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John's Recommended Wines
This is a selection of wines which offer seriously good quality for their price. In boxing terms they would be described as 'punching above their weight' and as such are great value.

Eral Bravo Malbec 2006 75cl

14.5%abv. A big, fruity powerful Malbec with well balanced tannins and a long finish, from one of Argentina's best producers. We recently had a bottle at a friend's house after starting with a glass of Masi Campofiorin. The Malbec blew it away on flavour and length, and when we went back to the Masi we couldn't drink it! This is a very good wine and highly recommended. If you're a fan of the Susanna Balbo Malbec you should try a bottle of this wine too!

Eral Bravo Website

Price: £13.95 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating	88 Points

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Bodegas El Porvenir Amauta Cabernet Merlot 2005 75cl

MZA Hyatt Award - Gold Medal

14% abv. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot, with 6 to 8 months in French oak. We've been waiting 6 months for the release of this latest vintage. Stunning wine, it sells out so fast it's not even featured on their website. Highly recommended. Big fruit flavours, full in the mouth with an almost velvety mouth feel and a really long finish. Superbly balanced, with good acidity making it an ideal wine to enjoy with food. However I believe it's so good I just want to savour it on it's own. Jane said simply 'it's the best wine she's drunk for ages'. High praise indeed!

El Porvenir Website

Price: £13.95 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	MZA HYATT
John's Rating	90 Points

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Further Information

More information on Bodegas El Porvenir Amauta Cabernet Merlot 2005 75cl

Luna Benegas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 75cl

14%abv. Produced from 60 year old vines from a single vineyard. Good fruit with a hint of pepper, smooth and lingering. Elegant and well structured. Very nice just to drink on it's own but even better when paired with food. Unsuprisingly the majority of Argentine reds seem suited to beef dishes, and this one is no exception. I personally love this wine, I think it's superb quality for the price.

Benegas Website

Price: £9.19 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Luna Benegas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 75cl

Hugh Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon Mclaren Vale The Villain 2006 75cl

NEXT are retailing this wine at a hefty £16.95!

New vintage - 2005 was Sidney International Wine Competition Winner Blue Gold Award judged with food. Top 100 Wines.com 2007

15% abv. Very deep ruby in colour with powerful aromas of chocolate on the nose. This wine has big powerful fruit on the palate with caramel flavours. The strong fruit is beautifully balanced by big alcohol and integrated tannins. Supremely long on the finish. This wine is superb.

Hugh Hamilton Website

Price: £13.78 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Hugh Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon Mclaren Vale The Villain 2006 75cl

Claymore 'Dark Side Of The Moon' Shiraz Clare Valley 2006 75cl

90 Points by Wine Advocate for this vintage, 2006, with 2004 winner Best Australian Red - Singapore International Wine Challenge.The 2005 was awarded 90 points Robert Parker.

14.5% abv. 2006 now has a cork closure, not screwcap. Produced from low yielding 70 year old vines from the two best of Claymore's own vineyards in the Clare Valley, with a minimal amount of additional fruit from other premier vignerons. A big powerful full flavoured Shiraz. Full bodied, smooth and rounded. Not overly 'peppered' as some can be. Aged in French oak for 18 months prior to release. Great length. What a great wine for a dinner party from this bespoke winemaker. Production is limited to just a few thousand cases per year. One of my favourites.

Exclusive to us in the UK and very limited.

Claymore Website

Price: £12.26 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	WA
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Claymore 'Dark Side Of The Moon' Shiraz Clare Valley 2006 75cl

Dowie Doole Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2007 75cl

Winestate Magazine Winner 'Best of State' plus a host of great reviews from the Australian press for 2004 vintage - read them at the website. It's selling so fast we've just received the 2007!

14.5% abv. Very deep purple in colour with aromas of cherry and vanilla on the nose. Strong red fruit and vanilla flavours, not the spicy peppery style as some Aussies can be. Superb length, very smooth, full bodied with a lovely mouthfeel. Again supreme balance between fruit, body, tannin, wood and alcohol. This wine is very very good! I highly recommend you try it.

Dowie Doole Website

Price: £10.99 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	Winestate
John's Rating	90 Points

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Dowie Doole Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2007 75cl

Fermoy Estate 'John Anderson' Margaret River Shiraz 2004 75cl

14.5%abv. Excellent wine, description to follow.

Price: £10.21 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

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Fermoy Estate 'John Anderson' Margaret River Shiraz 2004 75cl

Merlot Mitico IGT delle Venezie Cesari 2005 75cl

13% abv. Gerardo Cesari was IWSC Italian Wine Maker of the Year in 2004 & 2006. A beautiful fruit driven Merlot. Soft tannins but more body and structure than traditional Merlots making it ideal to have with food. Medium bodied with good mouth feel, and a lingering finish. Delicious.

