Previous months' recommendations: September 2003 | October 2003 | November 2003 | December 2003 | January 2004 | February 2004 | March 2004 | April 2004 | May 2004 | June 2004 | July 2004 | August 2004 | September 2004

My rating system explained. Use www.wine-searcher.com to locate a stockist in your area and my directory of UK wine merchants for details of those listed here. See also: the wineanorak's shopping list - recommended wines from each of the main UK retail outlets. These recommendations are truly independent: I don't accept payment or other favours for inclusions, nor do I sell wine.

Telmo Rodriguez Dehesa Gago 2003 Toro, Spain
A bit of a Spanish theme to this month’s recommendations, and I’m starting with one of an impressive range of wines by Telmo Rodriguez, stocked by Adnams. Telmo is one of Spain’s most talented winemakers, and his wines are uniformly very good, and excellent value to boot. This Toro is deep coloured and has a dense, rich, tarry spicy nose with forward, fresh black fruits dominating. The palate is soft and rich with a spicy, minerally character to the fruit. Dense and satisfying. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£7.29 Adnams, www.adnams.co.uk) 09/04

Marqués de Riscal Rueda Blanco 2003 Rueda, Spain
Ah, Rueda. Spain is really red wine country, but Rueda is the source of some fantastic whites, of which this is a good example. Lovely aromatic, open grassy nose with lots of bright fruit. The palate is rounded and soft textured with lots of appeal. A delicious white wine. Very good+ 88/100 (Majestic £5.99 www.majestic.co.uk) 09/04

‘Vineyard X’ Spanish Garnacha 2003 Campo de Borja, Spain
This is a delicious cheapie, offering lovely vivid, juicy, spicy red fruits. Expressive and full flavoured, this shows how good cheap Grenache can sometimes be. Very good+ 88/100 (Thresher £4.99) 09/04

Marks & Spencer Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2003 Burgundy, France
The 2003 vintage was a hot one in Burgundy, and it’s likely that the benefit of a warmer than average growing season will be felt most with the lesser wines. This humble Bourgogne is a fantastic wine: bursting with lovely bright raspberry fruit. It’s ripe, full and expressive – a joyful wine nicely packaged. Very good+ 89/100 (Marks & Spencer £6.99) 09/04

Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses 2002 Priorato, Spain
Priorat doesn’t come cheap, but Alvaro Palacios Terrasses is a good introduction to the region. The 2002 is fantastic. It has a taut, spicy nose with lovely ripe fruit that’s sweet, liqouricey and earthy. This leads to a rich, open palate with spicy, earthy fruit and great length and elegance. Modern but classy. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£14.69 Corney & Barrow, www.corbar.co.uk)  09/04

Bodegas Rodera-Villa Pago de los Capellanes 2002 Ribera del Duero
This blend of Tempranillo with a bit of Cabernet and Merlot has only seen oak for three months, and it’s all the better for it. It has a savoury, expressive berry fruit nose and the palate shows lovely chewy, spicy savoury fruit. Expressive and well balanced this has lots of character, and by Ribero del Duero standards, it’s positively cheap. Very good/excellent 92/100 (Berry Bros & Rudd £9.95 www.bbr.com) 05/04

Via Nova Amarone della Valpolicella 2001 Veneto, Italy
I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. Amarone is made from grapes that have been dried on racks after harvest for a month or two, and it doesn’t come cheap, yet this entry level Amarone has a lot going for it. The nose is open, smooth and sweetly fruited, leading to a dense, smooth elegant palate. There’s some spicy structure underlying the sweet fruit. A perfect wine for contemplation, alongside some good cheeses. (£10.99 Sainsbury) 09/04

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