La Vis Vigneti Pinot Grigio 2013

From - Veneto, Italy
Grape - Pinot Grigio
Alcohol - 12.5%
Available from - Waitrose
Price - £9.99

Appearance - Clear and pale.  Lemon coloured.  Legs observed.

Nose - Clean, with medium+ intensity; youthful.  Green fruit (apples and pears), sweet spice (cloves) plus stone fruit (melon) and floral (honeysuckle)

Palate - Dry, medium alcohol, medium+  acid; medium body; medium intensity; medium+ length.  Green fruit (apple), citrus (lemon),

Good quality; can drink now, not suitable for further ageing.  Mid-priced.

I must admit this is one I tried before and was impressed.  This is very good value for money.  It retails at a tenner and is often cheaper.  It is surprisingly and very pleasantly aromatic, has good acid levels and reasonable length.  You could easily spend a bit more for a wine this agreeable.  Pinot Grigio fans, try this as soon as you can.

The Society's Monthelie 2010

From - Burgundy, France
Grape - Pinot Noir
Alcohol - 13.5% abv
Available from - thewinesociety.com
Price - £17.50

Appearance - Clear, light, ruby

Nose - Clean, medium+ intensity; developing with red fruit (redcurrant, cherry) and spice (cinnamon)

Palate - Dry, medium+ acid, medium tannin, medium intensity, medium+ alcohol and body, long length.  Red fruits and spice also on the palate, and a touch earthy.

Silky tannins, good body, flavour and length, Very good quality.

Torres Las Mulas Sauvignon Blanc 2012

From - Central Valley, Chile
Grape - Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol - 12%
Available from - Waitrose; Ocado
Price - £8.99 (currently £7.19)

Appearance - Clear; medium- intensity; lemon-green

Nose - Clean; medium intensity; developing, grass and lime.

Medium intensity; medium+ acid; medium alcohol; medium body; medium length; apples, limes, nettle, papaya and banana.

Balance - 8  Length - 6.5  Intensity - 6  Complexity - 6.5

A delicious new world Sauvignon Blanc.  My partner's favourite so I must be even more positive than usual.  Made by the famous Torres family from Spain, this is from their Chilean concern.  Made from organically grown grapes, it is packed with typical Sauvignon Blanc flavours and high acid levels making it refreshing and zingy.

If you like Sauvignon Blanc (and a lot of people do, it seems) you should consider sometimes looking beyond Loire and Marlborough and try something from Chile.

Eigl Zweigelt St Michaelis 2012

From - Joching, Austria
Grape - Zweigelt
Alcohol - 13.5%
Available from - austrianwineandspirits.uk (in Suffolk)
Price - about £15

Appearance - Clear, medium+ intensity; ruby

Nose - Clean; developing; medium- intensity; cherries, raspberries, strawberries.

Palate - Dry; medium intensity; medium tannin, medium- acidity; medium+ length; medium+ body; medium+ alcohol; cherries, berries, a touch of spice.

Balance - 7  Length - 8  Intensity - 7  Complexity - 6

This is really smooth and palatable.  It seems less acidic than average, but despite this is not flabby.  Agreeable fruit and a touch of sweet spice that lingers well, and the alcohol level adds body but doesn't dominate the palate.  This wine is not cheap, but is very good indeed.


The Zweigelt grape is a hybrid of St Laurent and Blaufrankisch grapes, and is Austria's number one grape.

Zweigelt on the vine...