Serve with roasted red meats or game, pâté en croute, mature cheeses such as fromages Mont d'Or, Cîteaux or Reblochon.

Thörle is a much-acclaimed family domaine based in Saulheim in the Rheinhessen, and since 2006 it has been run by brothers Christoph and Johannes. The vineyards are managed organically, and the domaine is being taken in a biodynamic direction. Soils are interesting and varied, with light clay, limestone, red sandy loam and even flint and schist. Riesling from limestone is an altogether different and more Burgundian prospect to wines from elsewhere in Germany that might be grown on slate or loam. 
Hölle is in a small, protected valley at 150-220m, with 35 year old, deep-rooted vines. This is a dry Riesling (1.8 g/l residual sugar). Very intense and precise with lovely pear, melon and citrus fruit. Really linear with a strong mineral core to it. Superb stuff, in a class of its own. 94/100

‘Les Champs Gains’ is a Puligny-Montrachet Cru that benefits from a high altitude terroir and limestone soils, instilling in its wines aromatic purity, richness of flavour and a clear minerality – all beautifully displayed in this wine.18 months ageing in French Oak, 25% new.

Jouard produces some of the best value wines in the Côte de Beaune. Stunning richness balanced by acidity and full flavours, all underpinned by a great mineral quality. Champ Gain is one of the top Premier Cru vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet. The texture of this wine goes beautifully with creamy dishes.

Drink up to 10+ years after the vintage.

Made using part appassimento method. Vibrant purple colour and a rich luscious nose full of sweet ripe dark cherry, plum, vanilla and christmas spice. Rich and velvety, with lots of juicy fruit. Very easy drinking. Great wine for roasted and grilled meats. Ideal with game dishes. Excellent with mature hard cheeses. 

Before picking, the ripe grapes are left on the vines for up to 15 days. The grapes begin to dry naturally on the vine (appassimento). The grapes are then carefully hand harvested before being pressed. After fermentation the wine is aged in oak for 3-4 months. This careful and prolonged winemaking delivers a wine of excellent quality and depth, yet at a snip of a price.

This Pinot Gris is a sourced from 30 year old vines in the sustainably farmed Tukwilla Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. Tukwilla is LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology) certified. Everything in this wine starts from the magnificent terroir that farming captures. In the winery, after gently pressing, the fermentation is managed in five separate lots, three in neutral French oak, for a complex array of aromatic expressions, textures, and fruit components, body and weight. The remaining stainless steel fermented and aged lots help to retain the verve at the core of the wine. Fermented completely dry for a rich, complex, and food-friendly wine.

An elegant, intense and fruit driven Rioja, form the esteemed Roda estate.

Sela is Tempranillo dominated and completed with a little Graciano and Garnacha. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels leading to an elegant, medium-bodied wine with fresh and flavourful red fruits, hints of sweet spice with polished, silky tannins. Everything is very well intergrated and the finish is satisfyingly persistent. 2015 is the current vintage, and drinking wonderfully right now. If you can wait, this stunning wine will develop beautifully in bottle for a further 10 years.
A wine that combines freshness and maturity it's versatile enough to match with roast beef, or spicy Indian dishes.

It's no secret that 2015 was a stellar year in Bordeaux. with Margaux performing particularly well. Baron de Brane is the second wine of Château Brane-Cantenac, a second growth château owned by Henri Lurton and one of the oldest and largest properties in Margaux. The blend is made up of about 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the grapes coming from mid-age vineyards, some on gravel beds 12 metres deep. Aged for a year in French oak this is a supremely elegant wine. Bursting with pure cabernet fruit, seductive cassis, a touch of bramble, with notes of sweet briar and cedar. There is a voluptuousness and charm that makes this classic Margaux most alluring, with silky tannins and a lingering finish. Drink now-2025. 

The estate of Thörle is based in Saulheim in the Rheinhesson and their recent Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder in German) vintages have been proclaimed as some of the finest reds produced in the country. Thörle has been run by brothers Johannes and Christoph since 2006. They work organically and are moving towards biodynamic culture. And, of course, besides Pinot Noir the brothers also grow Riesling.  Grown predominantly on limestone, these wines are altogether different and more Burgundian in prospect to wines from elsewhere in Germany that might be grown on slate or loam. 

