#wine 29/31

Mar 10, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Foremost Syrah 2015, Hawkes Bay

£8.99, Lidl This is from Lidl’s Easter wine cellar collection and is worth snapping up before the limited stocks disappear – even if...

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...

Feb 28, 2016

Blend it like Johnson... or making the most of leftovers

As I said a few weeks back, in what turned out to be my most popular Tweet ever @joannasimon, England’s chief medical officer and I...

Feb 26, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Allegracore 2014, Etna Rosso

£19.50, Tanners shops and tanners-wines.co.uk Who wouldn’t be drawn to a wine called Allegracore – happy heart, named after the spot...

Feb 18, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Seven Springs Vineyards Chardonnay 2012, Overberg

£13.99–£14.99, Dylans Wines, L'Art du Vin, The Square Wine Company There are times when only Chardonnay will do as far as I’m concerned....

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...

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...

Jan 28, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Trizanne Signature Shiraz Grenache 2013, Swartland

£9.99, Waitrose With changeable weather and diets swinging this way and that, you may easily want a crisp, reviving wine one minute and...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Jan 7, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Barossa Riesling 2015, Eden Valley

£8, Marks & Spencer If you’re going for the complete January detox and diet, you have my sympathy – and more usefully a recommendation...

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...

Dec 31, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Definition Viña Majestica Rioja Reserva 2009

£12.99, or £9.74 in any 6-bottle mix, Majestic Everything a Rioja Reserva should be and an ideal red with which to greet the new year:...

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...

Dec 29, 2015

Quiz Time! A wine quiz with answers

The purpose of this blog is to provide you with some material for Christmas quizzes, longueurs in the conversation, one-upmanship with...

Dec 18, 2015

WINE OF THE WEEK: Mud House Pinot Noir 2014

£9.75, Tesco, £11, Sainsbury's, £9.99/£14.99, Majestic The juicy, sweet fruit and almost tannin-free suppleness of a good New Zealand...

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...

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...