, savoury, 'trocken' style Riesling made from ripe grapes. The nose shows refined honeyed, minerally, herby/citrussy fruit. It leads to a palate that's rich and ripe, but nicely defined by fresh herb and citrus notes, together with a hint of sweetness and cutting minerally acidity. There's a lot of intensity and presence here in this dry styled wine, which is probably best served with food. 90/100 (£12.95 Great Western Wine here) 12/07

Stellar Organics Cabernet Sauvignon No Added Sulphur 2006 Western Cape
Made from organically grown grapes, with no added sulfur dioxide. A fantastic deep red/black colour, this looks like a barrel sample. It has a wonderfully perfumed, seductive nose of pure sweet blackcurrant fruit with an earthy edge and some gravelly minerally notes in the background. The palate is concentrated and quite lush, but underneath the sweet dark fruit lies a complex earthy core with a very subtle spicy green herby note adding an extra dimension. Despite the fact that this is quite a big wine, there's a lovely elegance here, and a delicious textural richness. I reckon you need to drink this gorgeously forward wine in the first flush of its youth: I suspect it will taste a bit tired and go all earthy by this time next year. 90/100 (£6.50 Vintage Roots, on offer a £5.95 until 11 January 2008) 12/07

Morrison's The Best German Riesling NV, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany
There's a whiff of minerally sulfur on the nose, which leads to a soft, off-dry palate with honeyed tropical fruit character bolstered by some minerally acidity. Nicely balanced, and at just 8% alcohol this is a really refreshing, quaffable wine. 82/100 12/07

Cono Sur Vision Riesling 'Quiltraman' 2007 Bio Bio Valley, Chile
This attractively packaged wine has a forward, perfumed nose of bright lime notes mixed with minerals, sweet honey and floral overtones. The palate is quite rich, with a talcum powder and lime character, together with some savoury minerality and some richness of texture, which I suspect in part comes from a bit of residual sugar, and in part from the high alcohol (14%). It finishes off with crisp acidity. This is a powerful style of Riesling, but it's balanced and quite crisp. A striking wine, and given further experience here I reckon future vintages will be even better. 89/100 (£7.99 Majestic, but £6.39 if you buy two) 12/07

Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling 2007 Elgin, South Africa
'Weisser Riesling' is a term used in South Africa to describe the true Riesling variety, and this wine comes from the cool climate Elgin region. It's an elegant, dry style of Riesling with apple and lemon fruit combining with a distinctly crisp, mineralic core to make a bone dry wine with a distinctly savoury character that is extremely food friendly. This is a moderately serious wine that is extremely versatile, and represents good value at the price. It is stylistically similar to Clare Valley Riesling, I reckon. South Africa should be making more Riesling, although I imagine it can be a tough wine to sell. 88/100 (£7.99 Jeroboams/Laytons) 12/07

Jacob's Creek Sparkling Shiraz NV South Eastern Australia
Visually this is gorgeous, with the bubbles foaming up a beautiful pink colour over the dark red black core of the wine. This wine shows lovely pure, sweet plum and blackcurrant fruit with a nice dark, meaty edge to it. It finishes with a nice spritzy tang from the bubbles. There's a bit of sweetness here which adds to the texture, making it feel quite weighty. It's very ripe, but the alcohol is quite low at 12.5%. A very interesting, unique style of wine: it's perhaps just a little too sweet to serve with most foods, although with its low tannin and sweetness it works pretty well with cheese. 89/100 (£8.49 Sainsbury's) 11/07

Champagne Fleury 1996
A yellow/gold colour, this has a sensational nose: it's complex and full, with notes of honey, baked apples, lemons, toast and pastry. The palate is concentrated with powerful flavours of lemon, herbs and toast. It's a rich style, with lots of impact, but kept fresh by piercing acidity. A really super effort - worth the relatively high asking price. Beginning to drink well now, but with this level of acidity it isn't going to fall apart any time soon. 94/100 (£38 Vintage Roots) 11/07

