£20 to 30

Complex nose with hints of dark chocolate, blackberry, lavender and mocha. Good structure with plum, vibrant red berry and mineral complexity and a lingering finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Elim, Cape Agulhus

Grapes: Shiraz Grenache Mouvedre Viognier

ABV: 14% 

A brilliant example of Pinot Gris from a top English winemaker. Beats some of the best French or Italian examples!

A dry white with fragrant aromas of citrus, apple, grapefruit, and pear, which follows through onto the palate, with a wonderful richness and slightly honeyed character. It has a crisp, fresh acidity with a hint of white pepper spice accompanied by a creamy freshness and long, velvety finish

Country: England

Region: Sussex

ABV: 12%

Grape: Pinot Gris

Made with fruit from the legendary first growth vineyard Mezes Maly.

Mézes Mály's characteristics are based around its translation as 'honey pot'. Its incredibly long and exquisitely balanced aromas and flavours combine the very essence of aszu wines.

Apricot and honey on the nose, beautiful fruit driven depth of palate which is bone dry, followed by a gorgeous minerally finish. If you love white Burgundy - this one's for you.

Country: Hungary

Region: Tokaji

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Furmint, Hárslevelû, Muscat

Co-founded in 1990 by wine writer Hugh Johnson, Royal Tokaji has quickly become one of the most important wineries in Tokaj, producing sweet and dry wines.

Stunning Palo Cortado style sherry from Gonzalez Byass. Made from Amontillado sherry, ageing for 12 years before bottling to create a delicately sweet and nutty wine. Drink chilled as an aperitif or with food.

Country: Spain

Region: Jerez

Grapes: Palomino

ABV: 20%

NOVAL BLACK is a new way to drink Port, a new-age Port destined to be enjoyed with dark chocolate or simply drunk chilled, used also as a cocktail ingredient. 

A deliciously smooth and rich Port with masses of black fruit flavours, raisins, prunes and hints of chocolate. 

Country: Portugal

Region: Port

ABV:19.5%

Grapes: Port varieties

A very convincing, fresh, expressive bouquet with pure brambly, briary black fruit and freshly tilled earth. The palate is medium- bodied to full with crisp black cherry and blueberry fruit. The tannins are fine and edgy, while the finish is beautifully composed and contains Margaux- like femininity. This is extremely well-crafted Cabernet Franc, with a surfeit of personality.

 Country: Chile

Region: Maipo Valley

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 14.5%

Canadian ex-ski coach, Derek Mossmann Knapp, is the enfant terrible of the Chilean wine scene. He set up Garage Wine Co. with his wife Pilar Miranda and Dr. Alvaro Pena in 2001 with the intention of being the polar opposite to the big, established companies that dominate the Chilean market.

Seductive, rich and enthralling - a brilliant northern Italian take on cool-climate Merlot.

Aromatic, spicy, mature forest fruits, notes of ripe plum and damson on the nose. Velvety and sumptuous on the palate - plum, rich vanilla and sour cherry give way to a fine, long, structured finish with ripe tannins. A full-bodied wine which exudes elegance.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Merlot

Deep purple/red colour with an opaque core. On the nose it is rich with sweet red and black berry notes, some vanilla and sweet spice. On the palate it is much weightier than the nose suggests.  Very opulent, but elegant and balanced at the same time.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14%

Grape: Shiraz

Bright, light straw colour. Fragrant, fresh spring flowers on the nose and fresh fruit-driven palate of green apple, pear, white peach and grapefruit. Dry, crisp, and mineral, with a slight saline. The fruit and mineral balance is so delicious! Very long, clean and precise.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Grapes: 50% Petit Manseng 50% Viognier 

ABV: 13% 

Food Match: soups, aperitif, soft fresh cheese or antipasto.

Certified Organic

Aromatic and fresh. Great on it's own over ice or in a gin martini. Yum.

Country: Spain

Region: Galicia

Grapes: Albarino

ABV: 15%

Dry, zesty and super fresh. Wonderful with spicy middle eastern dishes or hot Indian curries.

Country: Germany

Region: Rheingau

Grapes: Riesling

ABV: 13%

Read all about Victoria's recent trip to Germany in her blog here.

Heavenly sweet treat from the steep banks of the Danube!

Country: Austria

Region: Wachau

Grapes: Chardonnay, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Weissburgunder

ABV: 10.5%

A wonderfully complex and textured barrel fermented white Douro with a long, fresh and minerally finish. Made from four different indigenous grape varieties from very high altitude vineyards.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: 46% Rabigato, 29% Viosinho, 24% Gouveio,1% Fernão Pires

ABV: 12.5%

Food Matches: Great with seafood or fleshy pan fried white fish dishes.

Jamie Goode in Wine Anorak: 12.5% alcohol. A blend of local white varieties from Pedra Alta’s highest plots. Complex and nicely restrained with taut lemony fruit and some notes of pear and white peach. Lively and precise with good acidity and nice purity, this has the potential to develop with time, and it’s almost Burgundian in style. 94/100 

As a naturally petillant/sparkling wine, this has been bottled before the primary fermentation is complete, so the fermentation process continues in the bottle to produce a natural spritz.

Francesco Anne Santi's family has been farming for generations, but she decided to turn her stables into a wine cellar and a new business was started. 

