ANTHONY ROSE is happy to dispel the old line about Australian wines 'all tasting the same'. At an Australian Wine Club tasting, he was hugely impressed with the line-up. Highlights included 2002 Basket Press Shiraz (23.99), which ages 'into a majestic Hermitage-like red'; 2004 Poverty Hill Riesling (9.99), which is 'in the keroseney mould'; and Peter Lehmann's 1998 Stonewell Shiraz (30), which displays 'immensely rich liquorice spice and bittersweet chocolate characters'.
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Fancy a walk-on part in Desperate Housewives? All you need to do is cough up $7,500 to enter Auction Napa Valley, bid a few thousand more, and your 15 seconds of fame is assured. ANTHONY ROSE reckons that as wine auctions go, the event 'supplants the annual Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy both for munificence and ostentation': 'A litany of extraordinary lots included the opportunity to buy 60 special bottles and taste, eat and drink with its creators, Napa luminaries Robert and Peter Mondavi. Only in America.' Rose also recommends 2003 El Dueo Chardonnay (4.99; M&S); 2004 Santa Rita Floresta Sauvignon Blanc (9.99; Waitrose); and 2003 Petaluma Adelaide Hills Viognier(19.9924.50; Oddbins Fine Wine, Harvey Nichols).
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In the first of a six-part series examining grape varieties, MATTHEW JUKES chooses his favourite Sauvignon Blancs. His Wine of the Week is the 'very laid-back, mellifluous' 2004 Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough (10.49; D Byrne, Connolly's of Birmingham, Hoults of Huddersfield, Philglas & Swiggot). Other examples of this 'cheery, cheeky category of wine' to get the Jukes seal of approval include 2004 Quincy, Cuve Villalin, Domaine Jacques Rouz (8.40; Haynes, Hanson & Clark); and 2005 Dolphin Bay Sauvignon Blanc (3.99; Marks & Spencer).
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Has the 'Brett police' gone too far? ANDREW JEFFORD suggests it may have. He points to a controlled blind tasting of Syrahs from around the world, conducted by consultant Sam Harrop MW for his MW thesis, as evidence that Brettanomyces-infected wines need not necessarily be, as Tom Carson of Yering Station and many other Australian winemakers believe, 'undrinkable'. Only one of the 25 wines in the tasting was free of Brettanomyces, but Harrop's conclusion was that 'while excessive levels of volatile phenols can have a negative impact on wine quality, lower levels can enhance wine complexity and quality'. The benevolent effects of Brett, of one strain or another, can also be seen in the beer world, with makers of Belgian lambic and gueze beers, and traditional British stock ales, actively seeking out strains of the yeast. Jefford is concerned that the obsession with 'cleanliness' in today's winemaking, and the eradication of Brett and other 'faults' such as volatile acidity and dimethyl sulphur ('a principal aroma key for Carling' lager), will lead to 'acute boredom' for wine drinkers. As he says: 'The wine regarded as a hot contender for the greatest of the 20th century, 1947 Cheval Blanc, has levels of volatile acidity that would see it banned from sale were it produced today.'
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A rant from JANE MacQUITTY this week. Miffed that judging her Top 100 Wines list 'gets harder instead of easier', she despairs at fine wine merchants, who 'put forward a clutch of ropey old has-been bottles, thereby forcing me to reject some 19 20 red Burgundies and dismiss most of the clarets before I could find a trio of each to recommend'. This week, she highlights 2004 Jindalee Chardonnay (3.75; Somerfield until 5 July; 2003 Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc (two for 3.99 each; Majestic); and 2004 Paul Mas Sauvignon Blanc (4.99; Waitrose).
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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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PETER GROGAN heads for the Napa Valley 'the Monaco of the wine world'. Grogan learns that the average bottle price at the Groezinger wine merchant in Yountville is 39, and enjoys a 140-a-head meal at The French Laundry. He says: 'The best of the big names Ridge Montebello, Dominus and Shafer Hillside Select are made in the image of modern claret. Even at today's exchange rate, however, Bordeaux offers better value.' Recommendations include 2003 De Loach Pinot Noir (6.95; The Wine Society); 2003 Avila Pinot Noir (9.99; Oddbins); and 2002 Wente Chardonnay (5.59; Waitrose).
