JONATHAN RAY profiles some lesser-known grape varieties, such as Carmenre, Tannat and Sauvignon Gris. He says no one could be bothered to replant Carmenre in Bordeaux post-phylloxera, 'because of its perceived lack of structure and finesse', despite top-class Chilean Carmenre being 'plummy, soft and supple, and excellent with roast meats'. Tannat, which originates from south-west France, 'makes powerful, punchy wines that take an age to mature', but in Uruguay, where it is the country's most widely planted variety, they are 'softer and fruitier, but still pack a punch'. And the rediscovery of Sauvignon Gris, according to Bill Gunn MW, 'is as exciting as the re-emergence from the jungle of one of the Victorian cultivars in the Lost Gardens of Heligan'.
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VICTORIA MOORE sympathises with Coleen McLoughlin (Wayne Rooney's free-spending other half, in case you were wondering), when the lass declared recently: 'When we go to posh restaurants, I always want to ask, You got any Blossom Hill?' Moore's sympathy appears to run dry, however, when she tastes Blossom Hill (BH) for herself: 'I started experimenting with some blind tastings, throwing in BH with other brands and similar wines at the same price. To my surprise, I identified the BH every time even if I hadn't tried that particular varietal before simply by selecting the dullest, most insipid and, often, sweetest in the line-up. The Sauvignon Blanc was particularly inert.'
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JONATHAN RAY urges his readers to seek out Australian wines that 'exhibit a true sense of place'. He says that this can be tough, given the 'dominance of Brand Australia, where grapes are sourced from all around the country by enormous conglomerates, resulting in wines with no regional characteristics at all'. He profiles a number of Victoria-based producers, including Brown Brothers, Campbells, and De Bortoli
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Harpers would like to say a fond farewell to JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON. It's tricky to see how his shoes can be filled, but Jamie Goode will undoubtedly give it his best shot. Fitting, then, that Bracey-Gibbon signs off with a vintage piece of food matching: steaks. Firstly, he recommends 2003 Waitrose Chianti (3.99), 'a decent, well-made Chianti in the classic style'; he also opts for 2004 The Maverick Chenin Blanc (7.99; Majestic), 'a terrific wine with all the perfumed subtlety of the Chenin grape plus great tropical fruit'; and 2004 Bouza Merlot (6.49; Great Western Wines) is a 'Pomerol-style classic red, ideal for red meats, but will go down on its own with worrying ease'.
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JANE MACQUITTY admits that wine and barbecued food is a 'difficult marriage', and says that 'good, all-purpose warm-weather wines' work best, such as 2004 Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Ros (8.49 each when two are bought; Majestic); 2004 Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Ros (4.675.99; widely available).
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'The best thing about choosing wine for a wedding,' says VICTORIA MOORE, 'is the mammoth and inevitably drunken tasting session that precedes placing any order. I think not spitting on such occasions is justified.' As an alternative to Champagne, she suggests a trio from Oddbins: Jansz NV (10.99), Chandon's Green Point (12.99) or Ferrari Prosecco (14.99).
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TIM ATKIN MW visits Madeira, a popular Saga holiday destination, to admire the resident oldies. 'Most of the finest old wines I've drunk in my life have been Madeiras,' he reveals. Madeira is 'virtually indestructible' because it's fortified, high in natural acidity and deliberately oxidised.
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Renowned stripper (and part-time wine writer) TIM ATKIN MW profiles Carmenre ('not a great grape, whatever the Chileans claim'). He says that in Bordeaux, the grape is virtually non-existent, despite it being 'partly responsible for some of the region's greatest wines', and it is still unknown how the Chileans were sold so much of it by the French. After tasting more than 100 Chilean Carmenres, Atkin concludes that 'ultra-concentrated, heavily oaked Carmenre is not necessarily a good thing. The variety is best consumed when it's young, dark, and full of primary flavours.' His recommendations include 2003 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo (4.99; Tesco, Majestic); 2003 VOE Adobe (5.75; Vintage Roots); 2003 Errzuriz (4.49; Asda); and 2003 Tabal Reserva (8.99; Buckingham Vintners).
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JOANNA SIMON thinks that Majestic's offering 'has taken a quantum leap' and recommends three of its wines: 2001 Sonoma Creek Chardonnay (3.99 each when two bottles are bought); 2004 Mas Las Cabes Muscat Sec (5.99 each for two); and 2002 Bourgogne Cte Chalonnaise Les Gorgres, Michel Sarrazin (8.99 each for two).
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In the latest of his interviews with wine-loving celebs, JONATHAN RAY asks actress Jennifer Ehle how she copes with swigging glass after glass of caramel-coloured soda water (under the guise of Champagne) in the role of Tracy Lord in the Old Vic theatre's production of The Philadelphia Story. 'Because I'm required to drink it pretty rapidly,' she replies, 'the worst thing is trying so hard not to burp. Not very ladylike, I know, but I usually manage to wait until it's someone else's line.' Off-stage, Ehle has developed a taste for Prosecco ('I just like the way it makes me feel'), in particular Ca' Rosa Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (7.79; Oddbins). She also had a taste for cocktails, but admits that motherhood has taken its toll: 'When I last looked, the cocktail shakers were in my son's toy box being used as drums and rocket boosters.'
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Vodka may have taken its place as the 'darling of the cocktail circuit' during the nineties, but IAN WISNIEWSKI reckons that it's high time for a gin revival: 'Served cold and bold, the gin and tonic is being rediscovered. Many people are introduced to gin through this archetypal combination, so it is vital to apply zero-tolerance to any G&T abuse (served in a wine glass with warm tonic, no ice, maybe limp lemon, maybe not). Moreover, it's often assumed that, mixed with tonic, a gin's character doesn't show through, which implies that the brand doesn't matter. It does.'
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JANCIS ROBINSON MW was rather perturbed that upon her arrival at the generic German wine tasting, every other person there was keen to introduce her to 'the director of the International Sugar Organization'. On the 2004 harvest, she notes that by the end of September, 'acidity levels in Germany's great Riesling grapes were still worryingly high. But fortunately, as so often in Germany, good weather in October finally brought ripeness. Just about everything in 2004 was the opposite of sweltering, dry 2003, and again, just as in Bordeaux, the most common word on every wine producer's lips about the 2004s is classic.
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When it comes to matching wine and salad, look no further than JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON. After an unfortunate experiment with a Thai salad and red wine, he's sticking with 'fresh, fruity whites'. For a 'peppery, chillied fusion salad', he recommends 2004 Layda Sauvignon Blanc (7.49; Oddbins), which displays 'honeyed, mint flavours on top of the usual fresh, gooseberry, grassy notes'. He also picks 2002 Trierer Deutschherrenberg Riesling (5.99; Majestic) and Denbies Chalk Ridge (5.49; Sainsbury's).
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Concluding his summer drinking round-up, JONATHAN RAY picks a host of wines suitable for the great British summer. For picnics, he suggests the 'light and frothy' 2004 Brown Brothers Moscato (5.99; Tesco); for barbecues, he opts for 2003 The Boulders Viognier (4.99; Co-op), which 'has no shortage of spicy, aromatic flavour'; while for weekday suppers he plumps for the 'charming, light and elegant' NV Prosecco (6.99; Marks & Spencer).
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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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