Wines £15 - £30

Cracking Pet Nat made from Verdelho, suatainably produced with wild yeast fermentation and a further 4-5 months on lees before disgorgement

Aromas of lime, crisp apple with freshly baked pastry, and toasted almonds on the nose. The palate is ripe and full flavoured with bright citrus fruit offset by vibrant acidity and a soft creamy mouthfeel.

Tangible proof of elegance, balance and constancy characteristic of the Marques de Murrieta Winery and its surrounding vineyards situated in the Ygay Estate, it is a red Reserva wine with a balanced aging of two years in new and partly new American oak barrels and a year and a half in bottle. The result is an elegant wine that combines complexity and fineness, summing up the best attributes of our identity and actuality. Marqués de Murrieta is more than a brand in the international market, it represents age-old wisdom expressed in one of the most recognized wines of Spain. With our daily work, respect and love for our land, the selection of the best grapes and the attention to detail throughout its almost four years of production, Marqués de Murrieta is a safe and constant value of the best quality.

In the mouth the wine is harmonious, fresh and it has polished tannins that provides the wine with a pleasant texture. Its fruity long finish keeps an extraordinary freshness.

Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta

Revealing fresh fruit flavours of wild strawberry, this rosé has gentle acidity showing a smooth elegance and intensity with a plump finish.

Made following organic pricciples but not certified, this is a lovely wild yeast fermented Negroamaro. Ruby red, with a nose of flowers and berries. This is full-flavoured with youthful fruits, distinctive acidity with a nice persistence through the palate.

Picpoul Jim but not as we know it. Extended lees ageing blesses this with a disarming richness; it’s all honeysuckle and peach but just beautifully balanced with great acidity.

Old Grenache and Carignan vines grown at altitude provide the fruit which is harvested slightly earlier than the norm to give balance to a wine which could otherwise risk stumbling into clumsy territory. The Grenache provides the driving beat pushing things forward with an intensity of dark fruit whilst the Carignan plays the accompanying harmony. No oak just small concrete tanks. Flippin, flippin gorgeous.,/P>

Christophe Cordiers estate comprises of 30-odd hectares over a number of village appellations in Mâconnais region, including Mâcon-Fuissé Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint Veran. The full bunches undergo a gentle pressing then fermented without decantation using native yeasts. Exotic and spicy aromas this is well-balanced, with herbaceous and floral notes. This wine is light, charming and fresh.

The wine on which Domaine J.Laurens built it’s reputation and a delicious and serious alternative to Champagne. In the glass, this Crémant is brilliant with a pleasantly gentle fizz. Bright and citrusy, with just a hint of yeasty savouriness overlaying the lovely sweet fruit.

COLOUR. from garnet red to mahogany according to the age.
NOSE. powerful, balancing between black fruits and stewed fruits subtly brought by cocoa aromas.
MOUTH. sumptuous balance between the solar strength of the wine and the fineness of its tannins. It has a great persistency with sweetness which develops greedily.

Domaine de Bila-Haut

Love a bit of Saumur Champigny. The town may be more famous for its sparkling wines from the likes of Gratien & Meyer, Ackerman and Bouvet-Ladubay, not to mention its Disneyesque chateau which looks down over the town but this Cabernet Franc from 9 neighbouring villages is definitely worth getting to know. Bright, crunchy and perfect with most red meats, I think you’re really going to like this.

Serve chilled as an accompaniment to an entire meal or with pâtés, grilled fish, red meats, game, cheeses or red berry desserts.

Arboleda is a relative newcomer to the Chilean wine market but its founder, Eduardo Chadwick, has been around for a while as the fifth generation of the family behind the Errazuriz label. With the confidence that comes of so much experience and a multi-million dollar bank account he set up Arboleda as more of a niche producer, crafting vineyard specific wines from sustainable vineyards. Syrah probably isn’t the first variety you think of when considering Chilean wine but I think it’s got a great future here, particularly at the mid to higher end of the market. This is gloriously full with ripe, soft tannins but still retains a classic Syrah acidity on the finish to add freshness.