Slightly smoky scents of red and black berries with nutty, earthy-mineral tones and floral nuances. So clean and ripe on the palate; fresh and rather cool fruit, though abundant, and contrasted with slightly nutty and smoky wood notes, a hint of  meatiness and chalky-mineral tones. Fine, lithe, youthful tannins. Juicy and tangy with good persistence, and a cocoa-dusted, taut finish. Sublime.

A sublime Cru Barbaresco, from the legendary Produttori. The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is yet another frankly awe-inspiring wine from winemaker Aldo Vacca. Rich, deep and super-expressive, the 2016 hits all the right notes. Fine aromatics that mix an exotic array of baking spices with stony minerality, graphite, black liquorice, soft leather and truffle, with primary notes of spiced plums, and black cherry. The palate is dense and focused, dark fruited and broody, revealing massive concentration, though with some reluctance; expected, given it's relative youth. Silken tannins and seamless harmony make for a wine of serious expression. The Muncagota is another wine in this range that will clearly reward cellar time to reach full potential, but provides exquisite pleasure already. Drink 2021-2030

In the most accurate and faithful way possible, this unapologetically oaked white wine mirrors the terroir in which the Chardonnay vines are grown. In other words, it is an expression of the low vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld Shale derived soils and the heavily maritime-influenced climate.

Made using uncomplicated (not simple) winemaking techniques, this is an athletic, chiseled and precise wine. It embraces the very adult tastes of salinity, brininess and minerality, balanced by fully phenolically-ripe fruit, all of which are the hallmarks of the great and classic white wines of the world.

A classic Provencal rose, beautifully pale pink in colour with a delicate nose of wild strawberry, morello cherry and a definate hint of sea air. An abundance of fresh red fruit on the palate, with balanced acidity and a crisp finish. Our all-time bestseller.

n.b. new label for 2020 vintage

A beautifully crafted wine from the Okanagan Valley of Canada's British Columbia. Cool climate and intense sunshine make for a precise and driven wine that will delight fans of white Burgundy. With the vast majority kept in stainless steel to maintain the bright, fresh, vivid fruit notes, a small percentage of the cuvée is kept in second and third use oak to add texture, mouthfeel and subtle smoky influences. Pale lemon in the glass, expect aromas of ripe orchard fruit, briochie and a hint of minerality. The palate is bursting with bright stone-fruit flavours along with a hint of butterscotch and ripe citrus. This wine has wonderful intensity and texture and finishes with mouthwatering acidity. Quite exquisite.

This is a wonderfully versatile food wine. Try pairing with lemon roasted chicken, seafood risotto, or creamy butternut squash soup.

Silver Medal; National Wine Awards of Canada

Silver Medal; Chardonnay Du Monde

Silver Medal; Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence

Frontonio Microcósmico Garnacha is named after Saint Frontonio, patron saint of the north-eastern Spanish town of Epila where it is produced. Legend says that after Saint Frontonio was beheaded by the Romans, his body was buried in a cemetery and his head cast into the River Ebro. Miraculously his head was found upstream on the bank of the River Jalon, close to where the Bodegas Frontonio winery is located.

Going against the grain, in much the same way as Sant Frontonio's head floated upstream, Frontonio Microcósmico Garnacha eschews the prevailing current tendency for over-extracted wines and, instead, displays the fresher side to the Grenache variety. Every sip delights with the expressiveness of wild fruit flowing over the cracked grey slate of its vineyards in the cool climate found at altitudes of 700 metres.

The fruit is fermented with 10% of whole bunches in the mix and matured mainly in concrete vats, with just a small amount of wine being aged in 500-litre wooden barrels. The result is a precise, floral, fragrant and elegant red wine, proudly and openly displaying the honest character of Grenache. Fine tannins cover a subtly lactic background. Aromas of forest floor and wild red fruits blend with a pinch of white pepper to give it a stylish austerity and irresistible rusticity. The lively energy of its soil is enjoyed in every sip and lingers until the wine's aftertaste, when wild aromas and the delicacy of Grenache skins return.

