ANTHONY ROSE also has Australia on the brain: 'Australian wine is squaring up to French at every level,' he asserts. He predicts that 'over the coming year, Shiraz is likely to remain the dominant force in Australian wine', while 'Cabernet from Margaret River and Coonawarra should stage a comeback'. Rose's top weekend wine to 'splash out' on is 2003 Hewitson Old Garden Mourvdre, Barossa Valley (16.95, or 15.25 each bought as a case; Berry Bros & Rudd).
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MATTHEW JUKES goes red and gets serious with his own take on a few good-value winter warmers. Among his favourites are 2003 Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz (6.49; Sainsbury's) and 2005 Diemersfontein Pinotage (7.99; Waitrose). Although,
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'Drinkable wine has never been cheaper,' says RICHARD EHRLICH, but he's still not happy. And this is because the low prices are brought about by supermarkets that 'screw such harshly ungenerous terms out of their suppliers'. Trade up a notch, says Ehrlich, and fork out for something better, such as 2002 Doa Dominga Carmenre Reserva, Chile (6.99; Sainsbury's).
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A Sainsbury's selection from RICHARD EHRLICH: El Burro Kickass Garnacha (4.99, down from 7.99), Fuller's London Porter (1.32/500ml, down from 1.76) and 2004 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Ros (4.99, down from 6.99).
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Some of us might enjoy the run-up to Christmas, some of us might even have fun on the day itself, but not JONATHAN RAY: 'I must confess to finding both journey and destination pretty grim.' Drink your way through, is his advice, and a cracking fizz to start things off is Mumm Demi-Sec Champagne (22.49; Waitrose). For party wines that won't break the bank, Ray suggests 2003 Tiki Ridge Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay, New Zealand (4.99; Waitrose) and 2004 Sainsbury's Australian Merlot (3.99).
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Stuart Husband attends the second quarterly Lunch Club at the Moro restaurant in London. Someone asks if ros is 'in'. 'Very much so,' comes the reply, 'but not Mateus Ros.' Rioja is the order of the day. The next Lunch Club, in January, is based on Sherry.
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For a 'cheat's dinner party' of leek vinaigrette with eggs and chives, Moroccan spatchcock with couscous and tzatziki followed by caramelised roast apples, GILES KIME recommends 2004 Shingle Peak Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (7.29; Sainsbury's), 2004 Errazuriz Estate Shiraz (5.99; Sainsbury's) and Muscat de St Jean de Minervois (3.99 for 37.5cl; Sainsbury's).
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Jamie Goode struggles to match wines to winter veggies, of all things. He goes for fruity, flavoursome reds for glugging. They include 2002 Don Reca Limited Release Merlot (9.99; Waitrose, Sainsbury's); 2004 Caves Saint-Pierre Ctes du Rhne Villages Preference (6.99; Tesco); 2001 Kingston Empiric Selection Durif (5.99, Morrisons); 2004 Nepenthe Tryst (6.99; Oddbins, Asda, Waitrose, Somerfield); and 2004 La Basca Uvas Blancas, Via de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon (4.99; Marks & Spencer).
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JAMIE GOODE is bowled over by South Africa, saying, 'The wine scene is so vibrant here that it's hard to keep check of what's going on.' He advises on a few top bottles such as 2005 Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc, Helderberg (7.99; Tesco, Sainsbury's) and 2004 Porcupine Ridge Syrah, Coastal Region (6.99; Waitrose).
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The Gaucho Grill chain of Argentinian restaurants impresses ANTHONY ROSE with its wine lists, the fruits of Phil Crozier's passion. Notable mentions come for Vicien Bonarda, 2005 Crios de Susana Balbo Torronts Cafayate, Norton Privada, O Fournier Bcrux Tempranillo and 2002 Finca Flichman Paisaje
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A 'paradigm of modern rural Englishness' is how VICTORIA MOORE describes the Wiltshire village of Heytesbury, where she drank Wylye Valley wines - all of them whites and named after fishing flies: Watson's Fancy, Teal and Green, and Coachman. 'Never mind headlines about sparkling English wine beating Champagne in blind tastings,' she writes. 'Only when we see more of it drunk thoughtlessly will we begin to be a proper wine-producing country.' Nevertheless, in her Drinks Q&A, Moore recommends Chapel Down Extra Dry NV (11.99; Sainsbury's).
