Wines £15 - £30

Maison Roche de Bellene

Juicy bright flamboyant Montepulciano with a quickening beetroot tang. This has a really more-ish acidity with a bitter cherry attack crying out for fatty carpaccio.

Alpha Box & Dice

As the pale ruby colour suggests, this is not a blockbuster, over-extracted expression of Garnacha. Red fruit Flavours give way to gentle tannons and a bright seam of acidity. There are subtle herbal notes but balance and elegance are the key things here.

Luis Seabra may be a new name on the Portuguese wine scene, but he has already had a hand in crafting some of the Douro’s most exciting wines, working as Dirk Niepoort’s right-hand man from 2004 until leaving to set up his own label in 2012. He is starting small, releasing two whites and one red, with a total production of just 5,000 bottles per wine. Winemaking is minimal-intervention, and the style very much reflects the concentration of care lavished by this experienced winemaker on his tiny output.

A bright, lifted palate shows flavours of freshly picked nectarines, peaches and pears, all against a complex backdrop of wet stones, chalk. Graceful and powerful all at once, with a salty, savoury complexity and a compellingly chewy texture which runs through to the lengthy finish

A dynamic acidity is accompanied by flavours of lemon meringue, fresh nectarine and yellow apple.

Chateau Ksara is Lebanon's oldest winery, founded by Jesuit monks in as a 27 hectare plot 1857 and claims to have produced the first dry red from Lebandon. Now with 440 hectares the vines are farmed almost organically, with no pesticides or herbicides allowed.

Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and a bit of Petit Verdot with 12 months barrel ageing. Up front there are bold raspberry and blackcurrant flavours that give way to leathery, spicy notes. There is a touch of vanilla from the oak and the rich, mellow tannins are complemented by a refreshing acidity on the finish.

Tbilvino was established nearly sixty years ago, and over this period they have become one of Georgia’s leading producers. Almost dormant at the end of the Soviet era, the winery was acquired by the enterprising Margvelashvili brothers, who set about restoring the facilities, and moving the focus from volume to quality.

Pronounced "Er-kat-si-telly", this is one of Georgia's oldest and most highly rated grape varities. Full of orchard fruit and white flowers on the nose, there is a hint of more apple notes and yellow plums on the palate

Tbilvino was established nearly sixty years ago, and over this period they have become one of Georgia’s leading producers. Almost dormant at the end of the Soviet era, the winery was acquired by the enterprising Margvelashvili brothers, who set about restoring the facilities, and moving the focus from volume to quality.

Fruit-forward and aromatic, this wine displays the grape’s floral aromas, alongside concentrated flavours of forest fruits and dark plum. The palate is well rounded, with a delicate, vibrant finish.

Tbilvino was established nearly sixty years ago, and over this period they have become one of Georgia’s leading producers. Almost dormant at the end of the Soviet era, the winery was acquired by the enterprising Margvelashvili brothers, who set about restoring the facilities, and moving the focus from volume to quality.

This wine has a notes of grapes with cherry and blackberry undertones, perfectly combined with vanilla and oak aromas. It has a long and delightful aftertaste.

Fresh raspberry aromas complement Malbec trademark floral violet notes on the nose. The palate is round and soft, with gentle tannins to complement the fresh red and black fruit flavours and just a hint of vanilla, licorice and spice on the finish.

One of the most original winemaking projects of recent years, Masi Tupungato is a fusion of Venetian technique and Argentine terroir. The estate – Vigneti La Arboleda – consists of 140 hectares, of which eighty are currently planted with both Argentine varieties (Malbec and Torrontés) and Venetian grapes (Corvina and Pinot Grigio).

A blend of 85% Malbec, whicg is started first, and then the appassimento Corvina grapes are added with selected yests to kick of another fermentation followed by 9 onths in french oak barrels.

Fragrant and complex on the nose with ripe fruits-of-the-forest aromas enhanced by notes of cinnamon and vanilla. Up-front and powerful on the palate with hints of spice and and cooked cherries followed by a long appetising finish.

A delicous and complex blend of indigenous old vine varieties, mostly Merseguera with a bit of Mavasia & Tortosi, showing a new side to modern Spain - with freshness and vibrancy at the core. A nose of fresh lemon peel, white flowers and white peach. On the palate the fruit competes with the saline, flinty characters. Medium bodied with good weight and texture. The wine has a vibrancy driven by fresheness of acidity.

This gem of a wine comes from a small plot of Clairette planted in 1977 and almost forgotten, until the vineyard was salvaged more than four decades later. This wine is crafted with minimal interference allowing the fruit of these once untended, unirrigated old bush vines to express a unique provenance.