Thanks to the decision of the Master of Wine (one of the top international distinctions awarded in the wine world) Fernando Mora and his friends and partners to work in the historic but, at that time, largely-forgotten winemaking area of Valdejalón, we can now take delight in splendid wines such as this Frontonio Microcósmico Garnacha.

In the local Argentinian dialect, the word decero means “from scratch.” That’s exactly the meaning that sums up the birth of this wine label. Originally a barren stretch of land, the vineyards of Agrelo in the Mendoza region have now become one of the premium red wine-producing areas of Argentina. Thomas Schmidheiny, who belonged to a family of passionate winemakers, was the one who discovered the full potential of this plot of land in the 1970s.

These vineyards are located at a height of 3500feet above sea level, the tallest in Agrelo. The winemaking experts at the vineyards and the estate are from Argentina and from across the world. The team maintains a hands-on approach in all the practices involved right from planting the vines until the bottling stage. This is what is known as the Amano approach here.

Finca Decero’s Mini Ediciones Petit Verdot is a limited and unique bottling that allows one the rare opportunity to taste the varietal in its pure form. The wine is known for its juicy and rich character with dried berry, shaved chocolate and hints of tea. It is full-bodied, with firm tannins and a flavourful finish.

The legendary wine in large format!

Altocedro Alandes Paradoux Blend is a Bordeaux-inspired blend of five varieties by leading winemaker Karim Mussi. Packed ripe blackberry and damson fruit with hints of chocolate and spice. Rich and full with great length.

Bodega Alandes was built in 1904. "Paradoux Blend" is an enological paradox in itself, where different styles and aesthetics are played, using noble Bordeaux varietals, which allow the elaboration of elegant and complex wines. A blend of note onl ygrapes, but vintages, lends a unique and multi-faceted expression.

This wine is made up of varietals: 20% of Malbec, 20% of Merlot, 20% of Petit Verdot, 20% of Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% of Cabernet Franc, each of which were aged separately, and then together, for 12 months in French oak barrels. The result is a harmoniously complex and original blend.

The best Condrieus are about texture as much as flavour and this wine showcases exactly why. Made with Viognier grapes from 35-year-old vines clinging to the steep slopes of the Rhône Valley, laboriously and sustainably tended by the third generation of the Richard family, Hervé and his wife Marie Thérèse. 

There is so much going on inside this bottle. The balance between fruit, freshness and minerality is exemplary, with vibrant flavours of apricots, peach and white blossom all on show. Crucially, a year of barrel ageing imparts that all-important texture, culminating in a delightfully pure and clean finish. 

Ladoix is perhaps one of the lesser known villages of Burgundy, but with Domaine Romanee Conti as your neighbour, it's some wonder why?! Perhaps the distraction of of DRC has allowed Ladoix to remain under the radar, and as such, it remains an exceptional value treat, ripe for discovery.This is a Pinot Noir of incredible purity and elegance. A very characteristic ruby garnet in colour, with soft red fruit perfumes of raspberries and red cherries and excellent depth of flavour. Subtle oak use, just nudging this wine towards gaining greater depth and forest floor aromas. Silken tannins, strawberry acidity, a perfectly formed physique. Sublime.

This 30-hectare estate produces modern wines with beautiful definition and verve using traditional Galician grape varieties. The vineyards are steeply terraced at high altitude, up to 670 metres, and mostly farmed organically. There is little top soil here, with the old vines working hard to survive on the rocky terrain. Lalama is a blend of 90% Mencía, with the remaining 10% made up of Brancellao, Mouratón, Sousón and Garnacha Tintorera.

Incredibly elegant on the nose, this wine has bright red cherry aromas, soft plum, and an appealing savoury character with a hint of dill. Not disimilar to a Northern Rhone Syrah. Vibrant and refreshing, it has real depth and concentration with crunchy red fruit and earthy notes alongside fine, yet pert, tannins and a granitic minerality which lingers. It's great to see Mencia in the hands of experts. This is a style that will please fans of Burgundy or US Pinot immensly. 

