JANE MacQUITTY also goes Grner this week. She disagrees that the variety is boring and bland by giving readers an annotated version of the variety's entry in The Oxford Companion to Wine, citing stats on hectolitres per hectare harvested, its percentage in total Austrian plantings and where best to plant it (the pretty terraced southern banks of the Danube' apparently). Eventually readers find out what it tastes like and where to buy some. When in Vienna, she likes the oh-so popular heurigen inns'.
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Explaining the desirability of the 2005 Burgundies, JANCIS ROBINSON MW says nothing went wrong except for a spot of hail in the growing season. Thanks to a lack of water, the grapes may have been pea-sized, with thick skins full of flavour, tannin and colour, but for most of the red wines, yields were relatively respectable. She agrees with Bernard Dugat-Py's view that 2005 is not like the super-ripe 1989 and 1990 vintages, because it has much more acidity and much riper tannins. If there is one dominant characteristic of the wines, she says, it is their thrilling combination of ripeness with acidity'.
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MATTHEW JUKES picks out seven affordable wines from California this week. Among them are 2004 Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel (8.99; Thresher) and 2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir, Hahn Estates (6.99; Sainsbury's).
His Wine of the Week is 2005 Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Chardonnay (6.49-6.99; Sainsbury's, Tesco), which he says sits shoulder to shoulder with any other great Chardonnay at a similar price'.
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Rich, fruity full-on wines that go well with Indian curries do not go with Thai food, says SUSY ATKINS.
She thinks Thai dishes need a more delicate touch, and a lighter, crisper style, and suggests trying an exotic wine such as 2004 Preiss-Zimmer's Gewrztraminer (6.99; Morrison's), 2006 Villa Maria Gewrztraminer (7.99; Waitrose, Majestic) or 2005 Pauletts Riesling, Polish Hill River (9.99; Majestic).
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This week JAMIE GOODE looks for full-flavoured whites and richly fruited red wines to partner sweet and spicy North African dishes this week.
His recommendations range from the 2005 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Riesling (7.49; Morrison's) to the slightly less mainstream Brazilian wine 2005 Rio Sol (4.99; Waitrose). He says it is surprisingly good for a vineyard that produces three crops a year. A Merlot from Moroccan producer, Les Celliers de Meknes, also comes in for praise.
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Tawny Port does not have the comfort factor of Vintage Port, says JOANNA SIMON, partly because it should be served chilled. Despite being the colour of terracotta tiles', she praises it for its versatility and as a match for killer chocolate puddings'. Watch out for cheap versions that don't indicate an age, she warns. Her recommendations include 10-Year-Old Marks & Spencer Aged Tawny (11.99), 10-Year-Old Noval Tawny Port (15.59; Waitrose) and Graham's The Tawny (14.99-15.09; Sainsbury's, Tesco, Thresher, Waitrose).
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The one dark cloud hanging over the UK wine trade is the Chancellor, observes MATTHEW JUKES. We have to pay the same duty rate per bottle for English wines as we do for wines made outside our shores, and it is time to give us a break, he argues.
Biddenden Vineyard, in Biddenden, Kent - his former local vineyard - Jukes says has always made good wines and its 2005 Gribble Bridge Ros (78.60 for 12 bottles) is not to be missed.
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It's JANE MacQUITTY's turn to sing the praises of Portugal's native grape varieties and its wines this week. Many bear a hefty price tag, but among the more affordable wines, she recommends: Sainsbury's 2005 Taste the Difference Douro red (6.99), produced by Quinta do Crasto; 2001 Jos de Sousa red (6.29; Waitrose); and 2004 Portal da Aguia Trincadeiro (5.69; Oddbins).
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Although Barbera and Dolcetto might not be as intellectual as Nebbiolo-based Barolo and Barbaresco', VICTORIA MOORE recommends these grapes for value and easy-drinking qualities. So easy that they can be drunk from a Duralex beaker' apparently. Among her recommendations is 2003 Elio Grasso Barbera d'Alba Vigna Martina. But at 18.75 a bottle (Lay & Wheeler), I think I'd be reaching for a glass.
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The results of the Wines of Argentina awards are this week's topic of conversation for JANCIS ROBINSON MW. She says the most exciting aspect is that only one of the trophy-winning wines costs more than 10 a bottle, although she expresses disappointment about the lack of white wines entered.
Wines worthy of mention include the 2006 Alamos Pinot Noir, Mendoza (6.99; Majestic) and the 2006 JF Lurton Chardonnay Reserva.
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As part of the launch of the Cloudy Bay locator', JONATHAN RAY has lunch with Tony Jordan, CEO of Cape Mentelle, Cloudy Bay and Green Point.
Ray gives a blow-by-blow account of his meal, from eel fillet to kangaroo loin, as well as a glowing report of the various Jordan wines served with each course. It reads like a LVMH advertorial.
However, Jordan makes an interesting point: The New World is expected to be constantly on the move but nobody asks when Chteau Margaux will produce a Syrah or Chardonnay ... our parent company in France demands innovation from us then when I ask what's new with Dom Prignon, they go all Gallic, shrug and mutter, "That's different."'
