With 'wedding month' and the peak of the British social season approaching, JANCIS ROBINSON MW urges British hosts to save themselves a fortune 'by taking the trouble to buy their Champagne in France'. Those seeking 'seriously interesting Champagne, as opposed to an effortless bargain', should go to the Champagne region itself and buy direct, she advises. 'The single best-value cuve I found on my travels last November was NV Cuve Pierre Moncuit-Delos Grand Cru. & This blend, based on the 2000 vintage and then just e15 a bottle, was the one I raved about in my recent survey of non-vintage Champagnes,' she says. Robinson advises that those intending to visit Champagne should consult Philippe Boucheron's new travel book, Destination Champagne, which is 'full of practical details on where to stay, eat, buy Champagne and what to do once it is bought'.
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Picnic wines occupy GILES KIME, who fills his hamper with the following: 2003 Coteau Brul Cairanne Cte du Rhne (5.99; Tesco), 'a simple red with fruity, assertive flavours'; 2004 Beaujolais Cuve des Vignerons de Bully (4.99; Waitrose), 'the perfect warm-weather red'; and 2004 Flagstone Fish Hoek (5.99; Oddbins), 'a gregarious partner to food'.
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Seeing as vins de pays make up one-third of all wine produced in France, JOANNA SIMON is surprised that 'some people (especially French people) are still sniffy about them'. She recommends 2004 La Chasse du Pape Syrah (4.99; Sainsbury's); 2004 Grenache Noir, Jeunes Vignes, Domaine Jorel (5.50; Stone, Vine & Sun); and 2003 Cazal Viel Grande Reserve Viognier (7.99; Threshers).
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Sauvignon Blanc, according to JANE MACQUITTY, is 'summer in a glass, with its mouth-watering acidity and vibrant, zesty gooseberry and elderflower-charged fruit'. She adds that the 2004 European Sauvignons are 'infinitely more zingy and refreshing than the rich but flabby heatwave-affected 2003s'. Her selection includes 2004 Domaine Naudet Sancerre (9.55; Waitrose); 2004 Muscadet de Svre et Maine (3.99; Waitrose); and 2004 Southbank Estate, The Terraces Sauvignon Blanc (6.99, or 5.99 each when two bottles are bought; Majestic).
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Three Italian wines get the thumbs up from RICHARD EHRLICH: 2001 Tenute al Sole Negroamaro Cantine Due Palme (4.49; Booths): 'lovely flavours of tart cherries and bright acidity'; 2004 La Prendina Estate Ros (5.99; Marks & Spencer): 'spicy raspberry and strawberry flavours with good depth'; and 2002 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico (down from 9.99 to 6.99 until 5 July; Tesco): 'red-blooded Chianti from a top estate'.
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With the first part of her Top 100 Summer Wine list, JANE MACQUITTY tells it like it is: 'Chile is on the way up & Argentina is in the doldrums & Australia is still ahead, but facing some surprising competition from California. & France is delivering more good wines at low prices than ever before. & The dark horse of the Iberian peninsula continues to be a wine source to watch.' Her Star White is 2004 French Connection Sauvignon Blanc (5.99, reduced to 3.99 until 7 June; Tesco); her Star Red is 2004 Cuve de Richard, Vin de Pays de l'Aude (3.05; Majestic); best ros is 2004 Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Ros (4.675.99; widely available). As for sweet wines, she goes for 2002 Cranswick Estate Riverina Botrytis Semillon (3.99/375ml; Asda).
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Fresh from her valiant performance on University Challenge, JANCIS ROBINSON MW picks her favourite supermarket wines under 5. She was informed that one can find 'some terribly good wines for under 5' by an 'unlikely source': Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, 66th on last year's Sunday Times Rich List. Robinson's choices include 2004 The Naked Grape Riesling (down from 5.99 to 3.49; Sainsbury's); 2004 Domaine de Planterieu Vin de Pays des Ctes de Gascogne (3.99; Waitrose); Louis Chatel Vin de Pays d'Oc (2.99; Booths); and 2004 Isla Negra Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (down from 5.99 to 3.99; Tesco).
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A warm Harpers welcome to JAMIE GOODE, who opens his Sunday Express account with his favourite wines to drink with tapas. 'Most Spanish wines used to be cheap and nasty, but now they're cheap and nice,' he says. He opts for 2003 Palacio de Bornos Verdejo (5.99; Waitrose), which has 'an appealing, rich, grassy/herb nose, leading to a rich, rounded palate with lovely fruit and a deliciously savoury finish'; 2003 Muruve Roble (5.99; Sainsbury's) has a 'vivid red colour with warm, sweet, spicy fruit and hints of vanilla and tar'; while Hidalgo Manzanilla La Gitana (5.99; Majestic, Waitrose) 'matches brilliantly with tapas', with its 'fresh, slightly salty, nutty character'.
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VICTORIA MOORE is obsessed with putting together a perfect tasting. At her wine group, the host provides 'extensive maps, tasting charts, translation phrase sheets and even appropriate food and music'. Wine group evenings can take many forms: 'It might be a sweep of Loire. You could begin with a sparkling Vouvray, ideally from Huet, move to a Muscadet made near the mouth of the river and a good match for a seafood starter, then dart upstream for a flinty Sancerre to compare with a Sauvignon de Touraine, sip a tremulous Bourgueil so as to have a red with the main course and end with a sweet Coteaux du Layon, made, like the Vouvray, from Chenin Blanc.'