Cesari Website

Price: £10.21 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

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Merlot Mitico IGT delle Venezie Cesari 2005 75cl

Tenuta Rapitala IGT Sicilia Nero D'Avola 2007 75cl

13.5% abv. 100% Nero D'Avola grapes from low yielding vines from selected parts of the Tenuta Rapitala vineyard at 400 metres above sea level. The grape must is carefully vinified, partly in wood, then aged for twelve months before bottling. The resulting wine is full flavoured and well balanced, making it ideal to accompany food.

Please note this wine is unfiltered and will contain some natural sediment of grape particles. These will be found on the base of the cork and at the bottom of the bottle. Please pour carefully, decant or use the excellent Vinturi if you don't want to get sediment in your glass. It's completely harmless and is a natural biproduct of wine production. Many producers choose to bottle their wine unfiltered as they believe filtering can take away some of the natural flavour. I've just drunk a bottle after a customer reported the sediment as a fault. It's not a fault of course and the wine was lovely, but I can understand some people may be put off with sediment in their wine if they're used to drinking factory produced, large volume wines.

Price: £8.67 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Tenuta Rapitala IGT Sicilia Nero D'Avola 2007 75cl

Morton Estates The Mercure Bordeaux Blend 2007 75cl

Mercedes Benz Hawke's Bay Wine Awards 2009 Bronze Medal.

Most 'popular brands' of wine can contain upto 350 parts per million of sulphites. The reds from Morton Estates contain between 18 - 25 parts per million. That's 93% less sulphite than a branded wine!

A blend of predominantly Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Plenty of ripe fruit aged in both American and French oak, with a hint of pepper and soft tannins. Drinking well. Pair with red meats. I find myself drinking a lot of this one at the moment. Soft, smooth, very easy drinking. Not a big complex wine but ideal when you want something good which can be opened and consumed straight away, without breaking the bank.

Morton Estate Website

Price: £8.37 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	HB
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Morton Estates The Mercure Bordeaux Blend 2007 75cl

Zevenwacht Tin Mine Red Stellenbosch 2005 75cl

Veritas Awards 2008 Bronze Medal, with IWSC Silver Medal and Veritas Bronze for the 2004 vintage. 14% abv. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Primitivo. This wine is delicious, powerful fruit, with good tannic structure, full bodied, smooth and lingering with a little pepper from the Syrah. We thoroughly enjoyed it on it's own, but this would be a good food wine too. It's refreshing to see a winemaker, in a country dominated by varietals, blending grapes to produce a wine of such elegance and quality. Highly recommended.

Zevenwacht Website

Price: £9.19 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	VER
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Zevenwacht Tin Mine Red Stellenbosch 2005 75cl

Stonehedge Cabernet Sauvignon, California 2005 75cl

13.5% abv. Silver Medal - Tasters Guild International Wine Competition 2008, Silver Medal - Jerry Mead New World Wine Competition 2008. Predominantly Cab Sauv with a small amount of Syrah and Petite Syrah blended in to add a slight spice. Plenty of fruit on the palate, soft and smooth with sweet tannins. Medium bodied with noticeable oak and great length. This is a good bottle of wine. Great to drink on it's own or pair with red meat casseroles, or dishes with sweet sauces such as roast duck Cantonese style.

Stonehedge Website

Price: £9.19 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Stonehedge Cabernet Sauvignon, California 2005 75cl

Tapiz Sauvignon Blanc 2008 75cl

13% abv. Mendoza. Tapiz have seven vineyards all at altitude between Lujan de Cuyo and the Valle de Uco. This is a delicious Sauvignon. Good concentrated fruit flavours with ample body and well balanced acidity.Good length too. Four of us tried it with various cheeses and we all remarked how delicious it was, even the non sauvignon fans amongst us! Highly recommended.

Price: £8.47 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Further Information

More information on Tapiz Sauvignon Blanc 2008 75cl

Gavi del Commune di Gavi DOCG Granee Beni di Batasiolo 2008 75cl

12.5% abv. Standard Gavi is produced in a fairly wide area stretching about 100km from Novi Ligure to the Ligurian Appennines in Piedmont and is a fairly reasonable wine. However 'Gavi del Commune di Gavi' is only produced in the village of Gavi and is far superior quality and naturally more expensive. This is the Gavi to look out for. The Cortese grapes are soft pressed then fermented under temperature control. The wine is crisp and refreshing, full flavoured and well balanced with a dry finish. Great as an aperitif or to accompany seafood. This is a genuine Gavi del Commune di Gavi and is great value at this price.