This is a wine with delicate fruity aromas, typical notes of white flowers, some herbal notes and tropical fruits. Its freshness reminds of just-picked grapes. This is followed by a fruity acidity, and no oak, resulting in a good mouthfeel to be enjoyed now. Los Poetas Semillón is an elegant and approachable wine, making it ideal to accompany simple food.

Yellow with a greenish sheen. The aromas on the nose offer a complex but subtle perfume of orange blossom, nutmeg and dried orange peel. Dry and refreshing in the mouth, with a pleasing texture – a fine, fresh line of mineral acidity here reinvigorates the palate and invites a second sip.

The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day.

A subtle and restrained white with delicate stone fruit and lightly nutty aromas. The palate is textural with more nutty characters and good concentration, all beautifully balanced by peachy fruit, a dash of lime, and taut acidity on the finish.

Lazio may not be the first region to spring to mind when considering sources of top Italian white wines but they’ve been making wine for 2,000 years so they must have learned something over time. On hillsides half an hour south of Rome, Imperatori have just 8ha on which to work their magic. They make a really wonderful Cesanese, a cracking Frascati and this Trebbiano Verde, all nuts and minerality with a fabulous texture and richness on the finish.

A man of conviction but by no means a zealot, Eric Texier likes to push the boundaries. Despite having no experience or contacts in wine, Eric decided to give up his career as a nuclear engineer and study winemaking in 1992, interning with Jean-Marie Guffens at Verget in Mâcon. Lacking the network to buy his own vineyard, Eric did his time with established winemakers then made négoce wines with the fruit of like-minded purists. Although he considers his approach to viticulture to be that of an old-fashioned paysan, don’t be fooled. Eric is more of a pioneer than he would have you believe. His fresh take on an old terroir has been instrumental in reviving appellations of the Northern Rhône that would otherwise have been lost. The estate consists of two very distinct terroirs - Brézème in the Drôme (left bank of the Rhône) and the Ouvèze valley in the Ardèche (right bank). Brézème is a limestone hillside facing south, the last ridge of the Vercors Massif at the mouth of the Drôme river, whilst the Ouvèze valley, on the Ardèche side, marks the geological separation between the Massif Central and the Cévennes, where the vineyards facing south, are granitic with a mixture of schist and gneiss on its surface and islands of limestone.

Not your usual Muscadet, Francois Menard has crafted this single vineyard cuvee as part of his expressions series- somewhat experimental one-off wines from vary small parcels of vines showcasing how varied Muscadet can be. Coming from a Gneiss terroir on the Févrie plot in Maisdon, this single-vineyard cuvée of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie has benefited from a short skin maceration before pressing the grapes in order to give this wine the aromatics, complexity and structure that characterize it. Wild yeast fermentation and with 8 months lees aging in glass lined concrete tanks. Overt and very ripe apricot notes make up a rich full bodies wine with a generous texture and incredibly long finish.

Chateau de L’Escarelle of one of the most prestigious wine estates in the heart of Provence, with 100 hectares of organically certified vineyards set in 1,000 hectares of beautiful woodland.

In the past year this property has made impressive steps to establish itself as a major player of sustainable agriculture in France. In 2016 the estate achieved Haute Valeur Environnementale certification (France’s most stringent environmental certification scheme, level 3), demonstrating their deep-rooted commitment to protecting the natural world. Their vines are planted at up to 500 metres above sea level, hugging the slopes of the Montagne de La Loube and adapting to the estates' clay and limestone soil profile. The terroir’s distinctive character is perfect for creating highly-expressive, elegant Rosé wines.

Chateau de L'Escarelle

Stéphane Bourret and his team have improved La Bastide wines’ quality beyond recognition. Despite the pressure of the many tourists ready to buy almost anything at any price, he has chosen a path of quality and hard work. All of the 28 hectares estate is now run using biodynamic methods and the results are a joy to behold, with many of their wines awarded great accolades in the national and international wine press. ‘Estagnol’ is produced from their best vineyards and improves after 3 or 4 years cellaring.