Since his first vintage in 2001, Javier Dominguez’s Dominio do Bibei has been widely acknowledged as the driving force behind the emergence of quality wines in Spain’s historic Ribeira Sacra. His family bought land in the Bibei valley, Ribeira’s most easterly subregion, and today they own a 140 hectare estate, of which 45 hectares are planted to vines. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to revive the region and its indigenous vines, undertaking what is known locally as ‘heroic viticulture’. There are far easier places to make wine than in Ribeira Sacra. But Javier Dominguez, along with his consultant winemakers, Priorat’s Sara Pérez and René Barbier, are united in a common belief in this spectacular landscape, its ancient character and, most of all, its capacity to produce Spain’s most distinctive wines.

The 'Lalume' has aromas of white stone fruit, floral notes and a touch of aromatic herbs. On the palate, it is precisely textured with good acidity, broad aromatic complexity, and a long finish. Evocative of the landscape and the people, this epitomises the quality of the region.

Founded by Chris and Andrea Mullineux in 2007, this winery is now one of the most lauded in South Africa. Named ‘Winery of the Year’ four times by the Platter Guide in 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020, Mullineux were also Tim Atkin MW’s ‘South African Winemakers of the Year’ in 2016. They chose the town of Riebeek-Kasteel, just west of Malmesbury in the Swartland, for its old vineyards on granite and schist soils, reasoning that, with such quality fruit, they would be able to make outstanding wines. It is an understatement to say they have been proved right.

The 2019 vintage was dominated by very dry conditions in the Swartland, with average yields reduced by 30%. The lower yields resulted in significantly smaller grape bunches and berries, leading to wines with higher than normal extract and concentration levels. Chenin Blanc is the major component (74%) along with Clairette (8%), Viognier (7%) and Grenache Blanc (6%) plus tiny additions of Semillon Gris, Viura and Verdelho, sourced from seven parcels in different parts of Swartland. Candied lemon peel, cloves, poached pear and quince together with white blossom and fresh pastry weave together for an enticing nose. These follow on the palate with bright citrus, ripe pear and peach with stony minerality and almond-like finish. Will get more waxy and textural as it ages.

The 2015 Barolo Riserva Cannubi is dense and expressive, with all of the richness of the year front and centre. Sweet red cherry, mint, pine, anise, dried flowers and spice all develop in this open-knit, supple Barolo. Time in the glass brings out the wine's textural depth and resonance. The Riserva emerges from the central part of the Rinaldi family's holdings in Cannubi Boschis. Drink now-2035

94 points

A quietly charming, delicate Provençal rosé, fragrant with clementine, white flowers and rose petals, with a trace of passion fruit on the tongue. The juice spends some time on fine lees to give the wine some pleasing texture.

Grapes are from Grenache and Cinsault vines dating back to 1936.

‘This should be available at every restaurant that has seafood on the menu,’ began consultant Cinthia Lozano, echoing the sentiments of the rest of the judges who awarded this Gold. ‘It’s very elegant,’ added team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW, who described ‘lifted, aromatic, floral notes of roses and strawberry jam that lead to a clean, limpid palate’. Gold Medal, Sommelier Wine Awards 2019

A full-bodied, richer style of Sancerre as the wine was partially aged in large, seasoned wood barrels. This slow exposure to air renders a wine with great sophistication. The vines are younger, at 15 years in age, and come from Sauvignon Blanc vines planted in 0.4 ha of south east facing, slopes of clay-limestone soil covered in Caillottes. Classic flinty minerality, enhanced by the barrel ageing, along with zesty citrus notes and inviting Sauvignon grassiness. Fresh, aromatic, and supremely rounded for a Sauvignon blanc, this is a world away from the pungent New-World style, and all the better for it.

A pale straw colour with passionfruit, honeysuckle and peach notes. The palate is fresh and intense with lots of complexity and a long finish. Fermented using 100% natural yeast with 10% of the wine matured in new French oak, a further 15% is matured in stainless steel with the balance placed in old French casks for 8-12 months.

