Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
February 2000

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

Bargain picks: wines under £8

Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling 1998, Australia
Huge, fresh, exhilarating nose of lime fruit. On the palate this is concentrated and intense, with fresh citrus fruit and some honey notes. Nice, crunchy intensity and good balance. Australian Riesling can age well, but I'd drink this while it has its youthful freshness. Excellent. (£5.99 Oddbins)

Peter Lehmann, 'The Barossa' Semillon 1998, Barossa, Australia
Yellow gold colour, with a lovely nose of lemon and lime fruit. On the palate it has racy citrus fruit and fresh acidity, coupled with a nice smooth texture. There may be a touch of oak (undisclosed) filling the wine out, but certainly not too much. A rounded and tasty wine. Highly recommended. (£5.49, Oddbins) 

Dehesa Gago Chamerlot 1998, Toro, Spain
Deep purple/black colour. Initially closed on the nose, after a bit of air this opens up to reveal smoky, intense burnt fruit and wet stones. On the palate there is lovely Tempranillo fruit: initially bright and fruity, but later it is more smoky, mineralic, meaty and has moderately firm tannins. The structure is provided by both the tannins and the acidity, in much the same way as is common in many wines from the Northern Rhône. This is a complex, earthy, wild wine. Very good. (£6.50 Noel Young, also at Majestic)

Miranda Rovalley Ridge 'Left Field' Red 1998, Barossa, Australia
Made from Tinta Cao grapes, a Portuguese variety seldom encountered in Australian table wines. A medium bodied red with a lifted nose of pepper, mixed herbs and cloves. Quite light on the palate, with high acid, but very juicy and supple: a good food wine. Interesting and very good for the price. (£4.99 Tesco)

Dashwood Sauvignon blanc 1999, Marlborough, NZ
This is the second label of Vavasour, made for early drinking, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is therefore not a worthy wine. It has an amazing nose of gooseberries and fresh-cut green peppers, with a slight herbaceousness and some tropical fruit thrown in. On the palate it is zingy and intense, with bright acidity. This is a tremendous effort, with good intensity and concentration at a very good price. Made from Wairau Valley and Awatare Valley grapes. Very good, but perhaps a little tart without food. (Oddbins £6.99)

Couly Dutheil La Baronnie Madeleine Chinon 1997, Loire, France
Vibrant red/purple, this wine is packed with chalky raspberry and cherry fruit, and has moderately high acidity. Very chalky texture and smooth tannins. Drinking well now: a juicy, tasty wine with good concentration. This wine would serve as a good introduction to Loire reds for anyone unfamiliar with them. Good. (£5.49, Tesco)

Le Pigeoulet des Brunier, 1998 Vin de Pays de Vacluse
This is a really super Southern French wine for a knockdown price (around £6/US$10). Made by the company that produces Vieux Telegraphe and Domaine La Roquette in Châteauneuf du Pape. It is deep red/purple with a good concentration. Lovely, meaty stinky nose (but I don't think this is brettanomyces this time, rather I suspect the grapes: does this have Mourvedre in it?). On the palate, well balanced and savoury, with dry tannins. More substantial and serious wine than you would normally expect at this price. Very good. 

Wines over £8

D’Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 1996, McLaren Vale
Concentrated purple black colour. Fiercely tannic in its youth, this is a huge wine. Pure cassis, lots of fruit and big tannic structure. Needs a long time, but may be absolutely sensational in a decade -- perhaps more so than even the excellent Dead Arm Shiraz from the same producer. (Oddbins Fine Wine, £14.99)

Antonopoulos Vineyards Cabernet - New Oak 1996, Country wine of Trifilia, Greece
What a terrible name for a wine! Don't let it put you off what is actually a very interesting bottle. This is a premium blend of Cabenets Sauvignon and Franc. Concenrated, opaque purple/black colour. Complex herbal nose with medicinal and some 'stinky' notes. The palate is dry and still pretty tannic, with big, southern medicinal, herby and animal poop flavours. This may sound unappealing, but it is actually a substantial, serious wine for anyone who wants to try something a little bit different. Will probably age nicely, too. (£9.99, Oddbins) 1/00

Domaine La Rocalière 1995, Lirac, Cuvée Prestige
Lirac is a generally undistinguished Southern French appelation on the west bank of the Rhône. It has similar soils to Châteauneuf du Pape, with large galet stones common in the vineyards. However, despite the generally low reputation of the appelation, this wine is a real stunner. The Domaine makes two cuvées, one a Syrah varietal, and this one entirely from Mourvedre. It is deep reddish brown, with a beguiling nose of meat, leather, smoke and herbs. Beautifully aromatic. Moderately tannic, but with a soft texture. Really approachable, with real complexity and interest: there are even some mineral-like notes. Excellent and highly recommended. (£8.49, La Vigneronne)

Grant Burge Old Vine Shiraz 1997 Filsell Vineyard
Made from 80 year-old vines, this is a deep red/black wine with a seductive nose of American oak. On the palate there is sweet, concentrated fruit flavours and hints of menthol, licqourice and pepper. Concetrated, intense and tasty, but perhaps a little too reliant on the American oak. Good. (£8.99 Fuller's)

D'Arenberg Vintage Fortified Shiraz 1997, McLaren Vale
A dense, purple/black colour. Incredible, wild nose of freshly crushed raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and licqourice. Concentrated and intense primary fruit dominates. Firm tannins and not too sweet, this is incredible, knockout stuff, which is really way out on the fringes of acceptability: some will love it, some won't be able to drink it! Personally, I think it is wonderful stuff, preserving by fortification the essence of the freshly crushed old vine Shiraz grapes. (£11.99 or £6.99/half, Oddbins)

E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions at wineanorak@i.am