Sepp Moser Gruner Veltliner Schnabel 2005 Kremstal, Austria
A yellow gold colour, it has a beguiling, complex aroma of nuts, herbs, pepper and toast. The palate has a lively presence of fresh, herby, peppery fruit together with some nutty depth. As is typical of Gruner, there's an interesting texture: it's not fat, but there's some broadness, although the overall effect is one of dryness. Quite serious and food friendly. 91/100 (11/07)

Sepp Moser Gruner Veltliner Schnabel 2006 Kremstal, Austria
A classic Gruner, this has a lovely peppery freshness with richer textural elements to the fruit. There's some bright minerality and fresh acidity on the palate, keeping this from being fat, and combined with the smooth, rich texture it makes for quite a compelling wine that should age nicely in bottle. Pure, refined and expressive. 91/100  11/07

Sepp Moser Gruner Veltliner Schnabel 'Minimal' 2005 Kremstal, Austria
This wine, made without any added sulfur dioxide, is pretty wild stuff. There's a hint of cloudiness to the yellow/golden colour. On the nose, spicy, slightly peppery fresh notes are combined with richer, toasty, vanilla, bready elements to create a warm, complex whole. The palate has really nice tangy, minerally acidity under the warm toasty, bready notes. There's also some tannic structure here, which is unusual in whites. Extremely food friendly and quite complex, with a pleasant sort of reductive character. Who knows how this will develop, but it's quite serious and thought provoking now. 92/100  11/07

Azienda Agricola Cos 'Pithos' 2006 Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, Sicily
The story: two grape varieties - Nero d'Avola and Frappato - grown biodynamically and fermented in terracotta amphorae. No sulfur dioxide is used until bottling, so this wine is pretty 'natural'. Bottled in a beautiful squat, wide bottle. The nose has a haunting perfume, combining red fruits of great purity with fine minerally, spicy, earthy notes that frame the fruit quite precisely. Think of the aromatic profile of a great red Burgundy, warmed up a notch or two by the sun. It's the sort of nose you can keep returning to, and each time you attend you get something different. The palate is medium bodied and savoury, with an elegant earthiness. It has a spicy, subtly meaty complexion that makes me think of brettanomyces, but I feel stupid suggesting this, because it is hinting at a wine fault, when this wine is most certainly not faulty - it all pulls together to produce a profound result. But, at the same time, this is a relatively understated sort of wine that whispers, rather than shouts. The finish is long and dry. I think it's fantastic stuff, and I reckon this will develop nicely over the next 15 years or so, although it is drinking now. Strange to think, but that with its traditional elevage, this is a wine that could have been made 1000 or even 2000 years ago. 93/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene) 11/07

Finca Flichman 'Gestos' Malbec 2006 Mendoza, Argentina
An equal blend of grapes from 1100 m and 700 m, this is a deep coloured wine. The nose shows raspberry and blackberry fruit with a savoury, spicy overlay and some coffee and tar oak overtones. It's quite tight and reductive. The palate shows nice fresh red fruit character with a bit of plmmy bitterness and some spicy oak influence. It's a savoury wine with some depth, and drying, grippy tannins on the finish. Yet there's some ripeness and charm here also. It's not the most refined wine you'll ever drink, but for the price, there's a lot going on here, and it is tremendously food friendly. Would be perfect with a big Argentinian rump steak. 87/100 (£5.99 Majestic, Stevens Garnier) 11/07

Chapoutier Les Meysonniers Crozes-Hermitage 2005 Northern Rhone, France
Nicely packaged with the usual Chapoutier braille label and a good quality bottle. I have had mixed experiences with Chapoutier's wines over the last few years - they just haven't delivered that essence of northern Rhone Syrah that I'm looking for when I come to this region. This bottle sort of delivers, and I'm enjoying it. It has a fresh, savoury nose that's distinctly peppery with rather subdued dark fruits and a hint of greenness. The palate is midweight, showing more of those peppery dark fruits, good acidity, and mouth-drying, rather fearsome tannins. I like the fact that it's not tricked up, and that it is distinctly savoury. It's also showing good typicity. I just feel it could do with a touch more fruit intensity to balance those bold tannins. Still, a good food wine, and I'm happy to drink it. 88/100 (£11.49 Averys, Oddbins, BBR) 11/07

