You may have to go into store to buy this, as it doesn’t seem to be available on line, but it’s worth it. It’s light and refreshing for a Cahors, with no oak, sweet bramble and blackberry fruit, good balance and a perky, refreshing finish. 10% Merlot adds a little plumpness to the blend, fleshing out the 90% Malbec.
Retailer: Waitrose
2010 Château l'Hospitalet, La Réserve, La Clape, La Clape, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £11.99 down to £8.99, 14.5%, Waitrose )La Clape (amusingly named if you’re a Brit) is one of the best appellations in the Languedoc, making wild, garrigue-scented wines like this blend of Strah, Grenache and Mourvèdre from ex-rugby player, Gérard Bertrand. Smoky, savoury and complex, with notes of tapenade, rosemary, black pepper and succulent blackberry fruit.
2009 Laurent Miquel Vérité Viognier, Pays d'Oc, Languedoc
( £14.99 down to £11.24, 13.5%, Waitrose )Laurent Miquel makes some of the best Viogniers, not just in France but in the world. This judiciously-oaked wine wouldn’t look out of place in Condrieu, such is its fidelity to this supremely aromatic grape. Classy vanilla oak, fresh acidity and flavours of cream and stone fruits are beautifully intertwined here.
2011 Domaine Paul Blanck Gewurztraminer, Alsace
( £14.99 down to £11.24, 13.5%, Waitrose )Produced close to the village of Kientzheim, this is a very stylish Alsace Gewürz, with none of the oilyness that can affect the variety. Gentle spice, with lovely acidity, rose petal fragrance and a brisk, refreshing, ginger-like finish. Try this with a washed rind cheese.
2011 Terredora Greco di Tufo, Terre Degli Angeli, Campania
( £13.99 down to £10.24, 13%, Waitrose )I’ve had more more Italian white wines this year than ever – and no, I’m not talking about Pinot Grigio. This stunner from Montefocso, near Naples, comes from chalky soils and shows lovely, pithy minerality on the palate, backed up by notes of orange zest and citrus fruit and impressive weight.
2009 Domaine Lucien Muzard, Premier Cru Maladière, Santenay, Burgundy
( £19.99 down to £14.99, 13%, Waitrose )A Premier Cru Burgundy from a great recent vintage for less than £15? Bargain time! This is rich, sweet and savoury, with bgas of sweet fruit, plenty of smoky oak and the concentration and texture to age in bottle for another five years at least. The finish is fine and refreshing, reflectingf the limestone slope on which it was grown.
2010 Joseph Drouhin, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Burgundy
( £15.99 down to £11.99, 13%, Waitrose )Drouhin is one of my favourite Burgundy négociants, equally adept at producing reds and whites. There may be some 2009 of this wine in the stores (as there is on line) but both recent vintages are superb. This is light, graceful and fragrant with fresh, crunchy acidity, a touch of minerality and balanced, nuanced red fruits’ flavours. Very impressive for a “mere” village wine.
2010 Le Passé Authentique, Producteurs de Plaimont, Saint-Mont, South-West France
( £9.99 down to £7.99, 13%, Waitrose )There aren’t many (any?) wines on supermarket shelves made from three such obscure varieties as Gros Manseng, Arrufiac and Petit Courbu, but that’s only one reason for buying this wine, especially on a deal at £7.99. It’s crunchy, refreshing and unoaked with notes of pink grapefruit, apricot and lemon zest, with an underlying note of stony minerality. The wine lingers on the tongue like a haunting refrain.
2011 Palacio de Fefiñanes Albariño, Rías Baixas
( £15.19, 12.5%, Waitrose )This is consistenly one of my very favourite Albariños (and Spanish whites for that matter) from the historic Fefiñanes winery. It’s spritzy, perfumed and refreshing with that Riesling-like crispness that you get in the best Galician whites, notes of pear and stone fruit and a long, satisfying, palate-tingling finish. The taste of (green) Spain.
2011 Phaedra Xynomavro Rosé, Macedonia
( £9.99, 12.5%, Waitrose )The best red grapes, Greece’s Xynomavro among them, invariably produce the best rosé wines. Good on Waitrose for listing a Greek example with ambition and personality: raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, a touch of sweetness and a nip of tannin on the finish.
2010 Txomin Etxaniz Chacolí de Guetaria, Basque Country
( £13.99, 11.35%, Waitrose )The wines of the Basque country don’t often leave Spain, partly because they are glugged so enthusiastically in the bars of San Sebastián and Bilbao, but also because they are difficult to pronounce. If you don’t know Chacolí as a wine style, it’s made from the Hondarribi Zuri grape, light in alcohol and often slightly spritzy. This one is tangy and refreshingly acidic, with a little fatness from lees contact and notes of apples and fresh lemons. Try it with sea food or a lip-smacking aperitif.
2010 Catena Malbec, Mendoza
( £12.49, 13.9%, Waitrose )This may be the best mid-priced Malbec yet from Argentina’s leading producer. It’s perfumed and stylish, with notes of violets and fresh plums on the nose, followed by ripe, but not over-ripe blackberry fruit, subtle vanilla oak, textured, grainy tannins and refreshing minerality and zip. The oak is better integrated than in previous releases and there’s welcome finesse here. Great now, but will develop in the bottle for another three to five years.