I’m a huge fan of Vermentino wherever it’s grown, but this Sardinian example is a total bargain. It’s ripe and spicy, with plenty of colour as well as notes of fresh straw, pear and aniseed, a bitter, nutty undertone and refreshing acidity. Superb value at under £11.
Price Range: £10-£20
2012 Cristina Ascheri, Arneis, Langhe, Piedmont
( £13.95, 13.5%, Great Western Wine )Arneis is Piedmont’s best white grape in my opinion, especially when it offers the sort of value and fruit concentration on show here from Ascheri in Bra. Refeshing and zesty, with a slight spritz, but with plenty of weight and concentration behind, with pear and angelica spice and a deliciously bitter twist.
2011 Trinity Hill Syrah by John Hancock, Hawkes Bay
( £13.50, 12.5%, Great Western Wine )This is only the “entry point” wine from Hawkes’ Bay producer, Trinity Hill, but what a cracker is it. The addition of a splash of Viognier gives a little more aroma, but it’s the Syrah that drives the wine and gives it focus. Violets, plums and cracked pepper on the nose and palate, with spicy tannins and oak adding extra complexity.
2009 Cillar De Silos, Ribera del Duero
( £15.50, 14%, Oddbins )Serious, concentrated, inky Tempranillo from Ribera with excellent structure and acidity. This is less oaky than some of this bodega’s releases and better for it in my view, with flavours of plum and spice, a touch of vanilla and a backbone of tannin. Should age well, too.
2012 Hatzidakis, Assyrtikos, Santorini
( £13.75, 13.5%, Oddbins )if you’re flirting with Greek wines but haven’t consumated the relationship yet, this is the place to start. Sourced from the volcanic island of Santorini, it’s rich, spicy, yet unoaked, with plenty of weight, notes of pear and fresh hay and a thrilling backbone of stony acidity. Like a cross between a Chablis and a Rhône blend, but with a herbal, Mediterranean twist that is all its own.
2011 Gut Oggau Theodore, Burgenland
( POA, 12%, Dynamic Wines )Terrific freshness in this blend of Grüner Veltliner and Weissburgunder (AKA Pinot Blanc) – a beguiling hint of onion skin on the nose gives way to a creamy and slightly vegetal palate, and a mineral finish. This wine spent a few days on the skins, giving it just a bit more structure and body than you might expect.
2011 Gut Oggau Winifred, Burgenland
( POA, 12%, Dynamic Wines )Made from a field blend of Bläufrankisch and Zweigelt, and with a wonderful burnished rose hue. There’s an exotic aroma of wild strawberries, and attractive herbaceous character to the lightweight fruit. Just when you think this might be another simplistic summer rosé, it builds to a more complex savoury finish.
2010 Gut Oggau Atanasius, Burgenland
( POA, 12%, Dynamic Wines )Although this is effectively Gut Oggau’s entry level red, there’s quite a serious intent to the dark leathery fruit aromas. The fruit is lively, with blackberries dominating the flavour. Elegant tannins lend gravitas to what is a fairly light style. Sandy/gravel soil.
2011 Reuilly, Les Coignons, Denis Jamain, Loire Valley
( £14.25, 12.5%, Berry Bros & Rudd )A Reuilly that tastes as good as a lot of much more expensive Sancerres and, crucially for a 2011, doesn’t suffer from the earthy, grey rot-like notes that damaged the Loire in that vintage. Subtle, flinty, yet ripe, with good almost Graves-like concentration and notes of goosberry and minerals. Try ageing it for a year or two, as you would a Pessac-Léognan. It might surprise you.
2008 Bodegas Ochoa, Mil Gracias Graciano, Navarra
( £11.99, 13.5%, Hennings Wine Merchants )Graciano is more readily associated with neighbouring Rioja (and then only in small quantities) than Navarra, but this one from the youthful Adriana Ochoa is superb. It’s almost Italian in style, with marked acidity, some spice and a fair bit of tannin, but there’s some black cherry and bramble fruit to add sweetness and flesh to the bones.
NV Harvey Nichols Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, Valdobbiadene Prosecco, Veneto
( £15, 11%, Harvey Nichols )A Prosecco with a bit of bling? You might blink at the idea of spending £15 on a bottle of cuve close method fizz, but this is rather good: drier than most examples, with floral aromas, pear and nectarine fruit and small bubbles. Soft and very easy to drink, darling.
1997 Quinta do Noval Colheita Port, Douro Valley
( £39, 21.5%, Fine Wines Direct, Ocado, SH Jones )If you’re a fan of vintage dated Tawnies (aka Colheita Ports), they don’t come much better than this. It’s endearlingly, palate-stimulatingly spicy, with real intensity and focus, an impression of heat and figgy intensity, a faint undertone of spirit and a finish that lingers on the palate for minutes. The wine is drier than many examples, with the structure that is the hallmark of Noval’s wood-aged Ports.