Very impressive Cabernet dominated Bordeaux, packed full of black plum fruit, rich tannins and excellent potential.

Chateau Cissac

Sometimes on our travels we taste wines made from near extinct varieties and frankly begin to understand why natural selection is a thing. However, the Albillo variety which Bodegas Arrayan are known for is the real deal. This is a genuinely interesting grape and can make wines with a proper ‘spark’. Style wise it’s akin to a rich Albarino, perhaps an Albarino/Pinot Gris cross, delicious stuff. Interestingly (to me anyway) the grapes are hand harvested before being foot trodden with the juice remaining in contact with the skins for a couple of days before spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks. It’s then given 7 months in old 500 litre French oak barrels to add some texture but very little in the way of oak character. Jancis Robinson MW had this to say of the 2018 vintage: Bright stone-fruit nose, with some attractive fennel character. There’s a little touch of honey which I’m reliably told will increase with time. The palate is pretty exciting with chalky texture and bright acidity. It’s not racy, but very persistent with a fresh mineral finish.

From the desk of the boss himself:-

Trawling round wine trade tastings can, on occasion, be a somewhat dispiriting experience. Kissing frog after frog in search of the odd princess does start to wear you down after a while so catching up with Gabriel and Alberto Sanchis Mestre was a welcome relief last week after I’d had my fill of very average Rioja., transforming their family wine business to one focused on bottling their own wines from the local, traditional varieties. Situated near Ontinyent – a town mid-way between Valencia and Murcia, and 50km from the coast - they craft authentic wines with a modern profile from old Monastrell, Merseguera and Bonicaire vineyards that they have rejuvenated. 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre), this is packed with dark plum and blueberry fruit flavours together with well-integrated oak. I’m thinking properly hearty casseroles or game…

Situated in the Haut Medoc, sandwiched between Margaux and St Julien, Chateau Beaumont has long been a favourite of ours, producing classic Bordeaux from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with just a dash of Petit Verdot. It’s a property with a long history dating back to the 1770s whilst the Chateau itself was built in 1854. Over the years ownership has passed between some of Europe’s wealthiest families but it now rests with Grands Millesimes de France, falling ultimately under the control of Suntory and Castel.

Chateau Beaumont

70% Frankovka (Blaufränkisch) & 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.

A full bodied red with bags of character. Expressed in a seductive ruby colour, with dominant notes of spice, herbs & a liveliness from fresh blueberries. Some discrete aromas of dark chocolate & cocao nibs. Tied together with a freshness on the palate that develops to a warm & long finish with a blast of ripe fruit

Great with venison or beef in stews, pâté. Red & white cabbage meals, schnitzel & goulash

Tradition is hardly sufficient a word to sum up the Perrier family who have lived and worked in the Alps for more than seven generations. Their wine style and dedication to local varieties such as Jacquère has not wavered and like their mountains, they remain resolute. And all the better for it. These are wines are stunning, different and enthralling creating flavour and palates that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Jacquère is a grape variety native to Savoie and is THE wine to have with fondue or raclette.

White gold colour with hints of green. Fresh almond, hawthorn and citrus fruit on the nose. A lively attack on the palate but rounds out with lovely mineral notes and orange zest. Excellent balance between fruit and acidity.

• Nose. intensive, lasting and engaging, complex combination of fruit nuances and delicate oak.
• Mouth. powerful and complex. The taste impresses with its velvety softness and warmth.
• Tannins. woody tannins, very well structured.
• Aftertaste. Excellent with a long finish.

