#wine 19/31

Nov 1, 2018

A dazzling Penfolds Grange and much more: tasting the 2018 Collection

The launch of Penfolds’ 2014 Grange last month marked the release of the 64th consecutive vintage. I haven't tasted the first, the...

Nov 1, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Finest Chardonnay Valle del Limari 2017, Chile

£10, but £8 on current offer, Tesco A new wine from a single vineyard, Lachica, in the Limari Valley, one of Chile’s most northerly wine...

Oct 25, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Bodegas Belote Calandria Prieto Picudo 2016, Tierra de León, Spain

£13.75/£12.38, The Daily Drinker I'm delighted to find a wine made from Prieto Picudo. It's a fairly obscure red grape variety, even in...

Oct 18, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine de la Rochette Mâcon-Bussières Mont Sard, Burgundy, France

£12.50, The Wine Society This is a stunning white Burgundy at the price and a great achievement for a first vintage in new hands....

Oct 11, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Adnams Selection Malbec El Dominio 2017, Mendoza, Argentina

£9.99, Adnams Bright, pure, succulent, supple and fresh with proper concentration and yet a lightness of touch – hallmarks of Susana...

Oct 5, 2018

Château Lafon-Rochet 2006-2016: coming full circle

Ten years after returning to Saint-Estèphe to take the helm at the family's fourth-growth estate, Basile Tesseron showed the results at a...

Oct 4, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Ken Forrester Workhorse Chenin Blanc 2017, Stellenbosch, South Africa

£8, Marks & Spencer I don't know whether this has been getting better with each vintage or whether I'd forgotten what great value it is....

Sep 27, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Sierra de Toloño Rioja Alavesa 2016, Rioja, Spain

£14.95/£13.50, Lea & Sandeman At the annual tasting last week of The Bunch group of six independent wine merchants, of which Lea &...

Sep 20, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Syrah 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

£19.99–£24.70 Noble Grape (UK), The House of New Zealand Wine, The New Zealand Cellar It's always a thrill to taste a debut vintage, not...

Sep 13, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Famille Bougrier La Grande Réserve Touraine Chenonceaux 2017, Loire, France

£11.99, in any 6-bottle mix, Majestic Touraine Chenonceaux is a small appellation on the River Cher east of Tours, created as recently as...

Sep 6, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Taste the Difference Saint-Chinian Syrah Grenache 2016, Saint-Chinian, France

£9 (or £8 on offer), Sainsbury's This is the new vintage of a generous, warm-hearted red blend that's one of the best wines in...

Aug 30, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Château de Cruzeau Blanc 2015, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France

£17.99, Waitrose It may seem unlikely that any sort of Bordeaux wine is underrated or not as well known as it should be, but white...

Aug 23, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Tanners Super Douro Reserva 2015, Douro, Portugal

£14.50, Tanners Wines It was a hard choice: Tanners Côtes du Rhône, an absolute charmer from the very good 2016 vintage, or this Douro...

Aug 22, 2018

Inspiring island wines: reds from Sicily and Sardinia

Update, September 4, 2018: the Etna Rosso and Barbazzale are now out of stock, so the mixed case is no longer available, but the rest of...

Aug 16, 2018

Peerless Provence: the rosés of Sacha Lichine at D'Esclans

As I said in my Around the world in rosé blog, I'm a great admirer of the wines from Sacha Lichine's d'Esclans estate in Côtes de...

Aug 16, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Nicosia Fondo Filara Etna Bianco 2017, Etna, Sicily, Italy

£12.50, The Wine Society This mouthwatering, mineral dry white combines two of my enthusiasms: wines from volcanic soils and island...

Aug 15, 2018

Around the world in rosé: 16 rosés from four continents in every shade and shape

Alphonse Mellot Le Paradis Sancerre Rosé 2017, France Ravishing Pinot Noir rosé from one of Sancerre's great wine families. Long, slow...

Aug 9, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2016, Western Cape, South Africa

£6 on offer, Morrisons and Asda A richly fruity, spicy red that's a good buy even when not on offer but is a bargain at the offer prices...

Aug 2, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Jeroboams White Burgundy 2016, Bourgogne, France

£17.95, Jeroboams This is one of a handful of wines Jeroboams launched under its own label for the first time this year. It's made in the...

Jul 26, 2018

Discovering a little-known gem: Okanagan Valley, the world's northernmost wine region

My first visit to Canada at the beginning of June took me to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, the world’s northernmost wine...