Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
December 2003

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

Previous months' recommendations: November 2002 | December 2002 | January 2003 | February 2003 | March 2003 | April 2003 | May 2003 | June 2003 | July 2003 | August 2003 | September 2003 | October 2003 | November 2003

My rating system explained. Use www.wine-searcher.com to locate a stockist in your area. See also: the wineanorak's shopping list - recommended wines from each of the main UK retail outlets.

Bargain picks   

Domaine de Coudoulet Marsalan 2002 Vin de Pays d'Oc
This is brilliant value for money. Lovely ripe, savoury, spicy, liquoricey fruit on the nose. The palate displays vivid rich, chewy spicy fruit. Lots of flavour here. Very good+ 88/100 (£5.55 Berry Bros & Rudd)

Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2002 Stellenbosch, South Africa
I'm a fan of South African Chenin Blanc, and this is a very good one. Deepish yellow colour. Rich toasty nose with a nutty edge. Great concentration of nutty, herby fruit here with well integrated oak. Lots of flavour in a rich, savoury style. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£6.99 Waitrose)

Sainsbury's Classic Selection Sauternes 2001 Bordeaux, France
From illustrious property Château Guiraud this is a lovely, nicely poised classic Sauternes. It has a rich, sweet nose with a subtle marmalade and lime edge to the fruit. The palate is thick-textured and sweet. It's not a massively botrytised style, but it shows wonderful balance. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£8.99/half bottle, Sainsbury)

Morris Muscat NV Rutherglen, Australia
To make this classic sweet wine, ripe Muscat grapes are fermented for a short while before being fortified and matured in large oak casks. Different vintages are blended together to produce the final wine. It is a brown/orange colour with a lovely aromatic nose, combining notes of raisins, tea and herbs. The palate is sweet, rounded and raisiny. A great winter wine. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£6.99 Tesco)

Wines over £8

Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Marlborough, New Zealand
It's the straight Sauvignon Blanc from Cloudy Bay that has become so famous, but for the last few vintages they've been making an unusual oaked version, dubbed Te Koko. The 2000 vintage has a lovely rounded herby nose with a hint of grassiness underneath. The palate is rich and intense with some real depth to the grassy fruit. This bold dry white wine is rounded, complete and delicious. Very good/excellent 93/100 (£16.99 www.sainsburys.co.uk/wine)

Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 2001 California
With 17% Petite Syrah and 7% Carignan in the blend, this is a lovely more-ish wine with quite a bit of complexity to the spicy berry fruit. It's rich and dense but there's some savoury structure, too, together with some herby notes. Expensive, but worth the money. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£18.49 Bibendum, www.bibendum-wine.co.uk) 

D'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2002 McLaren Vale, Australia
I'm a little hesitant about recommending this, simply because it is a wine in a very distinctive style that some will like but others will hate. The nose is sweet and ripe with seductive berry fruits. The palate shows lovely rich, sweet fruit with some spicy tannins: very forward and offering immediate gratification. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£11.26 Bibendum, www.bibendum-wine.co.uk; Oddbins) 

Tom Lubbe Wines The Observatory Syrah 2001 Swartland, South Africa
Winemaker Tom Lubbe takes an old-world approach, inspired by his time working in Bordeaux with Alexis Lichine. This is a brilliantly individual wine. The lovely sweet savoury spicy nose is full, intense and complex. The palate is quite rich but with a lovely balance between the rich, vivid fruit, the spicy tannins and good acidity. Complex and tasty. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£22.95 Berry Bros)

E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions at jamie@wineanorak.co.uk