Giffords Hall St Edmundsbury 2016

From - Suffolk, England (yes, it's true!)
Grape - Rondo
Alcohol - 10.5%
Available from - giffordshall.co.uk, Suffolk Food Hall.
Price - £13.95

Appearance - Clear, medium- intensity, purple.

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry, red fruit (plums, redcurrant, charry), floral (violets).  Youthful.

Palate - Dry, medium intensity, medium- alcohol, low tannin, medium body, medium+ length, medium acid.

Drink now, very good quality.

It is great to be able to give a positive review to a wine that has been grown and made right here in Suffolk.

This is a lovely, smooth and fruity red.  Lighter and with lower alcohol, it would be great on a warm day, and would even work well lightly chilled.  It would be a good match for Sunday lunch or Italian dishes.

Giffords Hall is a wonderful place to visit, and I would encourage East Anglian readers in particular to head down there as soon as you can, for a visit (but ring them first!).

Villa Blanche Terret Blanc 2016

From - Languedoc, France
Grape - Terret Blanc
Alcohol - 12%
Available from - Waitrose (selected stores)
Price - £8.49

Appearance - Clear, medium- intensity

Nose - Clean, medium+ intensity, herbal (nettle), green fruit (apple, gooseberry), citrus (lemon), mineral (smoky). Youthful.

Palate - Dry, medium alcohol, high acid,  medium+ length, medium+ intensity medium+body,  medium+ length.  As above, emphasis on the fruit.

Drink now.  Very good quality.

What excites me most about wine is the variety.  And this is something genuinely different.  Waitrose believe that this is the first varietal Terret Blanc widely available in the UK for a very long time.

It has a great nose, surprising complexity and pleasing length.  It is easy on the alcohol, and I think would appeal to drinkers of acidic, aromatic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc.  I really enjoyed it, and I think it delivers a lot for the price.

Here is the (empty) bottle next to a Chameleons album with which it shares similar artwork!

Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc Rose 2016

From - Marlborough, NZ
Grape - Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot
Alcohol - 12.5% abv
Available from - Waitrose
Price - £9.99 (although currently £7.99 at time of writing)

Appearance - Clear, medium- intensity, pink

Nose - Clean, medium+ intensity, Red fruit (strawberry), tropical fruit (kiwi), green fruit (gooseberry), herbal (mint), citrus (lime)

Palate - Dry, medium+ intensity, medium alcohol, medium+ length, medium intensity, medium+ length. All the above, particularly kiwi, gooseberry, lime.

An unusual wine, as it blends a white and a red wine to make rose - which is unusual. This is something different that is bound to impress people, particularly bearing in mind the immense popularity of Marlborough Sauvignon.

Adnams Viura 2015

From - Baja Aragon, Spain
Grape - Viura
Alcohol - 13% abv
Available from - Adnams shops, cellarandkitchen.adnams.co.uk
Price - £6.99

Appearance - Clear; medium intensity; lemon-green

Nose - Clean; medium intensity; citrus (lemon), stone fruit (peach), tropical fruit (papaya), green fruit (apple); youthful.

Palate - Dry, high acid, medium+ alcohol, medium body, medium- length; medium intensity. Citrus fruit (lemon), green fruit (gooseberry), plus as above.

Good quality, drink now.

I am delighted with this, having chosen it to be my first (but certainly not last) Adnams wine to review. It is very impressive at the price. Not a great deal of length, but you would anticipate that, at this price.  Very pleasant fruit flavours make it moreish.  This would be great to serve as an aperitif or with lighter summer dishes.

Viura is a grape grown most commonly in Languedoc-Roussillion in France, or in Rioja and around Barcelona in Spain.  You will commonly find it in Cava.  You will also see it called Macabeu or Macabeo.

Chateau de Berne Provence Rose 2016

From - Provence, France
Grape - Grenache, Cinsault
Alcohol - 13% abv
Available from - Waitrose, Majestic
Price - £10.49 - £11.99 (currently £8.39 at Waitrose until 8 August)

Appearance - Clear, medium- intensity, pink

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, red fruit (raspberry), floral, youthful.

Palate - Dry, high acid, medium+ alcohol, medium+ body, medium+ length, medium intensity.  Red fruit flavour of raspberry and cherry, stone fruit flavour of peach.

Very good quality. Drink now.

This is a fine example of Provence rose, at a great price.  If you are a fan of Provence rose, as all right-thinking people are, then this is for you.  Chill it, but allow it a little time after it comes out of the fridge, to allow the subtlety of the flavour to express itself.  I would pour this out as an aperitif, or serve it with lighter foods, or lightly spiced snacks (nuts, bhajis etc). 

Campo Viejo Rioja Blanco 2015

From Rioja, Spain
Grape - Viura, Tempranillo
Alcohol - 12% abv
Available from - Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco, Sainsbury's
Price - £7.50-£8.50 (although at time of writing, £6.36 at Waitrose)

Appearance - Clear, medium- intensity, lemon-green

Nose - Clean, medium+ intensity, youthful.  Stone fruit of white peach, floral (elderflower)

Palate - Dry, high acid, medium intensity and length, medium+ body, medium alcohol.  Flavours as nose, plus lemon citrus.

Good quality.  Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

This wine has a very agreeable bouquet, and a good acid backbone.  Ideal with lighter meals.  I would drink this as an aperitif or with an avocado salad with balsamic vinegar.

De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2016

From - Durbanville, SA
Grape - Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol - 13.5%
Available from - Waitrose, waitrosecellar.com, Ocado
Price - £11.99 (although £8.99 until Tuesday at Waitrose)

Appearance - Clear, lemon-green, medium- intensity

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, green fruits of pear and gooseberry, herbal (nettle).  Youthful.

Palate - Dry, high acid, medium+ alcohol, full bodied, medium+ length, medium+ intensity.  As nose, plus stone fruit and minerality.

Very good quality, drink now.

Delicious Sauvignon Blanc can be found outside of Loire, Bordeaux and Marlborough, as this award-winning example demonstrates.  This is a classy wine, with real weight in the mouth, a little bit more alcohol than you might find elsewhere, and agreeable complexity.