JAMIE GOODE has chosen a few bottles that offer something a bit out of the ordinary'. These alternatives include 2005 Via Leyda Pinot Noir La Brisas Vineyard, Chile (7.99, Oddbins). I'm not opting for the usual red Burgundy, but instead going for a Pinot Noir from Chile, combining cherry fruit with a subtle herbiness. Don't look so surprised: it's really very good.'
Read more...It's not always a good idea to give wine as a Christmas present, says SUSY ATKINS. Uninspiring bottles include the very big brands and cheap supermarket own-labels. Instead choose a classic, traditional label which screams "special"' - 2003 Campbells Rutherglen Muscat NV, Victoria, Australia, 37.5cl (7.99, Waitrose) for example, or 2003 Margaux Initial de Desmirail, Bordeaux, France (13.99, Marks & Spencer). Champagne Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV, France (28-31, available nationwide) is high up on my wish list because of its elegant, fresh flavours with rich notes'.
RICHARD EHRLICH dons a professor's hat for an evening to teach the food writing students at London's City University a thing or two about wine. He chooses to do this with the sadistic' method of blind tasting, and although the results are not revealed, Ehrlich promises that sharpening one's tastebuds by blind tasting is as useful for budding food writers as it is for oenophiles'. This week's wine recommendations include 2004 Insignum Riesling (4.99; Sainsbury's).
Read more...Tokaji is a wonderful wine to have to hand at Christmas,' says JOANNA SIMON. 1995 Disznoko Tokaji Asz 5 Puttonyos, 50cl (21.49, Oddbins) is rich yet tangy'; 1999/2000 Royal Tokaji Asz 5 Puttonyos, 25cl (8.99, Waitrose) has apricots and spice in a stocking-filler bottle'; 1999 Oremus Tokaji Asz 6 Puttonyos, 50cl (37.50-38, Fortnum & Mason, Berry Bros) is exceptionally opulent'.
Instead of arranging wine by price, geography or the banal "dry and fruity" route, Christine Parkinson at London restaurant Hakkasan has come up with headings such as "Curious Vines: distinctive wines, unusual, often ancient, grape varieties. Not Chardonnay".' And it's working, says VICTORIA MOORE. Sales of a Piedmont white made from Arneis have risen eightfold'. This week's top bottle tip from Moore is the elegant' 2004 Condrieu Les Vins de Vienne, France (19.99, Tesco Fine Wine).
We can't get enough of sparkling wine at this time of year, but you should be suspicious of bargain-basement Champagne,' says TIM ATKIN MW. Its invariably acidic mouthwash.' His choice of ros Champagne is Delamotte Ros NV (23.97, Corney & Barrow), best branded non-vintage is Taittinger Prlude Grands Crus (24.99 each for three, Majestic; 34.99, Tesco) and top branded vintage Champagne is 1999 Bollinger La Grande Anne (from 49.99, Oddbins, Majestic, Thresher).
I am invariably plunged into gloom at this time of year,' says JONATHAN RAY, but if I get our wine sorted out, it becomes a bit more bearable'. With smoked salmon on Christmas Eve, Ray suggests 2004 Tim Gramp Clare Valley Riesling, Australia (9.99, Adnams). Then, for the all-important following day, 2005 Tapanappa Tiers' Chardonnay (29.99, Telegraph Wine, Noel Young Wines, The Secret Cellar) is great with the turkey.
JANE MacQUITTY also departs from the norm and breaks out of her comfort zone to visit her local corner shops. She describes her Food, News Booze and Lottery Londis store in Fulham, south-west London, as 'enlightened' compared to the 'grim collection near me'. She sees 'two Chardonnay girls revving up for a night out with expensive pink dross, Blossom Hill White Zinfandel and Gallo Sierra Valley Grenache', while a knowledgeable-looking middle-aged male customer walks out with his usual, 'two bottles of 2004 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz'. She visits a Costcutter with a 'miserable range of Dark Ages wines', a Netto with 'wall-to-wall upright branded wines of ancient lineage' and a Spar, where the 'competent wine buyers spend most of their time sourcing the group's lengthy, constantly changing own-label range'. She concludes by commending her own top 100 Winter Wines. Both the red and the white star buys are Blason de Bourgogne wines: 2005 Pinot Noir (4.99-6.49; Asda, Co-op, Morrisons); and 2005 Chardonnay (4.99-6.43, widely available).
Read more...MATTHEW JUKES' selection of festive choices is, he says, the easiest column of the year to write, as more effort has been put into perfecting sparkling wine than any other category of wine in the world over the past few years. Good cava is hard to come by outside its native country,' but 2001 Marqus de Monistrol Vintage Cava, Peneds, Spain (7.99, reduced to 3.99 until 31 December, Co-op) is a top wine, with a discount that seems very bizarre to me. This is the party wine of the year. I put my name on it, and as you know, I am a very fussy taster.'
However much we talk dry, we clearly adore drinking sweet,' says ANTHONY ROSE, and few countries churn out affordable sweet wines quite as cheerfully and cheaply as Australia'. He's thinking of 2005 Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora, 37.5cl (4.79 to 7 January, Morrisons). Or for rich and voluptuous flavours, 1999 Chteau Filhot, Sauternes, 37.5cl (9.33 buy two get one free, Thresher) is a complex and stylish sweet Bordeaux white'. But Germany and Austria have every right to fight over the sugar-coated crown', too. For the quintessence of sweet white finesse, the 2003 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Riesling Auslese, Scharzhofberger, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, 37.5cl (14.80, Jeroboams, Laytons) displays opulent yet delicately balanced sweet and sour tropical zest.'