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The great thing about the 2005 Burgundies is how very good many of the humbler wines are, says JANCIS ROBINSON. There is something almost a little absurd about the current rush to acquire the grandest, most expensive wines of the vintage. Not only were the 2005 grapes unusually ripe and unusually healthy, this European winter has been unusually mild in Burgundy, so the 2005 cask samples have been fruity and easy to taste.
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Another with a nose for Wine Relief is MATTHEW JUKES. He is sufficiently committed to the event to be devoting two weeks to recommendations from the Wine Relief List. In theory, you can enjoy great wine, have a laugh on Red Nose Day and also do your bit for charity with ease if you follow these wines.'
This week his eight recommendations - all white - include: 2006 Stormhoek Sauvignon Blanc (4.49; Sainsbury's); 2006 Pirque Estate Sauvignon Blanc (6.99; Marks & Spencer); 2005 Brown Brothers Dry Muscat (5.29; Somerfield); and 2005 Tesco Gavi (5.99).
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Wine Relief, the vinous arm of Comic Relief', is on SUSY ATKINS' mind. Some of the money from selected wines on sale at Majestic, Thresher, Co-Op and six major supermarkets is going to the charity: When you buy these wines, 10% of what you pay goes to the fund to help disadvantaged people.'
She recommends Codornu Teresa Brut Cava NV (6.99; Morrisons); 2005 Tesco Finest San Juan Shiraz (7.99; Tesco); and 2006 Clocktower Sauvignon Blanc (9.99; Marks & Spencer).
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ANTHONY ROSE comments on the recent European Court of Justice ruling which rejected the idea that goods bought in other EU states should only be taxed in their country of origin. If the ruling had gone the other way, it would have been great news for wine drinkers in the UK, allowing us to buy French wine on the internet free of the UK's 1.29-a-bottle duty'.
His recommendations include 2001 Lagunilla Rioja Reserva (4.99; Sainsbury's); 2005 Cuve Extrme (7.99; Marks & Spencer); and 2001 Chteau Grand Puy Lacoste, Pauillac (26.32; Edward Sheldon, 01608 661 409).
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Recent summers have been good for English wines, says JAMIE GOODE. And while English sparkling wines can be expensive, they can also be favourably priced compared to the best from France.
The two English sparklers he recommends are 2003 Ridgeview Bloomsbury Cuve Merret (18.99; Waitrose) and 1999 Nyetimber Premire Cuve (21.99; Waitrose).
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MATTHEW JUKES looks into his crystal ball to see the wine trends of 2007. He sees Viognier as the 'fashionable white grape of the moment' and recommends the 2006 Trivento Viognier from Mendoza, Argentina (4.99, Waitrose). For Aussie reds he goes for the 2005 Majella 'The Musician' Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, Coonawarra (7.99, Oddbins), describing it as the 'finest Aussie red on the shelves at the moment'. He then proposes that his readers should consider Italy and suggests the 2003 Barbera d'Alba Conca Tre Pile from Aldo Conterno (21, Swig). Jukes also says that this year 'we should all learn more about sweet wines'. His offering is the 2003 Hegarty Chamans No.7 hand-harvested,late-autumn dessert wine from the south of France (50cl: 9.99, Oddbins; and 9.75, Irvine Robertson). Finally, Jukes predicts 'great things' from South Africa's wine industry during 2007, and this week's WOW is the 2006 Danie de Wet Earth and Sky Chardonnay from the Robertson region.
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Being charged different prices for the same product, depending on which branch of Tesco you are in, has attracted VICTORIA MOORE's attention this week. Not only Tesco, though: I was surprised to find that a wine I had tasted, and liked, at Marks & Spencer cost 50p more at M&S Covent Garden than it did elsewhere.'
Moore's selections include 2006 Organic Domaine Grand Milford Vin de Pays de Gard Ros (5.99; Marks & Spencer, currently on promotion at 4.79 or 5.27 in Covent Garden M&S); 2005 Le Vaglie Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (8.99; Booths); and 2006 Chile Cono Sur Viognier (5.49 down to 4.49; Somerfield).
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Armagnac has captured JONATHAN RAY's attention. He reminds us that Armagnac is the oldest distilled spirit in France and draws a comparison with Cognac, pointing out that while four companies control almost all of Cognac's production, Armagnac is made by small artisan producers.
Ray's wine recommendations of the week include 2005 Alain Brumont, Gros Manseng/Sauvignon Blanc (3.99 each when you buy two; Majestic); 2005 Domaine de Tariquet (7.39; Les Caves de Pyrnes); and Floc de Gascogne Chteau de Millet (9.95; Yapp Bros).
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Another with her attention on New Zealand is JANE MacQUITTY. I thought it would be suitably perverse - yet helpful - to turn the spotlight on New Zealand Pinot Noir,' she writes. What Central Otago and other prime New Zealand Pinot Noir regions produce are thrilling, sweet, New World sweet flavours,' she says, and points out that Marlborough continues to lead the Pinot Noir planting stampede'.
Among her recommendations are: 2006 La Baume Sauvignon Blanc (3.74; Sainsbury's); 2004 Altos de Tamaron Ribera del Duero (4.49; Tesco); and Alvada 5 Year Old Rich Madeira (6.99 for 50cl; Waitrose).
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