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Deep in the Wicklow Hills of Ireland, JONATHAN RAY meets 'the Brooke Shields of cows', one of a herd of 100 that supplies milk for Baileys. It's 100% natural, no preservatives, using top-quality cream from the healthiest of cows, eating the lushest of grass, apparently.
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JANE MacQUITTY gets 'heartily fed up of other commentators whingeing about' high alcohol levels. She asks so what if a blood, guts and thunder Aussie red weighs in at 14.5% alcohol, or a majestic, dark, brooding South African Syrah at 14.7%, as long as the wines is balanced and the alcohol integrated.
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JOANNA SIMON compiles a three-page guide to 'a stellar cellar'. Among her listings, there is a panel of 'names you can trust' among the brig brands. Her list includes Torres, Concha y Toro, Cono Sur, Peter Lehmann, Yalumba, De Bortoli, Villa Maria, Montana, Robert Mondavi, Santa Julia, Calvet and Douthe.
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JANCIS ROBINSON MW shows her family side with a visit to the Symingtons of Oporto. The charms of the 'wild' and 'beautiful' Douro valley are not lost on Robinson, but she also recognises that 'it's not easy to stay afloat in the Port business. As Paul [Symington] points out, recent mergers and acquisitions in the global drinks business have seen most Port companies involved dropped like hot potatoes.' According to Robinson, the new generation of this premium Port company sees 'the future firmly based in unfortified dry wines labelled Douro rather than Port'.
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JAMIE GOODE would be lying if he said Sherry was hip, but he does think 'it is an unappreciated and wonderful drink, not to mention amazing value for money'. For those with a sweet tooth he suggests Lustau East India Solera Rich Oloroso Sherry (7.99/50cl; Waitrose); and for those with a drier palate, Asda Fino Sherry (3.74) or Tesco Finest Dry Oloroso Sherry (5.05).
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RICHARD EHRLICH is adamant: 'The term "good, low-priced sweet wine" is almost as great a contradiction in terms as "President Bush's left-wing advisers". It just never happens.' And this, he explains, is largely because 'the grapes have to be individually selected followed by hand-sorting at the winery'. However, if you can't afford to spend 250+ for a bottle of Chteau d'Yquem, Ehrlich recommends 'three Waitrose sweeties', such as 2002 Chteau Jolys Cuve Jean, Juranon (9.99/50cl). Or for those who are feeling lucky, Ehrlich suggests trying out an offer from Lay & Wheeler: buy an unmixed case of wine for a chance to buy a bottle of 1990 Yquem for 25. 'Think of it as a win-win bet,' he says. 'If you don't win the Yquem, you've still got 12 good bottles. And if you do win well, I'm free for dinner on whatever night you plan to drink it.' Plenty to play for then.
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OANNA SIMON discovers that gin has come a long way since 'the dismal state of the gin market in the early 1990s'.
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Although the idea of drinking Champagne and eating oysters has long held a 'glamorous potency' for VICTORIA MOORE, she couldn't help but notice that 'oysters don't really go with Champagne'. The classic French bubbly is 'simply too elegant and too refined to match against this primal force', thinks Moore. Instead, she recommends 2004 Tesco Finest Muscadet Sur Lie (4.99) or 2004 Beranger Picpoul de Pinet, Coteaux du Languedoc (4.29; Booths).
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Despite its odd choice of presenters - Jono Coleman ('a podgy beachball with a mullet') and Wendy Namby ('whose sense of humour appears to be buried deeper than a chalk cellar in Champagne') - TIM ATKIN MW admires The Joy of Wine. The DVD and wine-tasting package, which can be yours for 49 plus 5 postage, is aimed at simplifying wine for consumers, and Atkin finds it 'a useful, comparatively jargon-free introduction to Bordeaux'.
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