Quinta Nova 'Grainha' 2005 Douro, Portugal
Very attractively packaged, this relatively modestly priced Douro red has a deep red/purple colour. The nose shows berry and dark cherry fruit with a bit of spice and tar, and leads to a savoury, spicy, quite structured palate with a hint of plummy bitterness on the finish, and just the slightest hint of vanilla sweetness. It's an attractive food friendly wine for drinking now and over the next decade. I like the savouriness. 88/100 10/07

Quinta Nova Reserva 2005 Douro, Portugal
Aromatically fresh and vibrant, this has a really attractive nose of dark cherries, herbs and spices. The palate is really lively, with some classy oak supporting the bright berry and cherry fruit. With nice grippy tannin and fresh acidity, this is a really elegant expression of the Douro that should evolve really nicely for at least a decade. It's almost Bordeaux-like in terms of its structure, if not its flavour profile, which is warmer and spicier. I'd be really interested to see how this wine develops - I reckon it will age well. 91/100 10/07

Chateau Guiot 2006 Costieres de Nimes, France
From the south of France, and more specifically a 75 hectare property south of Nimes planted mainly to Grenache and Syrah. This is really good. It's a boisterous young red with lovely fresh peppery, slightly meaty dark fruits on the nose. In the mouth the peppery, spicy fruit dominates, and is complemented by firm, grippy tannins and good acidity, making this a vibrant, savoury sort of red that's really versatile at the table. Lovely purity and focus, and the concentration and vibrancy to put many £10 wines to shame. 88/100 (£5.99 Majestic) 10/07

Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc La Charpentrie 2004 Loire, France
A fantastic, complex, savoury dry white wine from the Chenin Blanc variety. A yellow gold colour, the nose is complex with notes of apples, pears, minerals, wax and dry straw. The mouth is savoury and minerally, and quite dry, with herb-tinged appley fruit and a flinty/matchstick reductive character that adds complexity. There's an acid tang on the finish, together with hints of apricots and pear-skin. I think this is quite profound - a really thrilling effort that should age gracefully for the next 20 years. With its distinctive character, though, I don't think this is a wine for everyone. 94/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene) 10/07

Domaine Saparale 2006 Corse Sartene, France
From the island of Corsica, this is a varietal Vermentino from Philippe Farinelli's 100 acre estate. It's vibrant, floral and minerally, but with a rounded weighty depth to the palate. I like the contrast between the steely, lemony notes and the richer, peachy, almost nutty characters in the background. Mineralic, full flavoured and quite pure: a lovely wine. 91/100 (Yapp £8.95) 10/07

Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvée NV, Australia
One of the most widely available and consistent of Aussie fizzes, this is crisp, bright, quite fruity and well balanced. Krug it isn’t, but this is much better than most Cava and represents a great all-purpose sparkling wine that’s great for celebrations, but also works surprisingly well with a variety of foods. 85/100 (£7.99 Asda, Bargain Booze, Booths, Budgens, Co-op, Londis, Morrisons, Nisa, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Thresher, Waitrose) 12/07

Waitrose Cerro de la Mesa Rioja Crianza 2004
In partnership with Cune. Quite fresh and a bit minerally with nicely defined red berry fruits, together with just a hint of vanilla oak. The result is a fresh, rather understated, elegant mid-bodied red with nice freshness and acidity. This will likely age well over the next few years, but is already drinking quite nicely. It won’t turn heads, but it’s very rewarding, food-friendly drinking. 88/100 (Waitrose) 09/07

Waitrose Saint-Emilion 2005 Bordeaux
In partnership with Hubert de Boüard and the Union de Producteurs de Saint-Emilion. This has a savoury, fresh, gravelly, earthy nose with a tight, quite tannic palate showing good density and high acidity. The overall result is extremely savoury and quite fresh: it really needs food to show its best. I quite like this digestible, semi-austere, food friendly style, but it could probably do with a little more richness to give balance. 86/100 (Waitrose) 09/07

Excelsior Paddock Shiraz 2006 Robertson, South Africa
This has an appealing nose of dark, spicy fruit with a distinctive roast coffee edge to it. There’s a hint of meatiness, too. The palate has ripe fruit complemented by a meaty, herbal savouriness. It’s fruity, but not too sweet, and the savoury spiciness means that this would work well at the table. 87/100 (£5.99 Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Somerfield) 09/07

Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2006 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Reductive spicy, burnt match edge to the nose, masking the fruit a bit. The palate has some generous, straw-like Chenin fruit trying to get out, but it’s held back by minerally, slightly bitter reductive notes. 82/100 (£7.99 Waitrose) 09/07

Pearly Bay Cape White 2007 Western Cape, South Africa
From KWV. Fruity, fresh and quite citrus-pithy on the nose. The palate is fruity, clean and bright with a soft texture and a grapey freshness. There’s nothing wrong with this accessible white wine, and for the price it’s a total bargain. (£2.99 Morrisons) 09/07

Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 California
Beautifully packaged, but unfortunately the contents don’t quite live up to this. A cherry red colour, this medium-bodied wine has a modest berry fruit nose, and this leads to a sappy palate showing some sweet red berry fruit but not a lot else. Rather disappointing. 14.5% alcohol. 83/100 (£8.99 Majestic, Oddbins, Thresher) 10/07

Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz 2006 South Australia
Sarah and Sparky Marquis’ Mollydooker wines are a bit controversial, largely because they are pretty alcoholic: this Shiraz, from McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Langhorne Creek, weighs in at 16% alcohol. Deep coloured, it has a nose of sweet dark fruits together with a hint of tar, medicine and vanilla. The palate is smooth and rich, with more sweet dark fruits, some warmth, and very soft, almost non-existent tannins. It’s a seductive, easy-to-drink style, but the alcohol is a little intrusive, adding heat, sweetness and a bit of bitterness to the finish. 87/100 (£13.99 Hedley Wright) 10/07

Codorníu Pinot Noir Brut Cava Rosé NV, Spain
A lovely salmon pink colour, this has a minerally, slightly reductive nose that’s fresh and savoury. The palate shows lovely fresh, bright strawberry fruit with a subtle herbiness. It’s really appealing. 87/100 (£7.99 Majestic) 10/07

Christophe Barbier Les Terres Salées 2005 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Perpignan, France
An old vine Bourboulenc, this is a real treat. There’s apple crumble and honey character, coupled with a touch of vanilla oak, but also some waxy savouriness and a lovely minerally, burnt match reductive note. Indeed, it’s the distinctive reductive character that really frames this wine, and suggests to me that this could age very nicely for five years to a decade. With its savoury complexity, it is not for everyone, but I really like it. 91/100 (£10.99 Averys – the 2004 is £15 in Waitrose) 10/07

Crow’s Fountain Traditional Bush Vine Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Stellenbosch, South Africa
From Villiera. Chalky, limey, minerally nose is quite fresh, with a hint of green pepper. The palate is crisp and quite savoury, with a minerally mouthfeel. It’s very dry and quite refreshing. 86/100 (£8.99 Marks & Spencer) 10/07

The Old Gentlemen McLaren Vale Shiraz 2005 Australia
The modern face of Australian wine, here: old vine Shiraz, picked very ripe and aged in French oak. It has a pure, sweet nose of dark fruits with hints of tar and spice. The palate is smooth with more sweet dark fruit, backed up by some minerally tannic structure. It’s a seductive sort of wine that avoids being over-the-top, and it really needs a bit of time to pick up some complexity to add to the pure fruit it currently displays. 89/100 (£14.99 Marks & Spencer) 10/07

Château Picoron 2003 Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux
A really nicely judged, light, aromatic style of claret that’s drinking well now. The nose is quite open with dark fruits combining well with herbs, minerals and a hint of earthiness in a very nicely balanced way. The palate has some sweet fruit seamlessly interweaved with good acidity and a bit of earthy, gravelly structure. It’s not terribly concentrated or serious, but it’s balanced, highly drinkable and probably peaking now. The dry, slightly grippy finish makes this food friendly. 87/100 10/07