ANTHONY ROSE admits to not only having once been an avid supporter of Cava, but also to making pyramids of the lead capsules from Sainsbury's Cava bottles. Having got that sad admission out of the way, he goes on to recommend 2001 Marqus de Monistrol Cava (3.99; Co-op) as one of this month's bargains in his Christmas fizz round-up. Healso likes Montana's Lindauer Ros (8.99; Threshers), Marks & Spencer's basic Oudinot Champagne (12.99), Sainsbury's 2000 Taste the Difference Vintage Champagne (22.99) and Waitrose's 1999 Vintage Champagne (21.99).
SUSY ATKINS recommends Alsace wines, Gewrztraminer, Beaujolais, New Zealand Pinot Noirs and Tuscan reds as food-friendly wines for a 'newly liberated palate'.
Read more...JANE MacQUITTY presents a case for Port. She recommends Graham's Crusted Port, bottled 2000 (9.99; Sainsbury's); 1996 Taste the Difference Quinta do Crasto (19.99; Sainsbury's); and Graham's 1996 Malvedos Vintage Port (24.99; Oddbins).
cranks up the stereo with Led Zeppelin, Mahler or Bruckner when caterwauling carol singers knock at the Ray mansion. His Christmas recommendations include: Lindauer Ros NV (8.99; Threshers); Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne NV (14.66; Co-op); 2005 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon (20 per jeroboam; Asda); Le Petit Caboche, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (5.95; Yapp Bros); 2005 Simmonet-Fbvre Chablis (6.99; Waitrose); 2003 Exhibition Haut-Mdoc (9.95; The Wine Society); and 2004 Saint-Julien Private Reserve (9.95; Lea and Sandeman).
TIM ATKIN MW, in giving his pick of 2006, detects a number of trends. He feels that alcohol levels may be falling in response to consumer demand and that oak levels are reducing. His wine country of the year is Spain, most improved is Chile and country to watch is Argentina. His grape variety of the year is Garnacha/Grenache; top winery, Peter Lehmann; winemaker, Aurelio Montes; wine region, Loire; supermarket, Waitrose; off-licence chain, Threshers/Wine Rack; by-the-case merchant, Majestic; mail order, The Wine Society; and independent merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd.
Victoria Moore drinks her way through the day, starting with 1999 Bloomsbury RidgeView, Cuve Merret (16.99; Waitrose); 2005 Taste the Difference Chablis Cuve Ste Celine, Brocard (7.99; Sainsbury's); and 2005 Domaine de la Tourmaline Muscadet de Svre et Maine Sur Lie (4.99; Majestic) for breakfast. She finishes the day with the 2004 Matetic EQ Syrah from Chile's San Antonio Valley (13.59, when you buy two from Majestic; 16, The Wine Society).
Who is the best wine producer in the world?' TIM ATKIN MW has his work cut out for him after this opening line, but he manages to whittle the possibilities down to six: Chteau Margaux in Bordeaux, Leroy in Burgundy, Chave in the Rhne, Gaja in Piedmont, JJ Prm in Germany and Kracher in Austria. No one from the New World gets a look in with this first line-up, but the tables are turned when the subject switches to dependable brands. Atkin's favourites for quantity, quality and consistency are: Jacob's Creek (Australia), Concha y Toro (Chile), Peter Lehmann (Australia), Montana (New Zealand), Torres (Spain) and Dourthe (France). Readers are urged to put this theory to the test and try a bottle of Peter Lehmann Shiraz, Barossa (7.99; Waitrose).
Sweet wines are the subject of JANCIS ROBINSON MW's column. Among her recommendations are 2004Tesco Finest Botrytis Semillon (5.49 for 37.5cl); 2005 Casa de la Ermita, Dulce Viognier (6.99; Bibendum); 2002 ChteauHaut-Bergeron Sauternes (9.56 for 37.5cl; Asda); 2004 Alvear Pedro Ximnez Aada, Montilla-Moriles (8.96 for 50cl; Genesis); and 2004 Domaine de Montesquiou, Grappa d'Or, Juranon (12.30; Leon Stolarski, www.lsfinewines.co.uk).
New Zealand Sauvignons and Chardonnays are delicious, but don't overlook the reds, says SUSY ATKINS. Her Try These' are 2005 Marks & Spencer Clocktower Pinot Noir from Marlborough (9.99); 2004 Craggy Range Gimlett Gravels Merlot, Hawke's Bay (14.99; Waitrose); and 2004 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir, Marlborough (from 11.99; Threshers, Booths, Fresh & Wild, www.everywine.co.uk).
ANDREW NEATHER's white wines for Christmas include: Inycon Chardonnay (4.49; Tesco, Waitrose); 2005 Omrah Chardonnay from Western Australia (7.99; Oddbins); 2005 Sancerre Cuve des Anges, Domaine Foussier (6.66; Waitrose); 2004 Marquesa Valserrano Rioja Blanco (8.75; Stone Vin and Sun); and 2005 Te Mania Riesling from New Zealand's Nelson region (8.95; Swig). He also appears to have a 2004 Sainsbury's Chardonnay from California available from Majestic - surely a mistake...
