white - red - rosé - sparkling - sweet

white wines

Lingenfelder (Germany) Bee Label Morio Muskat 2003
Wine of the week 23/10/04. The nose is filled with soft, downy peach-skin aromas and a delicate perfume. The palate is nicely balanced, with lots of sweetness but a raft of zesty mineral and lime and a fleshy mid-palate. The weight of succulent apricot fruit pushes through to the long finish in a distinctive and very enjoyable wine. £6.99 Oddbins. (more)

Chiaro di Luna (Italy) Bianco di Custoza
Wine of the week 10/10/04. The nose is crisp and citrussy, with a little suggestion of creamy oatmeal, and a hint of sweeter tropical fruit. On the palate there is a sweet candied edge to the fruit, but the powering force is vivid and vivacious lemon fruit that is waxy and bold. There's a nice bite of acidity making this very juicy and mouthwatering, and an ideal partner to creamy pastas or a dish of char-grilled prawns doused in butter and lemon.
£3.99 Somerfield. (more)

Monteney (France) Graves 2002
Wine of the week 26/09/04. Succulent pear and melon fruit, a streak of lemon, and just a background hint of vanillin oak adding a creaminess. The palate is solidly packed with citrus and crisp red apple fruit, in a big, zesty mouthful of flavour that is powerful through the mid palate, and just fills out into the finish with a little more of that creamy oak quality. Acidity is well-balanced, and this concentrated, tangy white wine is bottled in screwcap to retain plenty of zing. £3.99 Aldi. (more)

Villa Maria (New Zealand) Cellar Selection Chardonnay 2002
Wine of the week 05/09/04. The nose is a gorgeous melange of ripe green fig, cashew nuts and toasty aromatics. On the palate it is concentrated and quite powerful, with a wrapping of warming, oaky flavours, but a heart of clean, limpid melon and crisp orchard fruit. The sweetness of the fruit is offset by a big rush of grapefruity acidity, and the alcoholic concentration (14%) helps make the long finish powerful, savoury but beautifully balanced. Excellent. £8.99 Oddbins. (more)

Villa Malizia (Italy) Pinot Grigio 2003
Wine of the week 22/08/04. Straw, a touch of honeysuckle, and soft pear fruit on the nose with hints of both exotic, ripe nectarine, and a subtle floral nuance. On the palate it washes over the tongue with an easy-drinking fruitiness, but there is a nutty quality too. The fruit is again ripe pear and crisp apple, but those suggestions of sweeter, more tropical flavours linger on the tongue, and there is crisp, nimble acidity and a tiny hint of spice into the finish. This is uncomplicated, punter-friendly stuff, but we all need a bit of that from time to time. Lovely. £3.99 Aldi. (more)

Cape Grace (South Africa) Sauvignon Blanc / Chenin Blanc 2003
Wine of the week 08/08/04. There's an interesting creamy note of custard powder on the nose at first, then a bursting fruit impression of crunchy green apples and a more tropical, melon and peachy fruit. On the palate it is quite rich and full-bodied, with a silky mouthfeel and a weight of ripe fruits. A punch of quite fat and oily, but cleansing lemon fruit and acidity cuts through the finish, with a just a hint of Sauvignon's herbal character. This is very easy drinking and just off-dry. £3.99 Waitrose. (more)

Snake Creek (Australia) Chardonnay/Semillon 2003
Wine of the week 11/07/04. 10% Colombard in the blend is key on the nose giving an edge of real gooseberry and nettle pungency, before quite a vivid core of waxy lemon and gently toasty fruit. On the palate it is very vibrant, with a lick of grapefruit and lime against ripe, sweet tropical fruit all fleshed out with a little cashew and oatmeal from a short time in oak. With a nice mouthfeel and quite a long finish, this is highly recommended. £3.99, Oddbins. (more)

Hacienda San Jose (Argentina) Sauvignon Blanc 2002
Wine of the week 04/07/04. The nose has a slightly oily fatness, with lychee and tropical fruits, and a hint of gooseberry crunch. On the palate there's lots of lemon and lime verve, with a hint of herbal, grassy quality and a broad texture on the mid palate. There's a little bit of alcoholic heat on the finish (13.2%) but that, with the wine's weight and the balanced acidity, equips it to take on grilled goat's cheese or a creamy risotto. £3.99, Aldi. (more).

Simon Gilbert (Australia) Verdelho 2002
Wine of the week 23/05/04. Attractive nose of lemon and lime, with a doughy quality and beneath a gentle spice and delicate notes of white flowers. On the palate this is again delicate in flavour; there's almost a sweetness to the fruit, like jelly beans and nectarine juice, and then a dry white fruit character fills in, with plenty of crisp, fresh pear and apple. It has medium-body and a nice leesy texture, with some waxiness and richness emerging. It has nice acidity too, with lemony notes. Try matching to Thai and Chinese food. £4.99 Safeway. See stockists on wine-searcher.com. (more).