Spinifex Indigene 2005 Barossa Valley, Australia
Spinifex is one of the ‘new wave’ of Barossa wineries, the brainchild of well well-regarded Kiwi Pete Schell, who was previously the winemaker at Turkey Flat. It’s a blend of 55% Mataro (which is what the Mourvèdre grape is known as in the Barossa), with 45% Shiraz, made in small open-top fermenters and aged in a mix of old and new oak barrels. The result is a pretty serious red wine, with a rich nose of red and black fruits that shows a vivid spicy edge that is presumably largely down to the high Mataro content. On the palate this is juicy and rich with good structure and some lovely spicy freshness. This wine is delicious now, but it has the potential to develop well in bottle over the next decade. A new Australian classic. 94/100 (£24.95 winedirect.co.uk) 09/07

Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 2005 Gimblett Gravells, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
New Zealand is well known for its whites; it’s now developing quite a reputation for its reds, such as this fantastic European-styled Syrah from the Hawkes Bay region on North Island. Headed up by Steve Smith MW, Craggy Range is a relative newcomer, but it’s a winery to watch. This deep coloured wine has a lovely aromatic nose that shows fresh, spicy, peppery dark fruits. The palate is expressive and bright with a lovely spicy freshness to the savoury blackberry and raspberry fruit. It’s a brilliantly vivid, peppery interpretation of the Syrah grape that would go very well with rare lamb or fillet steak. 93/100 (£18.95 winedirect.co.uk) 09/07

Maison Alex Gambal Fixin Blanc 2005 Burgundy, France
American Alex Gambal came to Burgundy with his family in the early 1990s, and decided to stay. In 1997 he set up his own small negociant business in Beaune, buying grapes from selected growers, and then making the wines in a largely hands-off, traditional fashion. This white Fixin is a good example of the high quality results of this single-minded approach. It has a broad, bready, fruity nose with some nutty depth. The palate is open and full with rounded fruit and some minerality. This is a really interesting white Burgundy with plenty of personality. 90/100 (£16.95 winedirect.co.uk) 09/07

Champagne Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 1996
Lovely fine, balanced, complex nose is fresh and toasty, and nicely fruity. The palate is full but elegant with fresh lemony fruit. There’s a savoury edge, too. 94/100 05/06

Niepoort Redoma 1991 Douro, Portugal
The first Redoma. Smooth, dark fruits nose is quite refined with a subtle, spicy minerality. The palate is smooth and nicely fruity with a bit of minerality and good tannins. Really quite elegant and balanced: a lovely wine ageing well and now drinking superbly. 93/100 05/06

Emmerich Knoll Grüner Veltliner Loibner Schütt Smaragd 2002 Wachau, Austria
Rich, full, melony nose with a lovely fresh, peppery edge. Smooth, rich palate with nice melony fruit. It’s youthful and fruity at the moment, and may well put on some complexity with further age. 92/100 05/06

Waterbrook Mélange 2004 Columbia Valley, Washington State, USA
Smooth, soft and approachable with red berry fruits dominating, together with just a kiss of vanilla oak. Very soft and well mannered, this is a suave chat show host of a wine. 89/100 (£10.45 Philglas and Swiggot) 05/06

Framingham Pinot Gris 2006 Marlborough, New Zealand
A really soft, richly textured white wine that’s just off-dry, with some grapy richness. Quite concentrated and would go well with spicy food. 88/100 (£10.99 Green and Blue, Les Caves de Pyrene, Bedales, Le Pont de la Tour) 06/06

Vida Nova Rosé 2005 Algarve, Portugal
Quite a deep pink colour. Shows ripe, sweet red fruits with a herby edge. A bit alcopoppy. There’s a hint of spiciness, too. Very accessible with cranberry juice character, and some sweetness. 80/100 06/06

Vida Nova 2004 Algarve, Portugal
Dark coloured. Warm, spicy nose with sweet black fruits. The palate is dark and spicy with good concentration and well integrated oak. It’s actually quite tasty, in a warm, spicy sort of way. 87/100 (£7.99 Waitrose) 06/06

Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Eden Valley Shiraz 2004 Australia
Beautifully focused nose of sweet dark fruits, with a hint of lemony freshness and some meaty, spicy notes in the background. The palate is very smooth and rich with a lovely texture to the soft black fruits, together with a hint of vanilla. Very ripe but with a balancing freshness and smooth tannic structure. Behind the friendly exterior lurks a serious wine. 94/100 07/06

Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005 New Zealand
Smooth, pure red fruits on the nose with some spicy, savoury structure. Nice balance here: the fruit is ripe but it is fresh and restrained, too. There’s a pleasant cherryish tang. 88/100 (£7.99 Waitrose) 07/06

Graham Beck Pheasant’s Run Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Durbanville, South Africa
Powerful, perfumed nose of sweet lychee fruit with some green pepper and grassiness. The palate is concentrated with a herbal, grassy character and thick-textured fruit. A powerful wine of real personality. 88/100 07/06

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling 2005 Margaret River, Australia
Very fresh, limey nose is a bit reduced at first. Bone dry, intense, savoury and limey on the palate. Good acidity finishes what is an archetypal Aussie Riesling in an intense, dry style. Needs food. 88/100 07/06

Château Kefraya Les Bretèches 2005 Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
A blend of Cinsault, Syrah, Cabernet, Tempranillo, Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Really delicious forward berry and black fruits with a bright, peppery, meaty character. Juicy and ripe with nice savouriness and grippy tannic structure. A bit like a good Côtes du Rhône or Languedoc red. Not too heavy, this is a lovely wine for current drinking. 88/100 07/06

Château Kefraya La Rosé du Château 2005 Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Nice colour. Perfumed with bright, sweet strawberryish fruit. Nice balance and soft texture. 87/100 07/06

Philip Shaw No 19 Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Orange, Australia
A powerful, intense Sauvignon. Striking, dangerous nose of green, grassy, herbal, lime-tinged fruit. The palate is concentrated, vibrant and full with good balance and a savoury streak. Very cool climate in style, with pure fruit. 91/100 (£11.99 Waitrose) 07/06

Carmen Nativa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Maipo, Chile
This single-vineyard Cabernet is made with a wild yeast ferment and is then aged for 10 months in oak. Rich blackcurrant fruit nose is pure and intense with a minty edge. Smooth, ripe fruit has a subtle chalky character on the palate. It’s not green at all – a bit like a Western Australian Cabernet in style. 90/100 (Waitrose) 07/06

Brown Brothers Tarrango 2005 Victoria, Australia
Soft, smooth, light fruity red. Serve chilled to stop it being flabby. Approachable and joyful. 80/100 (£5.99 Somerfield, but regularly discounted) 07/06

Ra Nui Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand
Hand picked and whole bunch pressed. Deliciously well balanced with rounded tropical fruiy together with a grassy edge. Delightful: plump but still fresh. A lovely rich but well balanced wine. 90/100 (£9.95 Hellion Wines) 07/06

De Bortoli Heathcote Shiraz 2004 Victoria, Australia
Bright, fresh dark fruits on the nose with some vivid raspberry notes. The palate is quite fresh with high acidity giving it a lively character. Nice forward fruit here with some Syrah pepperiness. Vibrant with real definition and presence to the fruit. A lovely wine. 90/100 (£7.99 Oddbins) 08/07

Leasingham Magnus Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Clare Valley, Australia
This is a brilliant Aussie red in a full-on style from the Clare Valley. There’s lots of fruit and plenty of oak, but the result is balanced and very appealing. The nose shows some typical American oak, with spice, tar and a hint of dill. The palate is dominated by very rich blackcurranty fruit and some spice. Very satisfying. 89/100 (£7.99 Thresher but £5.33 if you buy 3) 08/07

Canale Reserve Merlot 2005 Patagonia, Argentina
The garish orange label isn’t a good indicator of what’s in the bottle. This stylish red wine, from Patagonia in southern Argentina, is really quite restrained and balanced – it’s not at all brash. The nose is quite fresh, with bright dark fruits joined by a bit of gravelly minerality and some vanilla and spice oak notes. The palate is quite Bordeaux-like: there’s a freshness and savouriness to the dark fruits that’s not usually found in the new world, with tar, spice and earth notes joining the well defined dark fruits. This rather sophisticated, well mannered Merlot is a wine that’s best with food, and which will age well over the medium term. 90/100 (Marks & Spencer £9.99) 08/07

