Calvet Sancerre Rose 2014

From - Sancerre, Loire, France
Grape - Pinot Noir
Alcohol - 12.5% abv
Available from - Waitrose, Ocado
Price - £15.99

Appearance - The appearance is clear, pink with medium intensity.

Nose - The nose is clean and youthful, with medium intensity aromas of ripe strawberries and raspberries.

Palate - The palate is dry, with high acidity, medium alcohol, medium- intensity and long length.  It has flavours of red fruit, raspberries and strawberries, and maybe a touch of cherry.

As you might imagine, a lovely wine.  With a subtle aroma of ripe red fruit, the palate seems slightly more tart at first, and therefore reminiscent of raspberries, but the ripe red fruit from the Pinot Noir comes through on a surprising length, in view of the subtlety of flavour.  This is a great option for a warm afternoon or evening.  I would not imagine that this would be suitable for ageing, but it is a classy and highly satisfying 'drink now' wine.

Waitrose Foundation Chenin Blanc 2014

From - Cederberg, SA
Grape - Chenin Blanc
Alcohol - 12.5%
Available from - Waitrose
Price - £8.99

Appearance - Clear, medium intensity, lemon-green

Nose - Clean, medium+ intensity, citrus, and apple.

Palate - Dry, medium alcohol, high acid, medium+ body, medium+ length. Medium+ intensity   Lime, stone fruit, apples, a touch of stone minerality and even a touch of petillance.

Oz Clarke reckons that, when the 'true' price of a wine can sometimes be in doubt, supermarkets' own label wines can often prove to be good value.  I found this wine to be really good, plenty of fruit and very refreshing.  I had it to accompany a tomato salad, which worked really well.  It also provides a good deal for the farmers.

Inama Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico 2012

From - Veneto, Italy
Grape - Garganega
Alcohol - 12.5% abv
Available from - Waitrose
Price - £18.99

Appearance - Clear, medium+ intensity, lemon-green

Nose - Clean, medium+ intensity, youthful with aroma of ripe pears, citrus (grapefruit and lime), and a touch floral.

Palate - Dry, medium+ acid, full body, medium+ length, medium+ intensity, with stone fruit (peach), ripe apples and pears, citrus (lime), stone minerality and maybe a touch of honey.

This is a beautiful, complex, full bodied wine, that I would be brilliant with a risotto, I reckon.

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro

From - Penedes, Catalunya
Grape - Moscatel
Alcohol - 15%
Available from - Waitrose
Price - £7.49

Appearance - Clear, deep, tawny

Nose - Clean, medium- intensity, with grape and slightly nutty aroma.

Palate - Sweet, medium+ acid, medium length, full bodied, with raisins, prunes, sweet spice, ginger and candied peel, like Christmas time!

This is a great value sweet wine from the accomplished familia Torres, that is a great match-up for a variety of desserts, and was very agreeable with my strawberries and Booja-Booja vanilla ice-cream.  Yum yum.

La Monetta Gavi del Commune Gavi 2014

From - Piedmont, Italy
Grape - Cortese
Alcohol - 11.5%
Available from - Waitrose, Ocado
Price - £10.99

Appearance - Clear, lemon-green with a medium intensity.

Nose - Clean, with medium intensity aroma of apples, limes and green herbs.  Youthful

Palate - Dry, with medium+ acid, medium body, medium alcohol, medium+ length and flavours as per the nose, plus a touch of almond.

This is a lovely, well balanced wine with plenty of length and a great match for oily or creamy dishes.  A treat.  Definitely a good one to go for if you fancy trying a Gavi.

Casa Valduga Leopoldina Chardonnay 2013

From - Campanha, Brazil
Grape - Chardonnay
Alc - 12%
Available from - Waitrose
Price £13.99 (although £10.11 until Tues 7th April)

Appearance - Clean; medium intensity; lemon-green

Nose - Clean; medium intensity; youthful; apple and stone fruit.

Palate - dry; high acid; medium alcohol, medium intensity; medium body, medium+ length, apples and pears, citrus (lemon) and tropical (kiwi).

This is a classy, elegant, cool climate Chardonnay.  Lovely fruit flavours with the oak influence being only subtle.  If this were made in France  it'd be much more expensive.  Excellent.

Many thanks to all my recent readers in Ukraine and Russia.

Graben Gritsch Trocken Gruner Veltliner 2013

From - Wachau, Austria
Grape - Gruner Veltliner
Alcohol - 12.5%
From - austrianwinesandspirits.co.uk (Suffolk-based!)
Price - £14.99

Appearance - This white wine is clean, dry, pale and lemon-green.

Nose - The nose is clean and youthful, with a medium intensity and green fruit (pears), stone fruit (peaches) and a touch of stone minerality.

Palate - The palate is dry, with high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium intensity and medium plus length.  There are flavours of green fruit (apples and pears), citrus (lime), and stone minerality.

Very good quality.  Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

A very nice example of Gruner Veltliner, Austria's big grape.  This is just the thing for an aperitif, It has good length and due to its quality and elegance, I would recommend a half-hour out of the fridge prior to drinking, which enhances the richness and subtle flavours.