£20 to 30

Perfectly balanced, toasty yeast aromas, apricot and red apple. Intense toasty, creamy palate and a vibrant, long finish. This is just sooooo yummy!

Country: France

Region: Loire

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 12.5%

St Laurent is a beautiful little-known grape variety. Very similar to low yield Pinot Noir but more tannic and full bodied. Delicious.

Bitter dark cherry and ripe mulberry on the nose. Juicy red fruit and red plum skin flavours on the palate, super soft tannins. Light and easy drinking, perfect summer red for sipping on the veranda. Will match well with just about anything because of soft tannins and fruitiness, even slightly spicey dishes.

Country: Austria

Region: Thermenregion, Lower Austria

ABV 13.5%

Grape Variety: St Laurent

Food Match: This wine works well with game bird or roast duck. Enjoy with venison sausages or tagliatelle with chicken liver and porcine.

ORGANIC

Now in its fourth generation of winemakers, the 40 hectare estate is run by Johann Reinisch's three sons: Hannes, Michael and Christian. With a 2,000 year legacy of wine growing in the region, the Reinischs maintain traditions with vineyards planted with 65 % red and 35 % white vines. The winery is best known for their excellent Pinot Noir and St. Laurent grown in vineyards from both the stony, alluvial gravel soils of Tattendorf (rich in both chalk and lime) near the winery and the elevated, nutrient rich soils of Gumpoldskirchen.

Massaya Rose is made with 100% Cinsault, grown on hillside vineyards in the Beqaa Valley, at an altitude of around 1000m. This beautifully balanced and expressive rosé has lovely freshness, due to the altitude and is aged in stainless steel vats for 8 months. It is bottled in late spring the following year after harvest.

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Cinsault

ABV: 13%

Food match: Mediterranean chicken or fish dishes with grilled vegetables, tabbouleh

Golden yellow colour. Precise and delicately honeyed nose, underlined by toasted notes. Unctuous foam leads into to a sophisticated palate, with a distinctive Chenin character of quince, acacia and beeswax. The finish is elegant, upheld by bitterness and structure.

Country: France

Region: Loire

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 12.5%

Food Matches: Aperitif, foie gras, vanilla desserts or gingerbread!

Concentrated ruby red colour with hints of violet. A ripe, full Dolcetto with wild berries, cherries and a hint of violet on the nose and palate. A long, velvety finish. Delicious!

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

Grapes: Dolcetto

ABV: 13.5 %

Food Match: Perfect with any tomato based pasta dishes or aubergine parmigiana.

Sorì del Cascinotto is a single vineyard planted in 1971. Sorì del Cascinotto is also an official Cru, one of the 76 official Crus of the Appellation, which is known for producing some of the best expressions of the Dolcetto grape due to its unique microclimate.  

A natural, beautifully golden sparkling wine. The aroma is dominated by apple, quince and citrus fruit notes. Medium-bodied, with a pleasantly fresh fruit-forward finish.

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Danube Plain

Grapes: Riesling 

ABV: 11,5 %

Food Match: Aperitif, shellfish, salads, fish & chips.

Expressive fresh red fruit. Round, juicy, fruit-driven palate. This is almost silky with perfectly wrapped up tannins.

Country: Spain

Region: Ribera del Duero, Castilla Y Leon

Grapes: Tempranillo

ABV: 14%

Cillar De Silos Wine

Intense red fruit aromas on the nose and palate, this medium-bodied nebbiolo beauty from Produttori del Barbaresco has hints of white pepper and liquorice supported by bright tannins and a fresh acidity. A great introduction to the fine wines of Northern Italy.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Antipasto, pasta dishes with tomato sauce or slow cooked red meat stews. Very versatile.

Walker Bay in South Africa is becoming a shining example of how Stellenbosch no longer holds the mantle of 'best region' in South Africa - there are now other contenders.

Abundantly fruity on the nose with fragrant white peach aromas mingling with a rich, creamy character. These follow well onto the palate and combine seamlessly with crisp minerality and natural acidity.

Country: South Africa

Region: Walker Bay

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Viognier

Since founding Creation in 2002, Jean-Claude and Carolyn have led conservation efforts for the area, becoming one of only nine wineries in South Africa to receive EnviroWines accreditation. It’s not simply an audit, but scientific measurement of every management practice.

It's not easy to make decent red wines in this country, but Bolney seem to have the secret of how it is done! 

This medium-bodied dry wine has aromas that consist of blackberry, black cherry and peppery spice. The palate shows ripe blackcurrant and red berry flavours with herbaceous character held together with good tannic structure. There is good acidity and a smooth, smoky and velvety finish.

Country: England

Region: Sussex

ABV: 11.5%

Grapes: Rondo, Regent, Triomphe

Fresh and floral with red currant and raspberry hints. A very elegant and minerally example of this native Sicilian variety. Delicate, soft red fruits and a subtle garrigue-ness.

Country: Italy

Region: Etna, Sicily

Grapes: 100% Nerelo Mascalese

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

An excellent vintage in the Southern Rhone, full-bodied and creamy-textured for the estate. Hints of wood char and roasted meat mark the nose, while the flavours of mocha and brown sugar carry through the plush, velvety finish.

Country: France

Region: Rhone Valley

Grapes: Grenache, Syrah

ABV: 15%

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.

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

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

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

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

Country: Spain

Region: Galicia

Grapes: Albarino

ABV: 15%

Iconic South African wine by South African Winemaker of the year 2020 Gottfried Mocke, one of the most innovative winemakers in South Africa.

The nose is dark, intense and brooding with aromas of black cherries, cardamom, sweet tobacco, espresso and subtle whiffs of perfume. The dark fruit character of the nose follows through onto an exceptionally complex, juicy palate with gentle nuances of ripe plums, violets, black olives, cloves, and liquorice. The mid-palate is focused, lithe and elegant with very fine, cocoa powdery tannins. The wine is medium to full bodied, very balanced with an earthy, layered character, covering the entire spectrum of berry fruit - from tart red plums to rich blue and black berries. The finish is svelte, clean and dry, peppery and lingering, with hints of dried cranberry, tar, graphite and smoke.

Country: South Africa

Region: Swartland

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Syrah 71%; Grenache 11%; Cinsault 9%; Cabernet Sauvignon 8%; Viognier 1%

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.

Yummy Burgundian Chardonnay from next door to Pouilly-Fuissé. Clean, fleshy white fruit aroma with a subtle honeyed finish.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

Heavenly sweet treat from the steep banks of the Danube!

Country: Austria

Region: Wachau

Grapes: Chardonnay, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Weissburgunder

ABV: 10.5%