Wine Best Buys, Great Value, Affordable, Sale Wine

93 Points - James Suckling

A new "Appassimento" wine from Zenato. 

Big, smooth and delicious as you would expect. This is a neat fit between their Valpolicella and Ripassa.

Descorchados 90 Points

A lovely wine from an artisan family winery producing wines in a natural style. The winery was built on a gravity feed system and uses pneumatic presses to extract only the best juice. They practice sustainable farming and winemaking. 

Very deep opaque ruby, red fruit on the nose and big legs sticking to the side of the glass.

Soft and silky on the palate with red and black fruit flavours, and good palate cleansing acidity on the long finish.

Ruby in colour with a very natural nose (reminiscent of Phillipe Viret's wines). Incidentally the name "Pach" means earth.

Good fruit with balanced oak, soft and round with earthy notes and a hint of residual sugar on the finish.

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This is superb.

Deep ruby in colour. Big fruit, bold and punchy nicely tempered by the oak. It's very smooth with gentle acidity.

Highly recommended.

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A lovely wine in that typical Chilean style. Aged in oak for 8 months.

The wine is soft with cherry flavours, very smooth with a dry finish.

Descorchados 94 Points

A unique wine!

These sauvignon grapes were fermented with Sake yeast - Vina Marty is the only winemaker outside Japan permitted to use it.

The wine is clear gold in colour with legs and a complex nose. Big concentrated flavours with a very long finish.

This is a special wine.

Descorchados 93 Points

A fantastic Pinot Noir, reminiscent of good Martinborough Pinot from New Zealand.

Light ruby in colour, mid weight on the palate. Cherry and plum flavours, smooth with balanced gentle acidity. This is unoaked to retain the freshness and fruit. It is very good indeed!

Descorchados 93 Points

This is a great artisan wine produced in the Malleco Valley which is just about as far south as wine country goes in Chile.

Pale gold in colour with a lychee nose. Reminded me very much of good Awatere Valley Sauvignon. It has big concentrated fruit flavours with gentle natural acidity (rare in sauvignon blanc) and a very long dry finish.

A great summer wine, also will pair well with food.

Gold - Mundus Vini

International Wine Report - 92 Points

A fantastic new organic wine from this excellent co-operative. The renowned Rhone trio of grape varieties "GSM" (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre).

This wine is superb for the money.

Brand new wine. 

This rose is fantastic. Pale salmon in colour. Delicious red fruit flavours with a very long dry finish. Low sulphite as well. We don't have the official figures yet but Jane was able to drink it without triggering her sulphite allergy.

It looks great too (this image doesn't do it justice). Amazing value at this price.

This is a fantastic wine for the money. Full flavour with good body, well ballanced natural aciidity and a long crisp finish.

The 2017 won

Decanter Trophy Best in Show, 97 Points

Gold - Mundus Vini, Gold at Orange

This AC Cairanne is a blend of traditional Rhone varieties all fermented together, then aged in concrete for 18 months to preserve the fruit while maturing the wine so it's ready for immediate consumption (but will keep for years if required).

Concentrated fruit flavours, medium bodied and very smooth. This is a great wine for anybody looking for depth of flavour without any wood ageing. 

Cabernet Sauvignon (52%) Shiraz (28%), Merlot (10%) plus 10% other varietals. 22 months in oak. We have just received the 2010.

National Wine Championships - Champion, Double Gold

Platter 4.5 Stars

New, more 2017 just in!!! We have been waiting for this as it is one of our personal favourites. Always winning awards every year, this is one of the finest Merlots produced in South Africa.

Rainbows End Merlot is regarded by Neil Pendock of the Platter Guide as one of the best in South Africa, and I have to agree. The 2014 was exceptional as was the 2015 and 2016. We have just received stock of the 2017. Rainbows End is one of my favourite wineries and this Merlot is one of my favourite wines. This is well worth trying to see for yourself just how good top quality South African Merlot can be.

This artisan Tampesta Albarin is from the DO Tierra de Leon in North Western Spain. It's a lovely full flavoured wine with body and good mouth feel, having been aged on the lees. Very fresh and natural on the long finish, made by expert Galician winemaker Luis Buitrón, vice-president of the Spanish Federation of Winemakers and president of the Association of Oenologists of Galicia.

One of our best selling Spanish reds. Soft, smooth, natural and very easy drinking.

This artisan Tampesta Golan is again Prieto Picudo, this time aged in oak for 26 months. It is delicious and natural. Although aged for 26 months in oak it isn't overpowering as some Reservas can be, it is far more balanced and elegant.

The wine is made by expert Galician winemaker Luis Buitrón, vice-president of the Spanish Federation of Winemakers and president of the Association of Oenologists of Galicia. Highly recommended.

Premios Baco Gold Medal

This Tampesta Rose from the DO Tierra de Leon in North Western Spain is a lovely soft and fruity natural Rose made by expert Galician winemaker Luis Buitrón, vice-president of the Spanish Federation of Winemakers and president of the Association of Oenologists of Galicia.

A fantastic new wine which is a pet project from our favourite Spanish supplier. Cecilia had Rosa Zarza make the wine, and many of you will have enjoyed her reds such as the Incredulo wines and the superb Tinta Rosa and 14 Meses.

Well here Rosa has made a superb Verdejo from organically grown grapes.

Delicious flavours, fresh and crisp yet with some body and complexity from 4 months on the lees.

A fantastic wine for summer and a bargain at this price!

Bodegas de Galicia - Gold 2017, 91 Points by the Penin Guide

A true artisan Albarino from this tiny family winery. Very natural and pure. Delicate and elegant, yet quite full bodied. Highly recommended.

Just moved onto the 2019. 

Tim Atkin 93 Points

This Joubert Tradauw Chardonnay is a beauty. Joubert Tradauw is a superb tiny family winery in the Little Karoo, producing some excellent handcrafted wines in a natural style. Meyer Joubert farms organically (although not certified) and uses minimal additives or manipulation in the cellar. This Chardonnay is superb, as are his red wines.

Barrel fermented and left on the lees for 12 months to add body, weight and complexity. Initial citrus flavours with some vanilla, the oak is tempered and the whole wine has great balance of fruit, oak and natural acidity.

We are on the 2016 which Tim Atkin recommends drinking now through to 2023.

Rainbow's End is one of my favourite wineries. This time Anton has aged some of his excellent Chenin Blanc in wood for a few months.

Absolutely delicious! The wood has added some body and good mouthfeel. Ful of flavour yet still clean and fresh on the finish. This is excellent wine and very low sulphite too, so no ill effects or headaches etc.

Highly recommended.

This is Anton's brand new Rose - please excuse the photo it isn't entirely accurate. This wine is a beautiful pale copper in colour, very similar in appearance and style to good Cotes du Provence - it is beautiful! Very low in sulphites too.

The Martinez family began producing wines in the beautiful town of Laguardia back in the 16th century. Today they are still there making these handcrafted wines in tiny quantities. Their total production is just 40,000 bottles per year. They practice sustainable methods, farm biodynamically and always ferment the grapes with their own natural yeasts. They produce some delicious outstanding wines.

The grapes were all hand picked from forty year old vines. Very pale gold in colour. Hold your glass up to the light and you will see this wine has wonderful clarity. On the nose there's an array of citrus fruits and some delicate perfume. On the palate it has good weight with delicate elegant flavours. Fresh and complex, it very quickly grows on you! We loved it.