UK supermarket Waitrose are doing a French Wine Showcase over the next month, with 25% off a range of French wines. The emphasis is on good value stuff, and there…
Brilliant red and white Rioja
These two wines are brilliant. Rioja is a frustrating region: some great old vineyards, but average quality dreadfully low. However, like all leading wine regions, there remains a core of…
Clarence de Haut Brion 2007
This is the second wine of Chateau Haut-Brion, which prior to this vintage was labelled ‘Bahans de Haut-Brion’. At around £40 a bottle, it isn’t cheap. It sort of delivers,…
Heida: a brilliant Savignin from Switzerland
Swiss wines rock. I tasted a lot on a visit in 2006 (write up here) and was really impressed. Of course, in the UK we don’t see all that many…
A beautiful, affordable natural wine
Natural wines are often expensive, but frequently worth it. Here’s one that’s fantastic, and affordable. I can’t find it on the Oddbins website, so it may be a case of…
Naiades: a serious Spanish white
Spain, like Portugal, is best known for its red wines. But it is exciting to see some serious Spanish whites emerging. Like this: a thrillingly complex expression of the Verdejo…
30670 – an appealing Languedoc red
This is a slightly curiously labelled wine. 30670 is the postcode of where the wine comes from, and it’s made by Domaine de la Dromadaire (the camel’s domaine?), which is…
A brilliant 2009 Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a bit unfashionable these days. So many of the wines failed to deliver what Gamay from this part of the world is known for – ‘fun’. Kermit Lynch…
Champagne Philipponnat ‘Cuvee 1522’ 2000
This bottle is continuing my recent exploration of Champagne Philipponnat, and I’m pleased to report it is also pretty serious. It is a blend heavy in Pinot Noir with a…