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Likewise, GILES KIME's New Zealand Sauvie selection includes 2004 Asda Marlborough (5.48); 2004 Jackson Estate (8.99; Waitrose); and 2004 Sanctuary (6.99; Sainsbury's).
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Easy-drinking whites are the order of the day, says GILES KIME. He opts for 2004 Sainsbury's Classic Selection Muscadet (4.99): 'Even those with a deep-seated prejudice against Muscadet would find it hard to deny the lightly honeyed charms of this thirst-quenching white.' Next up is 2004 Lizards of Oz Reserve Viognier (5.97; Asda), 'a crisp white from the Clare Valley with an apricot-like freshness'. Finally, he picks 2003 Gavi Madonnina Araldica (6.99; Waitrose), a 'delightful wine that is vibrant and citrussy without being overpowering'.
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JANCIS ROBINSON MW reports back from Bordeaux, and believes that the best reds will make the wine lovers of the world fall in love with tannin again'. The great thing about the tannins in the most successful 2004 red Bordeaux is that they are not bitter or rasping but refreshing. They are not the dry, obtrusive sort that characterised so many wines made in the drought year of 2003, nor the green, underripe ones that plague the least successful 2002s.' Robinson already rates the 2004 offerings from Chteaux Latour and Margaux as excellent', with honourable mentions to Cheval Blanc, Haut-Brion, Mouton and Palmer. She adds: Many winemakers the world over, and particularly in the Americas, seem scared of tannins. Perhaps the superb quality of the best Bordeaux 2004 tannins may encourage some of these producers to return to picking the grapes when a little less ripe so that the tannins are perceptible, possibly refreshing, and alcohol levels are less embarrassingly high.'
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'Antioxidant-rich' South American wines get the JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON treatment this week. He picks 2003 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec (9.49; Selfridges); 2003 Santa Rita Reserva Chardonnay (6.49; Sainsbury's); and 2002 Anakena Merlot (6.49; Threshers).
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Being a 'thoroughly nasty piece of work at heart', VICTORIA MOORE is cynical about branded supermarket wines. However, she is a big fan of 2004 Tesco Finest Gavi (5.99), 'a delightful wine' that 'feels like a river pebble that has been smoothed and rounded by the flow of water'. Another supermarket number that comes up trumps is 2003 Sainsbury's Classic Selection Alsace Gewurztraminer Cave de Turckheim (6.99), which displays lychees 'so clearly you can almost feel your tongue slipping over their eyeball-like white flesh'.
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ANTHONY ROSE's recommendations include 2004 Cono Sur Viognier (4.24 each when two are bought; Majestic); 2003 Vergelegen Chardonnay (7.99; Oddbins, Majestic); and 2003 The Chocolate Block (14.99; Waitrose)
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California sales may be going from strength to strength in the UK, but JANE MacQUITTY isn't impressed: Gallo's evil Sierra Valley range and Blossom Hill's foul, sickly-sweet, non-vintage duo are depressing enough, but flying off the shelves even faster are the sweeter pink or blush styles sold as white Zinfandel, with residual sugar levels easily as high as the once-popular Germans. White Zinfandel, Lord help us, is the new Liebfraumilch or Piesporter Michelsberg.' She doesn't rate the 16 Benchmark Wines, but does have time for Ravenswood's 2002 Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel (6.99; Waitrose); 2002 Fetzer Valley Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon (6.99; Co-op, Sainsbury's); and 2002 Avantegarde Pinot Noir (13.99; Asda).
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To accompany Chinese food, GILES KIME selects 2004 Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris (6.99; Waitrose); 2004 Cono Sur Pinot Noir (4.99; Majestic); and 2003 Via Floriana Chardonnay (3.99, Sainsbury's).
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Constellation, the world's largest wine company, has posted solid figures for its first quarter results.
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The make-up of the new Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) Board has been announced by Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, The Hon Tony Burke.
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Wines of Chile will be running a seminar on the second day (Wednesday May 21) of the London International Wine Fair (LIWF).
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E&J Gallo is to invest 2.5million on TV and point of sale in a bid to capitalise on the strong ros growth in the UK market.
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New Zealand producer Montana has underlined its commitment to environmentally sound packaging and processes at its vineyards and wineries.
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