Domaine du Bicheron, Mâcon-Péronne, 2020, Burgundy, France
If you don’t like Chardonnay then try a good white Burgundy because you can see the grape at its best and this one from Domaine du Bicheron is pretty good, not amazing but at £16 a bottle it’s a good starting place. Dry, light with high acidity and has citrus flavours and a little apple poking through. There’s a minerality, cleaness and freshness with good length. Great with fish or a zesty salad.
Vina Ardanza, Rioja Reserva, 2016, Spain
A standard Rioja or something super? Well this Reserva from Vina Ardanza is a cut above the usual. Dry, firm but well integrated tannins you get a pretty intense red wine with plenty of red fruit flavours, spice, cloves and liquorice all in a soft warm fizzy feeling package. Its a grown ups wine to be savoured. At £25 bottle it’s a little pricey but rather good.
Villa Schinosa, Moscato di Trani, 2019, Italy0
Don’t be seduced by the sugar a head judge once said to his young judges on their first judging competition and this dessert wine from villa schinosa is a good example. Loads of honey and rich tropical fruit flavours with good length it goes a little over the top on its components. It’s a little too rich and too sugary taking away any delicacy it could have. Sure at yhe end of a mesl with the wine flowing all night this may not be an issue especially with the right dessert. At £19 per 500ml bottle it’s not massively expensive but for me the LFE dessert wine from Majestic Wine at £7 per half bottle is much better.
Haskell II, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, 2016, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2 big grapes from Stellenbosch mean this red from Haskell II was always going to big and ballsy. Dry, rich, smooth, very smooth with black cherry and plum, leather and spice sitting in the background. It’s only problem is the price at £23 a bottle. Knock the price in half and you have a excellent wine at a decent price.
Camel Valley, red sparkling wine, Cornwall, England
There a number of vineyards in Cornwall with Camel Valley being the best known, even serving their sparkling to the British Royal family. This red sparkling wine is rather good. Its dry, quite light and refreshing. There are subtle flavours of redcurrant and hints of raspberry. For a first try of sparkling red wine it’s excellent as the Australian versions can be rather heavy and off putting for many. The down side is the price at £30 a bottle.
Duplico, Puglia Rosso, 2019, Puglia, Italy
This red from Duplico in Puglia is very good. It’s best wine I’ve tasted all month.Dry, medium acidity with fine tannins theres plenty of black and red fruit flavours with spice just sitting in the background. It’s rich in depth and soft giving you a warm cosy feel when you drink it. Pair it with a joint if beef or a rich pasta dish. At £15 a bottle it’s not a bad price.
Le Quattro Terre Bianco, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, 2019, Piemonte, Italy
This is a different blend than many white wines from Italy with Chardonnay making up 60 % and Nebbiolo making up 40%. Dry and crisp with rich aromas it’s fresh and ‘pointed’ in that its flavours ard there from the beginning but fade a bit quick. Lemon and citrus are thd main flavours with a hint if nuttiness in there.
At £15 a bottle it’s too expensive.
Aurora Creek, Rock Ferry, Pinot Noir, 2021, Marlborough, New Zealand
Aurora Creek, Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand is good example of where New Zealand Pinot Noir is at the moment. Dry with light tannins, flavours of cherry, redcurrant with a little oak and earthy note poking through. It has good length but it’s £22 a bottle which for me is far to expensive.
Coastal Reach, Bacchus, 2022, England
Made for Grape Passions in Essex this is sold in a Michelin restaurant in London and a big seller all round and I can see why. Madd by an ex Cloudy Bay wine maker it’s hot excellent qualities. Off dry with high acidity there are flavours of citrus, apple, tropical fruits, hints of gooseberry and grapefruit. There’s a creaminess sitting around and a chunk of sweetness, yet light and fresh. At £22 a bottle it’s way over priced though.
Bio Full, Sauvignon Blanc, Organic, 2022, France
Sauvignon Blanc has become a well known grape thanks in part to New Zealand making gallons of wine from it but France was there decades earlier making good quality wine from this little grape. Made from organic grapes it’s less gooseberry than New Zealands typical offers with more grapefruit and hints of lemon and citrus in the background. I liked thd dryness and high acidity but there was a hint of sourness that stayed a bit long for me. At £13 a bottle it’s a bit overpriced.