Mountford Estate is a boutique vineyard and winery, internationally renowned for making elegant wines of distinction, quality and interest. The team place a strong emphasis on attention to detail and use bio-dynamic practices in the vineyard and traditional Burgundian methods in the winery.

Suggested food and wine pairing: Meaty fish (halibut, cod) and shellfish (lobster, shrimp, crab, scallops.) 

This wine is a blend of the three vineyards owned by McHenry Hohnen; Calgardup Brook, Burnside and Hazel’s Vineyards (20%/45%/35% respectively). Laterite soils are the common feature of all. Lateritic soils are some of the oldest soils on the planet. They encourage the vine roots to explore deep to find water and nutrients and be self-sufficient.

The nose is dominated by kaffir lime leaf and grapefruit that leap from the glass, accompanied by a light ginger note. Mouth filling white peach and lemon rind give way to a roasted almond mid palate. The acidity is creamy but balanced.

A bright ruby-garnet , limpid and brilliant. The nose is engaging with notes of warm red berries and floral scents balanced by notes of sweet spices. Showing elegance and proportionate ageing.

In the mouth, the promise of the nose is kept: we find a wine with good volume and a full, fleshy attack. The evolution is more robust but with a fine texture which readily assimilates the tannic structure, with the whole palate being carried by a pleasant freshness. Depth, power and grace, this is a juicy, toothsome Pinot that you can really get to grips with, whilst retaining a silken-smooth mouth experience. 

For those who want Provence-style rosé at sensible prices! From the Pays du Var region of southern France - essentially the 'county' in which Provence resides - comes this very stylish rosé, full of Provencál character. Pale salmon-pink, with delicate notes of strawberry, pink grapefruit, white flowers and raspberry; even a hint of sea air. Fresh and light and very easy to knock back! One of our favourites in the sub £10 range, and an absolute steal.

13% abv

The 'love-child' if you will, of Valpolicella and Amarone, the Ripasso style provides a wine of depth and concentration whilst still delivering a refreshing style. Full-bodied and intense Venetian red wine, aged 18 months in Slavonian oak barrels and barriques. The bouquet has attractive notes of blackcurrant, red fruit, cinnamon, tobacco, against an anise background. Smooth tannins give a structured yet supple mouthfeel, with sour cherry, plum, and dark chocolate notes. Great with stews, steaks, lamb shank and BBQ pork loin.

This sensational Cabernet Franc carries spice and lightness from the glass to the palate. Full of vivacity, with good structure and fine tannins. Not overly herbaceous or extracted, this exudes the fruit and earth of Franc with a delicate hand. Nec-Otium matures the wine in old wooden barrels and bottles it unfiltered.

The grapes come from an old vineyard in the village of Buttrio, measuring about one hectare. The vines are managed organically but not certified. The grapes are picked by hand and the average yield is 20 hl/ha. They are fully destemmed before maceration and fermention is with natural yeasts. Matured in large oak barrels with ageing for a total of twenty months. Bottled with no fining or filtration.

The roots of the Rinaldi winery go back to the mid-nineteenth century, a time when the father of Francesco Rinaldi, who would later give the company its name, decided to buy a small farmhouse located in the town of Cannubi, one of the most suited for the production of Barolo. Today the Francesco Rinaldi & Figli winery is guided by a strong female determination: it is Paola and Piera who currently own the company,

This is the perfect wine for fans of structure and intensity, showing a great core of quite developed fruit, alongside the sensation of being in a comfy armchair. This wine undoubtedly needs to "open up" (that is, reach its peak aromatic complexity through contact with oxygen).

This wine is ready to be enjoyed now, however, it has qualities that allow it to evolve and refine over time, properly stored, for at least another 2-3 years.

The Chardonnay grapes come from single vineyards in Buttrio and Prepotto, where the vines have an average age of more than 30 years. Yields maintained at around 40 hl per hectare to retain concentration. Vinified entirely in stainless steel tanks and aged on its own yeasts until March, the wine is bottled with a light filtration.

Very Chablis-esque, but with unmistakable Italian flair. Classic tones, delicately exotic, but typically salty thanks to the fresh, well-integrated acidity that suggests immediate drinkability, but promises a pleasant evolution over the next five years.