Domaine la Combe Blanche (France) Four à Chaux de la Combe 2000
Wine of the week 25/04/04. A blend of the Rhône's Roussanne and Viognier with a touch of Chardonnay, it is aged in a mix of new and old barriques. The nose opened out to reveal a honeyed sense of limpidity, with plenty of creamy peach and yellow plum, still with some vanillin, custardy oak on top. The palate is full-bodied and chewy, with rich, bold fruit flavours suggesting melon and very ripe pears, but with a pineapply, tropical sweet edge. Quite unusal, and very good indeed. Leon Stolarski £8.75. (more).

Château de la Fessardière (France) Muscadet 2003
Wine of the week 11/04/04. The nose is subtle and mineral, with some nutty elements and succulent, firm, pear fruit. There are little notes of salt and straw. On the palate it is very pure and concentrated; there's a real spine of steely, lemony character wrapped with supple, dry, melon and crisp pear. It is fresh and appetising, with bracing minerality and real complexity. £4.99 Sainsbury's. (more).

André Bonhomme (Burgundy) Viré-Clessé cuvée spéciale 2002
Wine of the week 14/03/04. The nose is intense and vibrant, with a shimmering quality of lime and honeyed lemon fruit, and little notes of herbs and buttered toast. On the palate it is rich and full-textured, with a lovely oatmeally quality and a broad underpinning of mellow, background oak. The fruit is equally vibrant in the mouth, with real concentration and elegance, and plenty of tropical sweetness. Perfect white Burgundy, combining copious fruit with elegance and structure £9.99, Domaine Direct. (more).

Inycon (Italy) Grecanico 2001
Wine of the week 07/03/04. A certain leafy pungency on the nose, but fairly restrained, with notes of almond and straw, and some of that citrus quality. On the palate it is really quite decisive, with a concentrated fruit quality that has a real tell-tale Italian bitter almond, or even Campari-like edge, to cool pear and lemon fruit. Though only 12% alcohol, this is a powerful wine thanks to a leesy, waxy concentration. £4.99, Safeway. (more).

Peter Lehmann (Australia) Wildcard Chardonnay 2002
Wine of the week 18/01/04. This wine is unoaked, but 11% Semillon, plus an enriching regime of lees ageing and stirring, has given the wine complexity and an oatmeally quality that adds lots of warmth and texture to melon and white peach fruit. Thre is a real edge of sweetness on the palate, but those leesy, lightly waxy flavours and a great thrust of lemony acidity really kicks in, giving the wine power and a decisive finish, whilst it stays easy to drink and food friendly. £5.49 Oddbins, and Budgens. (more).

Feudi di San Gregorio (Italy) Fiano di Avellino 2002
Wine of the week 28/12/03. Crystaline purity of fruit on the nose; luscious notes of peach, pear and almond, with hints of honeysuckle and spices. The fruit on the palate has a rich texture and hints of honey, but it is a the core of pure pear and apple fruit and shimmering acidity that dominates. This is a limpid and delicious unoaked wine of great poise and finesse. £9.99 Waitrose. (more).

Santa Rita (Chile) Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2003
Wine of the week 14/12/03. Nose of lemon and gooseberry, with a nettly quality and hint of sourness. There's a dry, elegant minerality too. On the palate this wine really has some backbone, with a decisive rasp of acidity that shoots through the mid-palate, and a flood of waxy, citrussy fruit. There are teasing glimpses of a mealier, richer texture and some sweeter fruit, but then that hammer-blow of mouthwatering lemon returns, as clean and bracing as you could ask for from a great Sancerre. Lovely, concentrated and impressive stuff. £6.99 Majestic. (more).

Bonterra (California) white 2002
Wine of the week 30/11/03. The nose has plenty of Muscat character, along with a distinct impression of ripe ogen melon and a little nutty, peachy note. On the palate it is quite full-bodied, with a lovely zing of gooseberry and lime fruit, but all set against a fine, nutty apple background, with more of that ripe melon fruit and a well-balanced, quite generous acidity. A very distinctive and harmonious wine that is clean as a whistle. What's more, Booths Online are is offering £15 off an order of £50 or more for first-time customers. £6.99, Booths (more).

Viña Caña (Spain) Rioja Blanco 2002
Wine of the week 09/11/03. Beautifully fresh and lemony, but with a touch of creamy, oaty quality and just the merest sheen of vanilla. On the palate it is quite full bodied and powerful, with a wonderful, juicy, zesty fruit character shot through with crisp citrus flavours, but also rounded-out with leesy richness and a big, generous mandarin orange and grapefruit acidity. Lovely stuff and well priced too. £4.49, Somerfield. (more).

