Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Marlborough, New Zealand
This is a superb, ripe style of Sauvignon Blanc, with a bright, expressive nose of gooseberry, elderflower and blackcurrant. The palate is rich and rounded, with good concentration and a rounded texture. A striking wine. Very good/excellent (£7.50 Bringmywine.com, £7.99 Oddbins)

Vergelegen Chardonnay 2000, Stellenbosch, South Africa
100% barrel fermented, 50% new oak, aged in barrel for 7 months. An impressive, full-flavoured white with plenty of character. The lovely, rich nutty nose shows toasty oak. The palate is intense, with rich, ripe fruit. Very attractive: rich and spicy. Very good/excellent (£6.99 Oddbins)

Fritz Haag Riesling 1996, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany
AP no. 0502 97. A yellow gold colour, this emerges after a while in the glass to show an intense, minerally nose of citrus and honey. The palate is really nicely poised: it’s mineralic and a tiny bit spicy with good length and acidity. There are also some grapefruit notes. Superb for a qualitätswein, and great value. Very good/excellent (Justerini & Brooks £6.95)

Castel del Remei Gotim Bru 1998, Costres del Segre, Spain
A blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet and Merlot that spends 10 months maturing in French and American oak, this is an impressive, thoroughly modern Spanish red. The striking nose shows sweet, pure berry fruit with some attractive smoky notes. The palate is dominated by rich, ripe blackcurrant fruit with a lush texture and a spicy finish. Very good/excellent (£6.50 Bringmywine.com, Handford)

Yellowglen Vintage 1998 (Victoria, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale), Australia
This is an impressive Aussie sparkling wine, made from two-thirds Pinot Noir and a third Chardonnay, grown in various high-quality vineyard areas in South Australia and Victoria. A pale yellow colour with a fine mousse, the nose shows classy yeasty and bready notes. The palate is subtle and balanced, with good acidity. Very good/excellent (£9.99 Oddbins)

Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani 'Vigna Tecc' 1999, Piedmont, Italy
Dolcetto is a grape that's had to live in the shadow of its big brother in Piedmont, Nebbiolo (the grape of Barolo), but Einaudi take this supposedly 'lesser' grape pretty seriously. A single vineyard wine from the Dogliani commune made only from the oldest vines. It's a beautiful deep purple colour and displays ripe, sweet, black cherry fruit on the nose. The palate is soft, sweet and fruity, and shows great concentration. Gorgeous. Very good/excellent (£10.95 Lea & Sandeman)

Vergelegen 'The Vergelegen' 1998, Stellenbosch, South Africa
The flagship wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, that is aged for 22 months in new oak. It's a classy red, showing a lovely density of rich fruit with a nice leafy edge to it. With well integrated oak, it's well integrated despite the great concentration, and there's a minerally complexity. Very good/excellent (£17.99 Oddbins, Sainsbury)

Marques de Grinon Dominio de Valdepusa Petit Verdot 1999 La Mancha, Spain
The Dominio de Valdepusa range is stronger than ever in the 1999 vintage, and I'd happily recommend all their wines. I've chosen to single out this one, though, because it's rare to find varietal Petit Verdot wines. This is a superb example of what this grape is capable of. A dense wine showing an nose of liquorice and raspberry fruit, with a nice smoky edge. The palate displays lush, raspberry laced fruit and chunky tannins. Hugely concentrated and needs time, but a lovely wine. Very good/excellent (Quite hard to find; Noel Young have stocked previous vintages of this wine, so they could be worth trying: price around £13. The Cabernet and Syrah are more widely stocked; try Tesco and Unwins, but steer clear of 96/97 vintages which aren't as good).

Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico 1997, Tuscany, Italy
The first vintage of this, the new flagship wine of the estate, made from Sangiovese and aged for 18 months in barrique. A concentrated red/purple colour, this delicious wine shows a herby, slightly medicinal nose with tar and leather notes. The palate is firm and tannic, with lots of structure and dense red berry fruit. There's a lovely savoury character and the finish is bone dry. Very good/excellent (£18 Noel Young, £20 Chandos Deli)