Domaine Bessa Valley

Founded in 1987 but with a pedigree extending back 100 years, Emilio Moro was one of the first bodegas to put the region of Ribera del Duero on the map, so to speak. As their reputation grew, so did their vineyard holdings both in Ribera del Duero and elsewhere and we were delighted to encounter this gem towards the end of last year. El Zarzal is a real treat - 100% Godello from their Bierzo estate it has all the hallmarks of the house with notes of ripe stone fruit and dry flowers, harnessing varietal typicity and harmonious balance with 8 months in French oak foudre adding a beautifully integrated oak influence.

Created in 2017, Bourgogne Cote d'Or is a Burgundy classification intended to bridge the (ever growing) gap between straight Bourgogne Rouge (or Chardonnay) and Village wines (Nuits St Georges, Santenay, etc). Grapes can be blended from across the 40 villages of the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits but can only be Chardonnay or Pinot Noir (Gamay and Aligote are excluded)

Harmonious and balanced, with a plump fruitiness and silky texture offset by round, gentle tannins in a wine of medium body and elegant structure.

Maison Roche de Bellene

One tends to think of Maison Etienne Guigal in the same breath as the legendary Rhone houses of Chapoutier and Jaboulet, both established in the early 19th century, and yet Guigal is a relatively new kid on the block by comparison, founded in 1946 but rapidly building a reputation for some of the greatest wines of the region – their single vineyard La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque are amongst the most sought after (and expensive) wines of Cote Rotie. Insofar as white wines are concerned, Viognier is very much the family passion and this Cotes du Rhone offers the perfect introduction - playing the leading role in a sextet of varieties this has classic apricot notes but without the intensity of the likes of Condrieu.

ucked away on a tributary of the Mosel, Andreas Adam’s immaculate south-western facing vineyards owe a certain amount to the inhospitality of the region. The steep slopes antd harsh working conditions encouraged many younger folk to abandon their family estates in the 1970s and 80s and seek an easier life in the cities – Andreas’s parents included. By the time Andreas had graduated from Geisenheim, prices had dropped to a level which allowed him to assemble 5 ha of prime vineyard on which to work his magic. This is classic “off-dry” German Riesling, beautifully aromatic with notes of lime and grapefruit. Serve with light starters or, personally, I’d have it just on its own as an aperitif.

Classic expression of the indigenous Savatiano grape from vineyards just outside Athens. The wine is textural with a crisp, citrus-tinged, and lightly saline finish. This is much more than a simple refreshing white wine, it is refreshing but it also has wonderful texture, complexity and good length.

A brilliant yellow colour with hints of green. A bouquet of wild flowers and a salty minerality typical of our regions soils. A fresh and fruity palate; well balanced, aromatic, with intense aromas of citrus, grapefruit and lemon, green peppers and fresh grass.

A brilliant cherry-red colour, of medium intensity and purplish highlights. It has a bouquet of wild fl owers and a salty minerality, typical of the region's soils. Forceful yet velvety on the palate. Fruity with notes of blackberries, it hides a slight bitterness that balances the fruit, with a persistent and long finish.

The Pinot Noir grapes come from the family-owned ‘Someone’s Darling’ vineyard on the Bendigo Loop Road in Central Otago. This vineyard has been placed in conversion to organics (March 2022). This is a delicious Pinot Noir, with fleshy black plum, layers of cherry and sweet berries that play on the palate and dance with hints of violet and savoury notes.

Loveblock Wines

A nice aroma of ripe stone fruit, melon and honey with hints of fresh nuts. Flavours come in stages: first ripe pineapple and almonds, framed in a rich body, followed by dried fruits and fruitcake.

From one of the Best Chateaux in the Cotes de Castillon owned by Bordeaux royalty Stephan von Neipperg (also owner of Bugarian producer Enira, a particular favourite of Ed), this second wine is plush with ripe autumn berry on the nose and a palate with intense bramble notes and a smotth long finish.

Daschbosch is one of the country’s oldest wineries, dating back to 1754 and this is one of my favourites from the estate. From 60 year old vines, it’s on the intense side – the fruit has been worked pretty hard to give a real richness and texture with bags of stone fruit flavours balanced by a taut acidity on the finish.