Boschendal Chardonnay 2006 Coastal Region, South Africa
This is a wonderfully balanced, complex new world Chardonnay, showing notes of toast and vanilla, along with some fresh lemony notes countering the richer, fatter fruit flavours. Broad and satisfying this has nice depth and weight. 91/100 (£9.99 or 3 for 2 at Thresher, £7.99 Waitrose) 07/07

Marananga Dam Old Vines Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2005 Barossa Valley, Australia
From celebrated producer Torbreck, this is a really interesting, articulate expression of the Barossa. The Grenache grape, which is the major portion of this blend, is a good variety for communicating Barossa terroir. Shiraz and Mourvèdre add depth to this voice. The wine has a wonderfully aromatic sweet, herby, spicy nose with an almost liqueur-like richness offset by peppery freshness. There’s just the faintest hint of mint, too. The palate is sweet, spicy and a bit herby. It’s one of those wines where you think its sweet and simple one moment, but then have to revise your judgement the next when some Barossa-penned complexity sneaks up on you. A thought-provoking wine for current drinking. 90/100 (£9.99 Marks & Spencer) 08/07

Cono Sur Gewürztraminer 2005 Bío Bío Valley, Chile
Perfumed, aromatic, grapey and quite sweet on the nose with a nice spiciness, and a bit of lychee character. The palate is broad, grapey and herby with a hint of spice and nice rich texture. This has the impact to stand up to spicy Asian food well. 88/100 03/07

Marks & Spencer Gewürztraminer Cuvée Particulière 2005 Alsace, France
From Cave de Turckheim. Rich exotic nose of grapes, spice and lychee. The palate is soft and rounded with a spicy, grapey character. Quite rich and full. There’s some melony richness here as well as a refreshingly fruity finish. 87/100 (£6.99 Marks & Spencer) 03/07

Sainsbury’s Taste the difference Alsace Gewürztraminer 2004
From Cave de Turckheim. A really fruity example of this grape variety with a sweet, honeyed, grapey nose. There’s a bit of muskiness to the palate, which is off-dry. Nice. 87/100 (£6.99 Sainsbury) 03/07

La Motte Shiraz Viognier Pierneef Collection 2005 Franschoek, South Africa
With a relatively large contribution from Viognier (9%), this is an attractive wine. Deep coloured, it has a sweet, ripe, meaty nose with perfumed black fruits and spicy depth. The palate is concentrated and ripe, showing smooth dark meaty fruit backed up by spicy tannins. A dark, sweet, intense wine with nice balance and a savoury edge. 90/100 (£9.99 Tesco) 03/07

Trinity Hill Pinot Gris 2004 Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Fantastic stuff, but a little unusual. This has a full, fresh, herb-tinged, slightly spicy nose with lots of sweet fruit. The palate is richly textured with lovely fat fruit and a nice spicy freshness. It’s melony and broad, but well balanced. Serious and full flavoured. Just off-dry. (Wines4business) 03/07

Trinity Hill Pinot Noir 2004 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
A relatively pale colour, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing with Pinot Noir. The open nose shows sweet cherry fruit with some herby, undergrowthy complexity. The palate is elegant and smooth, with cherry and berry fruit plus some herby complexity. Ripe, refined and restrained: a lovely expressive wine. 93/100 (Wines4business) 03/07

Trinity Hill Syrah 2004 Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
This deep coloured Syrah has a thrilling, meaty, spicy, intense dark fruits nose. The palate has great balance between the sweet dark fruits, the spiciness and the peppery freshness. World class. 94/100 (Wines4business) 03/07

Château Clauzet 2002 Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
A firm, savoury, gravelly nose leads to a bright, darkly fruited palate which displays savoury freshness and good acidity. It’s earthy and gravelly, and not overtly fruity. A classically styled claret with nice balance for drinking now and over the next few years. 86/100 (www.handpickedwines.co.uk) 03/07

Château La Côme 2001 Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
Evolved, savoury, earthy edge to the red and black fruits. This is fully mature and drinking well now with an appealing spicy earthy character and some grippy, drying tannins on the finish. Midweight and classically styled. 85/100 (www.handpickedwines.co.uk) 03/07