Delicately aromatic with lychee, greengage and citrus fruit. Taut and textural palate with apricot, mango and ripe citrus stone fruit. Concentrated yet restrained, the fruit perfectly balanced by fresh acidity and mineral notes. Gently savoury and long on the finish

The grapes are sorted, de-stemmed and crushed. Fermentation process started with juice still on the grape skins, whereafter the wine was left on the grape skins for a further 6 months. The clear wine was then racked, blended and bottled. Intense savoury nose with notes of dried citrus peel, marmalade, brown spice and almond skin. Full flavoured and textural on the palate with flavours of apricot kernel and fruit peel followed by a fine bitter orange finish.

This is the first production of Orange wine from Domaine des Tourelles. Winemaker Faouzi Issa has been mentored by a couple of Georgian winemakers who have been teaching him their methods of producing Amber wines.

The native Merweh grapes come from 150 year old vines which grow wild in the mountains of Lebanon. Fermentation takes place in Terracotta jars where the wine spends 4 months on skins. Light amber in color. Rich in flowers, orange blossoms, jasmine, and tea on the nose. On the palate we can discern some smooth elegant tannins that come from the maceration with the skin, while displaying a taste of apricot, pears, and hints of saltiness and minerality.

Domaine des Tourelles

The d'Annona vineyard is a fantastic single vineyard site with vines in excess of 60 years old. The grapes selected for this wine are grown on 2 small parcels totalling 3.5 ha. The grapes are hand-picked, destemmed and crushed, and innoculated with selected yeasts. The must undergoes temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with pumping over four times per day. The wine is then racked to a mixture of new (two thirds) and one year old (one third) French oak barriques where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for 18-20 months. It spends a further 18 months in bottle before release.

Azienda Agricola Il Cascinone

The estate covers 11 hectares near Chiusi, on the border of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Maria Sole follows the principles of Rudolf Steiner (Biodynamics) and Masanobu Fukuoka (“do-nothing” farming), using biodynamic preparations and avoiding weeding to maintain a balanced, self-sustaining vineyard ecosystem

Grown on sand and clay in vineyards between 17 and 32 years. The grapes are hand harvested and undergo one night of skin contact to extract the perfect amount of flavour. The wine then undergoes fermentation in stainless steel tanks to preserve the natural characteristics of the grapes. After this the wine spends approximately 7 months of aging in a combination of steel and concrete tanks. Maria Sole bottles “Noble Kara” without fining or filtration, and with a minimum of sulphur.

The wine is made from the traditional Kisi grape grown in the villages of Akhmeta district. Whole bunches are fermented in underground qvevri, lending the wine it’s amber colour, distinctive flavour and mildly tannic structure.

Kisi is a native Georgian grape with sweet spice notes and great acidity, perfect for maintaining freshness. Fermentation in Qvevries adds great complexity and texture.

Teliani Valley

Grown on the centuries-old terraces of the best vineyards, vinified according to the philosophy of Daniel Fries- minimal intervention, spontaneous fermentation and long lees contact. Exclusively terraced, handcrafted year-round, pure slate, this Riesling embodies everything that makes Winningen so unique. Fermented with wild yeasts in large wooden barrels and stainless steel, and aged on the lees.

A beautifully balanced and complex Chardonnay, fermented and matured for nine months in 3-year-old French oak barriques. Generous aromas of ripe orchard fruits, floral honey, and toasted nuts.

The highlight of the Wine GB tasting, and indeed the day, was this Pinot Noir Precoce (an early riprning variant of Pinot Noir) from just outside Ledbury.

A good depth of garnet and a slight tone of terracotta in colour. Black cherry and sweet spice with hints of chocolate and smoke on the nose. A rich and almost full-bodied palate with silky tannins from time in barrel. Dark fruits, clove and vanilla spice are followed by earthy forest floor undertones on the finish

120 year old ungrafted Semillion vines from a single cineyard in the Itata Valley. Fermented in Large French oak barrels followed by 13 months aging in a both new and used oak barrels.

A wide range of aromas, such as honey, peach, green herbs, dried fruit and gunpowder. It is a structured Semilón, medium bodied with mineral and a saline touch on the palate. A balanced and complex wine with a long and elegant finish.

Bright and tangy with a nose of freshly picked limes, lemon meringue and lifted floral aromas. The palate shows great fruit purity with a juicy natural acid line. Lots of citrus flavours intertwined and a waxy minerality. Slight fruit sweetness balances the acidity and allows for good length on the finish.

Semillon, Muscat and Pinot Gris were vinified separately. They are picked in the morning, destemmed, fermented on skins for 10 days, pressed gently, and aged in old barrels and steel.

With up-front aromatics and florals, it starts out all skinsy and tropical with notes of tangerine and stonefruits. Refreshingly dry on the end for an easy-drinking finish. Textural and interesting, fun and chewy.

50 % whole berry and 50% whole bunch carbonic maceration. Wild yeast fermentation. Aged exclusively in 2nd/3rd use Hungarian 500L barrels for 6-8 months

Aromas of violet flora and raspberry. Raspberry fruit continues on the palate, together with strawberry, cacao and white pepper. Tannin is subtle and integrated, weaving through fruit and lightly toasted oak.

