A beautifully crafted champagne that deserves some serious seafood, such as grilled sole or scallops. on , 22nd Oct 2021

If Britain has a reputation as the centre of fine-wine knowledge, it is in no small part due to the dynamic independent wine merchants who brilliantly serve the ever-adventurous British wine lover. Some of the best-known names belong to an association called “The Bunch.” The group was established in 1993 to champion the independent wine […]

Although it just tips over the £10 mark (it’s £11 a bottle if it’s bought as part of a case of 12 bottles), London merchant Haynes Hanson & Clark’s southern French find is the best-value pinot noir I’ve tried in a long time, and one of the best versions of the variety I’ve ever tried […]

16.5 + Full bottle 1,318 g. This producer used to be called Decelle-Villa but has restyled itself as a domaine. Winemaker for this wine was Jean Lupatelli, taken on for the 2021 harvest by Dom Georges de Vogüé. Certified organic. Transparent garnet. Good grunt on the nose with a light orange hint and very gentle […]

While I have a few rather expensive wines this week, I have two bargains for you, and this is my red pick! Il Colle is a tremendous estate, but it is not a spotlight-seeking producer so you can be forgiven if you have not come across it before. I have yet to taste the Brunello […]

A very well-made sparkling white, this is luminous and crisp with flavours of apple snow and croissant. Victoria Moore in The Telegraph, 27th Sept 2021

A family domaine based in the village of Mauves, which was part of the ‘original’ St Joseph appellation, before the appellation was expanded in 1969. It’s a lovely wine, offering both finesse and fruit, as well as a scent of violets, a beautiful example of dark-fruited Rhône syrah. Victoria Moore in The Telegraph, 16th Sept […]

This is the kind of wine that gets pigeon-holed as a summer wine, usually as an alternative to Beaujolais, but it’s absolutely delicious and deserves to be drunk all year, cool in winter, cooler still in summer. Like Beaujolais, it’s made from Gamay, but in the small Côtes du Forez appellation in the Auvergne to […]

Very pale salmon. Peach, apricot, spice and red berry flavours. Airy, fresh and supple; a sophisticated but approachable Loire rosé made from the estate’s youngest Cabernet Franc vines. 13% on www.joannasimon.com , 7th Jul 2021   Stylish organic Loire rosé with lovely apricot, spice and red berry flavour. in Platinum Magazine , Aug 2021

Gosh, this is an amazing Cabernet Franc and the fruit is wonderfully floral and juicy on the nose and palate and then bracingly dry and refreshing on the finish. This is a benchmark summer red wine that responds brilliantly to being chilled, too, yum. on www.matthewjukes.com , 3rd Jul 2021

In some ways, a new domaine – for five generations, the family rented out its vineyards and sold those wines they made to negociants. But since 2014, Etienne de Brechard has bottled under the domaine name. High-toned, steely aroma, with silex notes. Straight as a die, this slices through the palate. The tight and vibrant […]

A gamay that is not from Beaujolais but the old volcanic terrain of the Côtes du Forez, an appellation in central France close to the source of the Loire. Smooth, almost impossibly juicy and brimful with the flavours of squished berries. Victoria Moore in The Sunday Telegraph, 13th Jun 2021

The Côtes de Forez are not conventionally thought of as part of the Loire wine region but the river rises nearby and the department is actually called Loire. Besides I would like to draw your attention to this delicious and well-priced summer red. Gilles Bonnefoy is a local who set up his estate, Les Vins […]