#France

Apr 21, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Mas Lavail Carignan Vieilles Vignes Terre d'Ardoise 2014, Côtes Catalanes

£9.99, or £7.49–£7.99, when you buy any 6 bottles, Majestic Let’s show the Carignan Blanc grape a bit of love. Mas Lavail’s Carignan is a beautifully rounded, full, southern white with spicy citrus, herb and apricot flavours and a dry, refreshing finish – and it’s practically given away at the offer price (until midnight, Monday). I don’t know why white Carignan is such a neglected grape variety, except that it’s very susceptible to mildew, which can’t endear it to growers, b

Apr 7, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Château Rouquette Sur Mer, L'Esprit Terroir, La Clape 2013

£9.95, The Wine Society Red wines from Languedoc can be pretty big and burly, especially when the grape blend includes, as this does, a fair amount of Carignan, but there’s no suggestion of burliness or rusticity here. Instead, it delivers a mouthful of red berry and praline-smooth flavours and a juicy, refreshing finish, all for under a tenner. The clue to the freshness and elegance is in the name. Rouquette On Sea isn’t a case of poetic licence-cum-wishful thinking: the vin

Mar 3, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Terres de Moraines Madiran 2012

£7–£9, Marks & Spencer Madiran from southwest France is definitely one of France’s wilder, more rugged red wines. If you’ve bumped into it before, you’ll know that it can be a bit of a bruising experience, but this one has been tamed just enough to make you feel you can drink it rather than carve it. It has the tannic grip to keep it real, but it’s been smoothed down around a core of rich, dark fruit and spice. The grape that gives Madiran its distinctive character is the loc

Feb 11, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Oeil de Perdrix Rosé Champagne

£19.99, or £17.99 in any 6 bottles, Majestic Initially I resisted choosing this Champagne on the grounds that a) pink Champagne is too clichéd in its obviousness for Valentine’s Day and b) bargain-hunting isn’t quite in the spirit of the occasion – but who, in the end, isn’t won over by a spot of pink fizz in a pretty bottle? This, with its fine bubbles and delicate pomegranate and cherry fruitiness, is better than many a well-known, more expensive brand backed by the full fo

Feb 5, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine Joseph Burrier Saint-Amour Côte de Besset 2013

£14.50, The Wine Society I’m not sure whether I’m killing two birds with one stone or multi-tasking, but this week’s wine doubles up as one of the best to choose if you want a red wine for Chinese New Year and/or one for Valentine’s Day. Saint-Amour (Saint Love) is one of the ten Crus, the top villages, of Beaujolais, so it bears the village name rather than the Beaujolais moniker and is made to stricter rules – on the amount of wine that can be produced, for example. It has

Jan 28, 2016

What I admire about wine: integrity, authenticity, purity and character

Stop Press! 14 April, 2016: I'm delighted to report that these wines are now available at £19.95 per bottle from winesensations.co.uk These two wines are not available in the UK or the US (stockist information at the end). I’m telling you about them simply because they express so much of what I admire about wine: integrity, authenticity, purity, flavour, character. Above all, even though I haven’t been to the vineyards or met the producers (we have corresponded and have a fri

Jan 21, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Heavenly Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Côtes de Gascogne

£5.99, Wine Rack and Bargain Booze I wasn’t planning to wax lyrical about a Sauvignon Blanc this week. I’d been thinking along the lines of big, chunky reds to go with robust, warming casseroles, but this Sauvignon came along and it has such revitalising elderflower, passion fruit and pink grapefruit flavour that I can’t resist choosing it. Plus, it’s a bargain! It’s from the gentle, rolling Gascon hills in south west France, a haven of ultra-light, fresh whites, but because

Jan 14, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine Mas Barrau Cabernet Franc 2014, Pays du Gard

£7.89, Booths supermarkets and independents This flowing, soft red from Languedoc ticks all sort of useful January boxes. It’s made from Cabernet Franc, a grape variety that should be on every trend-spotter’s radar this year, but it’s not one of those niche wines with achingly challenging flavours. Its suppleness gives it an instant, cold-weather comfort factor, but at the same time it has a refreshing red-berry juiciness. And it’s easy to match to food: it won’t overwhelm ch

Jan 10, 2016

Moderate Alcohol, Persuasive Flavour

If you know where to look, there are plenty of wines with modest alcohol but bags of character and flavour Prompted by the UK government's new alcohol guidelines, I've looked through my recent tasting notes for wines that have low to moderate levels of alcohol, but which certainly don't fall short in the flavour and character stakes. The dry whites I'm recommending are all 12% abv, or lower, and the reds are 12.5% abv or lower, but bear in mind that EU labelling laws allow a

Jan 2, 2016

Cool Grapes

New year, new grape varieties: ten grapes and wines for 2016 Remember Grü-V? Yes, the American moniker for Grüner Veltliner. The trouble was that by the time sommeliers and their customers were saying Grü-V it was anything but, er, groovy. Fashions come and go in wine as in all things and there’s always somebody out there trying to outdo everyone else by requesting the most recherché lesser-spotted grape variety, To help you keep ahead of the game, here are ten cool grapes an