La Motte Sauvignon Blanc Pierneef Collection 2006 Walker Bay, South Africa
Very fresh, intense nose with a bit of green chalkiness alongside the bright, grassy fruit. The palate is concentrated and fresh with restrained, stylish, herb-tinged fruit, and a hint of richness and minerality. Old world meets new: very stylish. 901/100 03/07

Penfolds St Henri 1989 South Australia
This particular bottle went through Penfolds’ recorking clinic in 2004 with Peter Gago. Dark coloured, this is smooth and intense with rich spicy black fruits and a refined spicy structure. Savoury and spicy with some earthiness and still quite a bit of tannin. Refined, elegant and drinking brilliantly now. 91/100 03/07

Tinto da Anfora 2004 Alentejo, Portugal
Juicy, spicy, oaky red fruits nose leads to a full, spicy palate. There’s plenty of sweet oak, but also a bit of grip and good acidity. A nicely judged, modern style of wine that’s food friendly. 86/100 (Waitrose) 03/07

La Motte Shiraz 2004 Western Cape
Open, meaty, spicy nose with a bit of a herby tang to the dark, fresh fruits. The palate is quite savoury and meaty with good balance, juicy acidity and a subtle medicinal note, plus some drying tannins. A rather extreme style that needs food, with its distinctive herb and olive edge. 85/100 (£8.99 Majestic) 03/07

Caves St Pierre Côtes du Rhône Preference Blanc 2006 France
Bright fresh and fruity with a hint of melon and some herbiness on the nose. The palate is rounded and quite rich with a lovely soft, fat texture to the fruit. It’s a bit floral, too. Really nice for the price. 85/100  (£4.99 Tesco) 03/07

Marks & Spencer Famatina Valley Pinot Grigio 2006 Argentina
Bright, crisp and fresh – so much so, it’s almost transparent, with lovely purity and focus. Good acidity keeps the palate really fresh, with apple and citrus fruit and a lemony finish. 86/100 (Marks & Spencer)  03/07

Bethany Grenache 2004 Barossa, Australia
Sweet liqueur-like red fruits nose has a bit of spice to it. The palate is spicy and sweet with a hint of medicine and some earthiness. Sweet, forward and accessible in a vivid style. 85/100 (£6.99 Coop) 04/07

Henschke Louis Semillon 2005 Eden Valley, Australia
Made from vines up to 50 years in age, this is a stylish, complex Semillon with precision and balance. Tight, minerally nose shows a lovely, perfumed lemony character. There’s a bit of toast and even a hint of struck match. The palate is concentrated and quite complex with lovely spicy, herby character, waxy richness and a fresh lemony finish. 92/100 (Waitrose £12.99) 05/07

Feiler-Artinger Blaufränkisch Trocken 2005 Burgenland, Austria
This is a nice fresh cherry-scented Austrian red with deep tarry edge to the nose. The palate is bright and a bit sappy with some gravelly earthiness and nice tannin. Quite juicy and attractively savoury. 88/100 (£8.99 Waitrose) 05/05

JJ Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2005 Mosel, Germany
Pale coloured and very fresh, with some CO₂ spritz, this shows wonderfully precise, delicate lime, melon and honey fruit with a rich but light texture. There’s some minerality together with some complexity. It’s off-dry, but the high acidity makes it seem less sweet. 90/100 (French and Logan, c. £9) 07/07

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Marlborough, New Zealand
Really nice: ripe, expressive nose showing a mix of tropical fruit characters balanced by an attractive green grassiness. Bold, full flavoured and quite complex. 90/100 (£7.99 Waitrose) 02/07

Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Marlborough, New Zealand
Brilliantly crisp and precise with beautifully poised, minerally, grassy grapefruity fruit. Lots of flavour, but fresh too, as well as being intense. 91/100 (£9.99 Waitrose) 11/06

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin 2006 Marlborough, New Zealand
Wonderfully bright, fresh, vivid and fruity, with piercing acidity. This is a deliciously fresh and full Sauvignon that’s really appealing. 88/100 (£7.79 Oddbins, Waitrose, Majestic) 11/06