A nose of plum, raspberry, violet flower, blueberry, mocha and a hint of spiced. On the palate its fresh blueberry fruit with lots of plum, dark cherries and young blackcurrant fruits. A long fine tannin structure throughout gives an excellent backbone to this food friendly style of Barossa Shiraz.

You may be more familiar with Carménère as a Chilean wine, but the variety actually originated in Bordeaux. After phylloxera, its temperamental nature and difficulty in reaching full ripeness meant it wasn’t replanted and, for all intents and purposes, became extinct in France.

Fortunately, some vines had already made their way to Chile, where, during the 1980s and ’90s, cracking wines labelled as “Chilean Merlot” began appearing in the UK. These wines were clearly different from true Merlot — at first this was put down to clonal variation or climate — but later research revealed they were, in fact, Carménère. Since then, the grape has been making a quiet comeback in its homeland.

Michel planted a small vineyard of Carménère around 12 years ago. In particularly hot years, enough grapes ripen fully to produce a single-varietal wine. The previous release was in 2018 (they’re keeping rather quiet about the possibility of a 2025). After four weeks of maceration during fermentation, the wine rests on its lees for 12 months in steel, developing an inky dark colour, loads of forest and dark fruit on the nose, silky tannins, and a touch of liquorice on the palate. It really is excellent — rich and complex, far beyond what its modest 12.5% ABV might suggest.

Soft and supple with all the full ripe fruit flavours you would expect, apricot, greengage along with a hint of licquorice. Very mouth-filling, rich and well constructed and really juicy on the finish.

Produced exclusively from hand harvested grapes in predominantly clay and limestone vineyards, from a dozen of the most favored localities in and around Riquewihr. Gentil "Hugel" allies the suave, spicy flavour of Gewurztraminer, the body of Pinot Gris, the finesse of Riesling, the grapiness of Muscat and the refreshing character of both Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner.

Hugel

Predominantly Sangiovese with 10% Petit Verdot, all from vines cultivated on gently sloping vineyards just 20km from the coast. Wild bramble and ripe plum fruit on the nose, warm and spicy with notes of mint and Mediterranean herbs. Fresh red berry and cherry characters combine with with supple tannins and juicy acidity on the palate.

6 years is, by anyone’s standards, a long apprenticeship but having graduated as an oenologist in 1992, Marco Puyo then worked both within Chile and internationally before bringing all of that experience to bear in setting up his own winery in partnership with cork producer, Patricio Gomez-Barris in 2015; 3 years later he gave up his various other commitments to dedicate himself entirely to Dagaz Wines. This is really classy and a measure as to how far the Chilean industry has come over the past 25 years or so. Oozing elegance and balance it marries red fruit flavours of raspberry and cherry with cedar and spice. Add 10 months of ageing in French oak and you have one of the best value reds I’ve tasted all year

Starting with 11 hectares of vineyards in 1999, Miguel Pérez Cerrada has made Domini de la Cartoixa a leading light in Priorat.

His ‘Formiga de Galena’ Priorat is truly impressive, with massive depth of flavour and great intensity. Garnacha, Carninena and Syrah all work together to produce a profusion of red and dark fruit flavours. Still a little tight at the moment (but still delicious) - if you've got the patience and discipline to put this away for a couple of years it will blossom into something magnificant.

Aromas of honeyed, ripe stone fruit with citrus and lightly spicy notes. The palate is complex with lime, citrus characters balanced by a spicy minerality, structure and length. Showing some development, but with the potential to age for 5 years or more.

Cavit

Sub Aqua Club is predominantly a Viognier plus some other whites (mainly Riesling) that were accidently planted in a vineyard in Moppa Springs in the furthest Northern vineyard in the Barossa Valley. The vines are dry-grown, and all the fruit is harvested before sunrise to keep the grapes as cool as possible. With 5-7 days skin contact and 5 months lees aging in barrel makes it fresh apricot in hue, delightfully almost equally furry on the palate. It’s at once marmalade and marble being all rich, sinewy, aromatic, and textural. Finely grained for a skin-contact wine, it should not be served too cold

From one of the leading growers of Chianti Classico this is a kind of “baby Chianti” – mostly Sangiovese (obv) with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot thrown in. Full of raspberry and cherry fruit it’s a lighter style which is ideal with white meats or summer salads.

This light red wine has plentiful red fruit aromas, cherries and raspberries. Its is fleshy and soft with juicy fruit and a lively acidity. The supple tannins are ripe and light, the finish is silky and persistent.

Domaine de Colette

It’s called Austrian Pepper as you’ll find plenty of peppery spice in it. Perhaps the hottest thing from Austria. It’s not just wine. It is just the most peppery-fruity Grüner Veltliner on the block. Spice up your life!

Aromas of ripe plum and cherry with spicy, savoury notes. This is a fruit-forward style of Chianti - the palate is bright and sappy, with redcurrant and bramble fruit providing fresh acidity, and supple tannins giving structure.

Villa La Pagliaia