Tesco (France) Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2002
Wine of the week 26/10/03. Fresh, vinous nose crammed with the scent of apples, even notes of richer, tropical fruit, and just a hint of cold, briny seas. There's a hint of freshly struck match, but it is not unpeasant. On the palate there's a prickle of C02, and a plenty of zesty, crisp, tart green apple and lemony fruit. It is quite rich in texture, and there's a hint of nutty leesiness. Really very nice, but crying out for a big bowl of mussels in white wine and cream, and plenty of crusty bread. £4.69 Tesco. (more).

Domaine Begude (France) Limoux Chardonnay 2001
Wine of the week 12/10/03. The nose is absolutely like a good Meursault, with a creamy ground ginger and waxy quality over melon and green apple fruit. The palate has crisp white fruit flavours, with juicy apple to the fore, but there are notes of herbs and minerals too, and just a subtle support from nutty oak. It is long and has great balance, with a stripe of acidity running through to the finish. £7.99 Booths (Oddbins have the 2002). (more).

Torres (Spain) Vina Esmeralda 2002
Wine of the week 28/09/03. Floral nose, with scents of summer flowers, musk, and a downy mango- and peach-skin perfume. On the palate there's a little spritz of carbon dioxide that gives a tingling impression, then a surprisingly dry palate of crunchy green apple fruit, with just little edges of more tropical, sweet nectarine and again, mango flavours. (more).
Booths, Oddbins, Waitrose, Tesco, Unwins £5.49-£5.99

Les Jamelles (France) Viognier 2002
Wine of the week 07/09/03. Expressive nose of apricots and peaches, floral, blossom notes and a touch of butter and cream. On the palate it is nicely rich and full-textured without being blowsy, with a great pillowing breadth of pear and downy, peach skin fruit. This has a really sweet edge, but it is also set against adequate acidity so that this wine finishes balanced and clean, if soft and easy to drink. A really nicely made example of Viognier. £4.99 Co-op Stores. (more).

Peter Lehmann (Australia) Barossa Semillon 2001
Wine of the week 24/08/03. The nose slowly unravels to reveal quite complex notes of lanolin, beeswax and honey. There is a core of lime and some orchard fruit. On the palate it is fresh and clean as a whistle (it is unoaked) but it is also surprisingly powerful, with a searing core of acidity that runs like a ramrod through zingy citrus fruit. This is very enjoyable now, but cellaring for five to eight years is also on the cards. Down from £5.49 to £3.99, Sainsbury's until 16th September. Also Oddbins, Safeway, Unwins. (more).

Schlumberger (France) "S" Vin d'Alsace
Wine of the week 27/07/03. The nose is aromatic and vivacious, with lychee, citrus and tropical fruits, and little notes of summer flowers. On the palate a lovely weight of peach and pineapply fruit is cut with orange and tangerine acidity. There's even a little sense of waxy minerality, before a long, pure, sweetish finish. Excellent for oriental cuisine or for those who like a sweeter style. £5.99 down to £4.99 until August 23rd, Safeway. (more).

Champs du Moulin (France) Colombard/Chardonnay 2002
Wine of the week 13/7/03. Fresh, herbal, gooseberry-tinged passionfruit aromas, with little floral nuances and some lemony zip. On the palate it is clean and very fresh, shot through with vivacious orange and lychee flavours, and crisply-defined apple fruit and acidity. Quite light, and perhaps missing a little punch if you want to be hyper-critical, it is nevertheless a cracking little summer wine that has really good staying power in the mouth and offers a lot for the money. £4.49, but on offer at £3.99, Great Grog. (more).

red wines

sparkling

Co-op (Spain) Tempranillo Brut NV
Wine of the week 30/05/04. Vividly purple wine with a foaming pink mousse, and a nose showing lots of bold red berries and hints of chocolate and cloves. On the palate the mousse is rich and rolling, though it dies quite quickly. There's a sweetness to the fruit on the palate, and a drying chocolaty texture, then quite a kick of briary tannin pushes through. This is not in the same league as the best Ozzie examples, but it is several pounds cheaper, fun and enjoyable. Co-op, £5.79. (more).

rosé

Château Tour de Mirambeau (France) Rosé 2002
Wine of the week 10/08/03. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a rosé in an uncompromisingly dry, unfrivolous style. The colour is a deep salmon, and the nose, though rather closed at first, reveals lovely scents of minerals, herbs and redcurrants with a little airing. On the palate it is very dry and savoury, with a steely core of mineral acidity and a touch of tannic bite. Again that quality of redcurrant and tart raspberry fruit begins to show through. Bottled in a screw-cap. £6.49 Oddbins. (more)

sweet