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As a judge of the Vins de Pays Top 100 competition, ANTHONY ROSE admits that such wines 'offer the sort of interesting variety of styles that French wine so badly needs at the moment'. His recommendations include the 'ripe, peachy' La Baume Viognier (4.99; Waitrose), and the, er, 'ripe and peachy' 2004 Grande Rserve Viognier (7.99; Threshers). Gascony featured in three of the six white-wine trophies this year, including 2004 Vin de Pays du Comt Tolosan, Rive Haute Sauvignon (5.95; The Wine Society), and 2004 Domaine de Pujalet (3.99; Waitrose). Best Sauvignon Blanc went to 2004 French Connection Sauvignon Blanc (5.99, reduced to 3.99 until 7 June; Tesco), 'which stood out for its clean, aromatic expression of the variety', while the white blend trophy was won by 2004 Vin de Pays de Gascogne (3.99; Booths).
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TIM ATKIN MW's selection of wines for cellaring, includes: 2002 Casa Rivas Reserva Merlot (6.99; Oddbins); 2003 Tim Adams Shiraz (9.99; Tesco); and 2002 Scharzhofberger Riesling Sptlese, Von Hovel (9.99; Waitrose).
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With just a few weeks before Harpers contributor Jamie Goode takes the reins, JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON manages to squeeze in another food match. This week it's wines that work well with pasta. For meaty pasta dishes he recommends 2001 Corte Pavone Rosso di Montalcino (11.95; Great Western Wine). He also picks 2004 San Angelo Pinot Grigio (7.99; Majestic): PG can be a footballer's wife of a wine: fancy name, a hint of the exotic, but little to get excited about.' His final choice is 2001 Marques di Concordia (4.99; Sainsbury's): Concordia is a recent arrival on the scene and has an awful lot of complex, berry-fuelled Crianza class for the money. The fact that Sainsbury's is now offering it for under a fiver is the bottle deal of the year.'
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After the weekend's heatwave, JONATHAN RAY recommends wines for 'outdoor events'. For 'large gatherings' he chooses 2004 Tanguero Unoaked Chardonnay (4.29; Unwins); for 'grand days out' he selects Chapel Down Century Bottle Fermented Extra Dry NV (11.99; Sainsbury's); while for the curiously monikered 'romantic antics' he suggests Jean Moutardier Ros NV Champagne (17.95; Great Western Wine, Revelstoke Wines, Vincent Gasnier Wine Library).
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GILES KIME has no such doubts, and recommends a host of his favourite ross, including Ros d'Anjou (2.86; Asda); 2004 Domaine de Pellehaut Ros (5.15; Waitrose); and Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Ros (5.85; Majestic).
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ANTHONY ROSE's selection includes 2004 Pujalet, Vin de Pays du Gers (3.99; Waitrose); 2004 Zilzie Viognier (7.98; Asda); and 2002 Albert Belle Crozes-Hermitage, Les Pierrelles (11.39; Oddbins).
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Ignoring James Bond's famous line about spotting baddies because they drink red wine with fish, MATTHEW JUKES goes ahead and matches the two. For fish stews and pies, he opts for 2004 M&S Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir (4.99); for 'a majestic sea bass or turbot', he recommends 2002 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir (17.9920; selected Sainsbury's, Villeneuve of Peebles); and his final selection, which will 'lift and caress your olfactory system', is 2003 Saumur Rouge Les Nivires (3.99, down from 4.99 until 3 July; Waitrose).
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GILES KIME's pick of barbecue wines features 2004 Wontanella Tempranillo (4.98; Asda); 2003 Fairview Peg Leg Carignan (7.99; Majestic); and 2003 Barbera d'Asti 'Il Monello' Braida (7.99; Oddbins).
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JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON's weekly selection includes NV Wolf Blass Sparkling Brut Chardonnay/Pinot Noir (5.49; widely available); 2002 The Tower Shiraz (4.99, Sainsbury's); and 2004 Goiya Cabernet Sauvignon (4.99; Tesco).
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Continuing her Top 100 Summer Wines round-up, JANE MACQUITTY's Star White this week is 2002 Chassagne- Montrachet Les Charrires, Ren Lequin-Colin (18.50; Stone, Vine & Sun); her Star Red is 2000 La Rserve de Loville- Barton (17.9019.99; Laytons, Tanners, Majestic); and her favoured sweet wines are 2001 Domaine Castera Juranon, Cuve Privilge, P&C Lihour (12.9913.95, D Byrne, Great Western) and 2003 Hochheimer Kirchenstck Riesling Sptlese (1315.99; Justerini & Brooks, Waitrose).
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MATTHEW JUKES's Wine of the Week is 2003 Poliziano Rosso di Montelpulciano (8.99; Booths). Boasting 'evocative, dreamy, red-cherry and chocolate flavours', Jukes says that this wine is capable of 'transforming the traditional English rainy barbecue'
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