Price: £10.16 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Gavi del Commune di Gavi DOCG Granee Beni di Batasiolo 2008 75cl

Chardonnay delle Venezie Mitico IGT Cesari 2005/6 75cl

12.5% abv. Gerardo Cesari was IWSC Italian Wine Maker of the Year in 2004 & 2006. Full, rich, buttery nose more reminiscent of a New World Chardonnay than Old World. Strong fruit flavours, full bodied and a long, dry finish. This wine is lovely, seeming to blend new world fruit with Italian finesse.

Cesari Website

Price: £10.21 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Chardonnay delle Venezie Mitico IGT Cesari 2005/6 75cl

Trebbiano Moncaro 2008 75cl

11.5% abv. IWC - Bronze.The grapes for this wine are selected from the best vineyards on the hillsides of Italy's Marche region. They are gently pressed and fermented under temperature control. 15% Verdicchio grapes are added to the Trebbiano grapes to soften the sharpness and give more body. The wine is fresh and packed with fruit, with a floral bouquet. Great value.

Moncaro Website

Price: £5.10 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	IWC
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Morton Estates Hawkes Bay White Label Chardonnay 2007

Michael Cooper - Best Buy

This is Morton's best known Chardonnay and one of their most successful wines, having received numerous accolades over the years. I personally believe it's a fantastic wine. Having been disappointed with other Hawke's Bay Chardonnays in the past I was really suprised just how good this wine is. Fermented and aged in French oak barriques, this wine has lovely fruit flavours with a creamy texture, similar to Champagne - without the bubbles of course. A well rounded palate, full in the mouth with persistent flavours and good length. Very enjoyable on it's own but will pair very well with poultry, fish and light meats. Highly recommended.

Morton Estate Website

Price: £8.37 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	MC
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Morton Estates Hawkes Bay White Label Chardonnay 2007

Morton Estates Hawkes Bay White Label Pinot Grigio 2007 75cl

Most 'popular brands' of wine can contain upto 350 parts per million of sulphites. The whites from Morton Estates contain between 25 -35 parts per million. That's 90% less sulphite than a branded wine!

Hawle's Bay Mercedes Benz Wine Awards - Gold Medal - Best export wine 2009. Silver Medal - New World Wine Awards 2007. Silver San Francisco Wine Awards 2006.

The grapes for this wine come from their Kinross vineyard, harvested at optimum maturity then fermented in stainless steel. An enticing nose of tropical fruit, unusual for a Pinot Grigio as most of the European versions, tend to be aromatically challenged! This wine has more body than you'd first expect from the nose, due in part to it's maturation in French oak. Packed with flavour with just the right body and mouth feel, with a long lingering floral finish. This wine is fantastic. I realise New Zealand isn't famous for Pinot Grigio but you really should give this wine a try, it's absolutely delicious. Pair with fish or poultry or just enjoy on it's own.

Morton Estate Website

Price: £8.37 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	HB
John's Rating	90 Points

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Morton Estates Hawkes Bay White Label Pinot Grigio 2007 75cl

Zevenwacht Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Stellenbosch 75cl

Michael Angelo Awards - Gold Medal, Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 08 - Bronze, Wine Magazine 4 Stars.

13.5% abv. Another superb wine from Jacques Viljoen. A lovely, crisp, fresh Sauvignon. Bags of fruit with very good balance and length. It seems Jacques really does get the best out of any varietal. He's an expert wine maker who takes enormous pride in producing superior quality wines.

Zevenwacht Website

Price: £9.19 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
Awards:	MAA
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Zevenwacht Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Stellenbosch 75cl

Pirineos Mesache DO Somontano 2007 75cl

13.5% abv. Macabeo, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay. A really floral nose, typical of the gewuzrtraminer, followed by delicious fruit on the palate and a really long finish. This is a delicious wine.

Price: £8.17 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

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Stonehedge Chardonnay Monterey California 2005 75cl

14% abv. Deep gold in colour. This is a cool climate wine grown at altitude to retain freshness. Full bodied with good strong tropical fruit flavours and good length, enhanced by subtle oak ageing. This is yet another delicious wine from this family owned winery. Pair with cheeses, salads, smoked fish or chicken, or simply enjoy on it's own.

Stonehedge Website

Price: £9.19 (Inc. VAT at 17.5% )

Sulphites:
John's Rating

Quantity: Bottle(s)

Stonehedge Chardonnay Monterey California 2005 75cl