Country: Italy

Region: Umbria

Grapes: Sangiovese, Aleatico

ABV: 11.5%

This artisanal wine is made from Sangiovese and Aleatico grapes sourced from Francesco’s land in the Valnerina Valley in Umbria, refermented in the bottle in a semi-sparkling rose style. Uses the award winning Mekano closure using reclaimed plastic, for this colourful and innovative packaging.
Slightly cloudy with an orangey-pink hue. A delicate spritz with fine well-lasting bubbles for a Pet Nat. Flavours of green apple, white peach, unripe melon give the mouth a blast of freshness whilst a touch of biscuit character adds complexity. Much cleaner and less funky than you would expect from a Pet Nat.

Superb concentration, complexity, amplified aromatics, and depth of flavour going on in this Georgian qvevri wine. Dried apricots and ripe peaches. Well rounded, with a sophisticated tannic structure, vibrant acidity with a long honeyed finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Kisi

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Spicy dishes, seafood such as shellfish and salmon, aged hard cheeses.

"Amber in colour with kumquat, sun-dried apricot and marzipan on the nose, candied orange peel, dried peach and tangerine zest on the palate, supported by muscular but polished tannins, thanks to controlled extraction. Fantastic depth, the lovely dried apricot notes follow to the long finish." 92 points, Sylvia Wu, Decanter (September 2022)

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

A delicious, bone dry, traditional method sparkling from  from André at Quinta do Montalto.

Country: Portugal

Region: Lisbon

Grape Varieties: Organically farmed Arinto and Fernao Pires

Gorgeous, ripe white peach and lime with subtle toasted hazelnut characters. The palate is rich, textural and layered with a long, mineral finish. 

Country: Australia

Region: Tasmania

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

This wine has an attractive shiny light ruby colour. It is both refined and very frank on the nose and palate. It opens to aromas of red fruits. Its silky tannins support the balance of a wine, such that it can be kept for some time (5 to 7 years) while remaining pleasant in its youth.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Food Match:  Serves well as an aperitif for fresh and savoury tapas, soft-boiled eggs or roasted fish.

Maison Chanzy is a highly respected Burgundian producer, their wines are a classical demonstration of premium vineyard sites in Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.

Their range has been carefully engineered by winemaker Max Blondelle, whose primary task is to create wines that eloquently communicate their respective terroir, whilst remaining hands-off in his approach. As such, Chanzy are one of the few Burgundy producers to achieve Haute Valeur Environnementale level 3; the most highly regarded certification for agriculture in France.

Pinot noir is the heritage of Red Burgundy. The pinot noir grape was born in Burgundy and has carried the name since 1375. Pinot noir is the hereditary source to all of the great red wines from Burgundy vineyards. Pinot noir is jealously desired, but it is fragile and it requires very careful care during its vegetative period.

Wonderfully fragrant with notes of pithy stone fruits, bight jasmine and honeysuckle. The palate follows through with a richness of fruit including ripe peach and apricot. The finish is given finesse by the refreshing acidity.

Country: USA

Region: Lodi

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Viognier

Aromas and flavours of cherries, plums, spices, tobacco and liquorice - everything a Chianti should be.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese, Merlot

Concentrated cassis with a hint of liquorice. Bright and elegant Bordeaux red.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Haut Medoc

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

ABV: 12.5%

A great freshness and a perfect balance between degree and acidity. Straw yellow with green hues, clean and bright. Powerful, fruity nose, with notes of green apple, citrus and tropical fruit, white flowers, herbs and fennel. Very fresh in the mouth with good acidity, intense flavour, fruity, balanced, complex, with a long finish.

Country: Spain

Region: Ribera del Duero

Grapes: Albillo

ABV: 13%

Food: Great with seafood, oriental dishes and salads.

Cillar De Silos Wine

A full bodied style of Pinot Noir this vintage. Deep ruby in colour. Intensely fragrant bouquet of red berry aromas, elegant vanilla and a touch of wood spice. These follow through on the full-bodied palate where soft, supple tannins contribute to the dense structure. Well balanced with a lingering aftertaste. Yummy!

Country: South Africa

Region: Hemel en Aarde

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 14%

https://www.creationwines.com/

Delicious sweet nectar! With spice, apricot and plum on the nose this wine is filled out by the vanilla and honey on the tongue. The high acidity of this wine keeps it fresh and bright despite the sweetness. 

Country: Hungary

Region: Tokaji

Grapes: Furmint, Hárslevelu, Yellow Muscat.

Abv: 11.5

Food Match: Goes beautifully with apple and blackberry crumble with creamy vanilla ice cream.

A Rhône Valley style shows wonderful black fruit perfumes of super-ripe black-cherry with background hints of pretty white-flower jasmine. Fine French oak contributes with gentle vanilla and cinnamon spice. The palate is plush and velvety – the shiraz 95% shows as blackcurrant with dark berry richness and cassis adding a dense yet satiny gloss. Viognier 5% is about opulence with luxuriant polished softness with extra elements of flower and spice. Co-fermenting has gifted an extra degree of lift and length to the palate, combining the flavours for a great young drinking style.

Country: Australia

Region: Hunter Valley, NSW

Grapes: 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier

ABV: 14.5%

Food Match: Chinese spare ribs, beef stir fry or barbecued fish.

These thoughtful, hand-crafted wines hail from the Hunter Valley with a nod in part to the great Rhône Valley wines of Hermitage and Cote Rôtie. For those who may have tasted any legendary Hunter Shiraz wines of the 40s, 50s and 60s, tasting many of the modern Hunter wines can be a depressing experience but Keith Tulloch is very different, adding to that great legacy with a series of wines that uniquely capture the exotic spice and hedonistic pleasure of dense and rich Shiraz fruit. These are sensuous, subtle wines with the velvety texture of fine burgundy.