#wine 13/31

Jan 28, 2021

WINE OF THE WEEK: Nero Oro Grillo Appassimento Sicilia 2019, Italy

£8.99/£9.99, Majestic Winemakers in southern Italy have been using the appassimento technique to make their red wines smoother and more...

Jan 21, 2021

WINE OF THE WEEK: Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune du Château Premier Cru 2017, Beaune, France

£32.95, Waitrose In the absence of the assault course of Burgundy En Primeur tastings that I would have done by this point in a normal...

Jan 14, 2021

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine de la Combe Vendange Nocturne Melon Blanc, Vin de France

£9–£11, The Daily Drinker, ND John, Noble Green Wines, Kwoff If you’re not doing dry January but want to make a gesture, this perky, dry...

Jan 7, 2021

WINE OF THE WEEK: Château Courac Côtes du Rhône 2016, France

£8.95, The Wine Society This is one of my house wines, one I turn to when I want the vinous equivalent of a comforting, warm hug. With...

Jan 5, 2021

Monterosola: Sitting Pretty Between Tuscany's Stars

Monterosola's stylishly labelled wines: two whites on the left, then four of the five reds I haven’t visited Monterosola in Tuscany, but...

Dec 30, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Balfour Winemaker Collection Saignée Brut, Kent, England

£29.99 (mix six), Majestic; £35, hushheath.com I'm posting early again this week to give you extra time to get this celebration-ready...

Dec 23, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finest Ebeia Ribera del Duero 2018, Spain

£12, Tesco I'm posting this a day early in case anyone is still looking for a red wine for Christmas Day. I've chosen a full-bodied,...

Dec 18, 2020

The Festive Sweet, Sticky and Fortified Guide 2020

Sweet wines and fortified wines, dry as well as medium and sweet, are some of the wine world's greatest bargains. They're wonderfully...

Dec 17, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Maison Louis Latour Bellevue Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir 2017, Var, France

£18.50–£23.50, Bakers & Larners, Flagship Wines, Harvey Nichols, North & South Wines As an affordable alternative to red Burgundy, Maison...

Dec 16, 2020

The Festive Champagne Guide 2020

I hardly need say that the past year isn't going to go down in history as very celebratory and that 2021 is looking shaky, but I don't...

Dec 11, 2020

The Festive White & Rosé Wine Guide 2020

I've tasted far and wide to pick white wines and rosés from a dozen countries to fill your glasses with festive cheer during this...

Dec 10, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Château de Rochemorin Pessac-Léognan 2016, Bordeaux, France

£13.99 on offer, Waitrose I said at the beginning of the year that we should all drink more Sauternes and followed with a resolution a...

Dec 8, 2020

A Meeting of Minds: Salcombe Distillery Gin and Château Climens Sauternes

When gin distiller Angus Lugsdin was visiting Château Climens in Barsac for the first time, the fog was so thick he couldn’t find it....

Dec 4, 2020

The Festive Red Wine Guide 2020

However different this Christmas turns out to be, wine is going to be at least as vital as usual. Here then is my round-up of red wines...

Dec 3, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Daniel-Etienne Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2015, France

£22.50, Tanners Wines This is the Chablis you need for Christmas. It's the one I need anyway. It's not a lean, razor-sharp, steely style...

Nov 26, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Santa Tresa Rina Russa Frappato 2019, Terre Siciliane, Italy

£9.99–£10.75, Ocado, Vintage Roots I recommended an earlier incarnation of this organic wine a few years ago as a perfect spring red. In...

Nov 19, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Terra Costantino De Aetna Etna Bianco 2018, Sicily, Italy

£16.76, Jeroboams Etna wines have become hugely trendy in the last few years, and rightly so. From soaring vineyards on the volcanic...

Nov 18, 2020

Festive Fizz 2020: Anything But Champagne

It may be a festive season unlike any other, but we'll still need wine of all sorts –perhaps more than ever. The first of my 2020...

Nov 12, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Henriques & Henriques Sercial Madeira 10 Years Old

£20 (50cl), Waitrose, The Wine Society, independents* Whenever I taste good Madeira, I think, 'why don't I drink this more often?' I've...

Nov 10, 2020

Connecting with Wine Growers the PICA Way

Before lockdown I visited the Cavit co-operative group in Trentino to see how it applies cutting edge technology to improve its wines and...