Dec 30, 2015

Cheap, Cheery Party Wines

Still and sparkling wines that are easy to drink, don’t need food and are available on the high street – five of them at under £7.50. For more ideas, especially if you want to aim a bit higher, check out my festive Champagne, Red and White Wine guides and my Wines of the Week. Wine Atlas Côtes de Thau 2014, Languedoc, France Breezy, light (12% abv), southern French blend of Sauvignon, Grenache Blanc and Vermentino. Zesty grapefruit and nettle flavour with a suggestion of whit

Dec 17, 2015

Festive White Wines

Whites to keep the show on the road this Christmas and New Year Wines listed in ascending order of price. I've given a UK stockist for each, but you can find other stockists in the UK and other countries on wine-searcher.com Tesco *finest Saint Mont 2014, France Mouthwatering, tangy lime and quince flavours. A brilliant, snappy fresh alternative to Sauvignon Blanc made from local grape varieties – mainly Gros Manseng – in Saint Mont, south west France. £5.50, Tesco Cimarosa M

Dec 16, 2015

Festive Red Wines

Ten red wines to serve with the Christmas feast Wines listed in ascending order of price. I've given a UK stockist (or two) for each, but you can find other stockists in the UK and other countries on wine-searcher.com Cimarosa Carmenère 2012, Colchagua, Chile Crowd-pleasing, fresh, velvet-soft Carmenère with a typical, smoky, green-pepper edge to the blackberryish fruit. A match for turkey, but not up to goose. £6.99, Lidl Domaine Mas Barrau Cabernet Franc 2014, Pays du Gard,

Dec 9, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve

£37.95, Eton Vintners, £42, Berry Bros & Rudd This fabulous Champagne was voted best value of the night at a tasting called Ultimate Champagne that I co-hosted this week. Louis Roederer Cristal 1995 was voted best, irrespective of price (around £300 a bottle), but the sumptuous Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve (be careful not to confuse it with any of the other Heidsiecks) is a Champagne niche enough to make a perfect present for a connoisseur and approachable enough to be a pe

Oct 24, 2015

Secret Burgundy

Marine algae sprays, anti-hail nets, a secret vineyard… I was in Burgundy in June and some fascinating things emerged at visits to Louis Latour, a company whose tendrils reach unusual places. As well as being a domaine producer with 27ha of Grands Crus and a négociant with an outpost in the Ardèche, it owns Simonnet-Febvre in Chablis, Henri Fessy in Beaujolais and, rare in Europe, it has its own cooperage (I’ll revisit the latter in a future post). Back to sprays, nets and se

Oct 8, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Berry Bros & Rudd Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2012

£10.75, Berry Bros & Rudd Côtes du Rhône can be simple and quaffable or a bit rough around the edges or it can come with smart credentials. This is one with all-singing all-dancing credentials: Berry Bros have it made for them by the Perrin family who own the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate Château de Beaucastel. It's full and generous but not remotely heavy, has a perfume of violets and raspberries and supple, spicy, peppery fruit. It would go down a treat with slow-roast

Sep 25, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Definition Chardonnay 2014

£9.74, Majestic Wine Let's extend a warm welcome to a sophisticated, Burgundy-style Chardonnay at a non-Burgundy price. In fact, this wine was supposed to be a white Burgundy, but the buyer tasked with sourcing it for Majestic's new Definition range (its promising, inaugural foray into own-label) went off-piste. Heading south into Languedoc, he came back with this: a subtly oaked, nutty Chardonnay with almond blossom, beeswax, peach and citrus flavours and a fresh, oystershel

Sep 10, 2015

WINES OF THE WEEK: Asda's Wine Atlas range

£4.97, Asda Wine Atlas Bobal A mouthful of juicy, dark cherries with a hint of bakewell tart and peppery, liquoricey chewiness make this a good wine for red meat - a casserole if the barbie has been put into winter storage. Bobal is the grape variety and it's big in acreage in Spain, but for some reason they keep the name largely under wraps. This wine has an impressive pedigree in that the award-winning, ex-Ritz sommelier Bruno Murciano had a big hand in creating it. Wine At

Sep 3, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine Collin Crémant de Limoux Brut Cuvée Sélection

£12.50, Yapp Brothers Recommending a Crémant de Limoux, rather than a Prosecco, makes me feel a bit like King Canute. There seems to be no holding back the tidal wave of Prosecco flowing into the nation's bars, trolleys, fridges and glasses, but if you sometimes (or always) crave something less sweet and frothy, here is a French sparkling wine that's more like Champagne. It's made in the same way as Champagne, using the same grape varieties, and has a similar, enticing, biscu

Aug 6, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine Saint Prix Saint-Bris 2014

£8.99, Lidl Wine writers get everywhere these days… even to Lidl. This Saint-Bris is from a new collection, headlined The French Session, which comes in on 3 September and stays only as long as stocks last. If you like Sauvignon Blanc, you'll love this - it's brimful of fresh, crunchy, ripe gooseberry flavours. Pair it with Vietnamese and Thai food, white fish with lemon, tomatoes and red peppers or goats' cheese. Anorak fact: Saint-Bris is the only area of Burgundy where Sau