Lerane is still one of the most important wines that we have ever found. Unofficially, this is our ‘house white wine’, because it appeals to a vast array of palates and whenever we pour it, people go gaga. This is because the aroma is ever so slightly peachy and the palate is floral, bone dry and thirst-quenching. Lerane is perfect for larger parties (where palates vary across a wide spectrum of tastes) and its flavours are complex enough to take on challenging canapés and most Asian-spiced dishes. While you may never have heard of the Terret variety, you will certainly have heard of Viognier and it is this grape that sings loudest in this wine. It also looks dead smart, too – so you can feel as proud of your purchase as we do of its listing.
Made form Marsanne and Roussanne, and showing just how delicate and aromatic these two delicious grapes can be, this is a wine which should be enjoyed in its youth in place of a white Burgundy, to give your palate a welcome break from Chardonnay!You will then see that the white flower, mildly tropical fruit and wild honey notes are every bit as captivating as the brioche and lime in a fabulous Mâcon Blanc.
This is a wickedly attractive white, made from Argentina’s finest white grape – Torrontes. It’s strange, but there are a lot of Viognier hallmarks on the nose (peach, apricot and pear), but it is the fresh cut pineapple notes which are absolutely amazing. You will love the verve and attitude in the glass, because there is a humour and cheekiness in this white which puts a massive smile on my face. At over 3km above sea level Colmé is an extreme vineyard and this is an extreme and also utterly loveable wine.
Matteo Correggia passed away ten years ago and the wine world lost one of its most devoted and hard-working young stars. Untrained he learned everything about growing and making wine from friends, neighbours and other great winemakers. He is one of only a handful of people to put Arneis on the map as a serious white grape producing stellar wines in Piemonte. His wife now runs the estate and the wines are sensational – Matteo has left a stunning legacy. Interestingly when he died an asteroid was named after him and it orbits in a very similar trajectory to another asteroid called Roero! This beautiful little story should make you remember his name – his wines will mean you’ll never forget it! This Roero Arneis is, on the one hand, delicate and perfumed and on the other, intense and vigorous. You must taste this wine.
One of the lighter and racier of our new German finds, this is a spectacular Riesling and it is even more amazing to think that you can drink wine from one of the greatest estates in the world for a snip over a tenner. Joyous, dry and grapey, this wine will do more for you than £1000 of massage therapy! Is there a better aperitif wine in the house? NO. The 2008 Abtsberg was, in the annals of time when this place was a monastic manor house, reserved solely for the abbot’s consumption, such was its prized fruit! These grapes were described as venerable and opulent! Nothing’s changed then!
A new name to Q Wine, Te Mara PG is about as far removed from Puiatti’s or Weinbach’s PG as you could possibly imagine, and it holds its own on a world stage because it is neither too chubby nor is it too exotic. Only 334 cases of this wine were made - which makes is about as rare as some of our Grand Cru Burgundies. Your task is to use it as a main course white wine with chicken or fish dishes and see just why we thought that it was up to the challenges that a thirsty Q Wine member would set for it. We are sure that it will ace any test you can come up with!
We are massive fans of the beguiling white grape Albarino and this year we have found a brilliant version for you. Monte Do Ceo is a top drawer white wine boasting mildly aromatic, fruit salad notes on the nose and then the searingly dry, white-knuckle finish which looms into view while you hang on for dear life. Stunning with Asian-fusion food and lighter Indian dishes this is the wine that flash Spaniards drink with their fresh-caught ocean fish and I cannot think of a better candidate for the job.
I awarded more ultra-high scores in this winery than in any other on the planet on a trip several years ago – this is the first time that I have confessed this fact. Winemaker Christoph Tyrell kept opening more and more awesome bottles and I couldn’t go anywhere but up with my scores! I ought to have had a nosebleed I was so ‘high altitude’ when I left him! Anyway, it has taken me ages to track down some wine to sell over here and I am delighted to recommend this stunner to you. So tear-jerkingly elegant and all pervasive, this Riesling is as pure as any wine gets – it will remind you of Liv Tyler in Lord of the Rings (it did me anyway!). It also has the smallest label you have ever seen – in fact you’ll think that it’s fallen off until you realise that the neck label is in fact the label itself!
Domaine Weinbach is my favourite estate in Alsace – full stop. This wine is a legendary creation and it is about as full and lusty as this grape gets without tipping over into sweetness. This is my favourite, exotic, fully upholstered PG on the planet. Drunk with creamy fish dishes or Blanquette de Veau you are in seventh heaven. We also have a few other great Weinbach wines to complement our list, as you’ll see below. The Sylvaner is a dead ringer for a slightly more aromatic version of a Cote Chalonnaise white Burgundy! It is silky smooth, unctuous and layered. Our two Gewurzs are a mesmerising duo. RP keeps itself under control, with shy, temptress-like moments of lychees and rose petals hinting at unimaginable pleasures to be found within, whereas Cuvee Theo leaves nothing to the imagination at all, with a brazen, exotic aroma and a vampiric body built solely for carnal deeds.
Made form Marsanne and Roussanne, and showing just how delicate and aromatic these two delicious grapes can be, this is a wine which should be enjoyed in its youth in place of a white Burgundy, to give your palate a welcome break from Chardonnay! You will then see that the white flower, mildly tropical fruit and wild honey notes are every bit as captivating as the brioche and lime in a fabulous Mâcon Blanc.
Drum roll please, this estate is considered to be Germany’s finest by all of the bigwigs and I am in awe of them and write this on bended knee. I have never made it to Prum – although I have tried. Manfred Prum is apparently a funny old fish and he doesn’t let people into his cellar, but his wines are like nothing else on the planet, so who cares? Slow to open and yet living forever, these are a collector’s dream and we have the entry level Kabinett and then take steps up the sweetness ladder as far as the lush, but not any more than ‘grapey’ Spätlese. In time these wines will all broaden and relax, but for now they are like snowflakes made of razor-wire. You simply must have a go.
Domaine Weinbach is my favourite estate in Alsace – full stop. This wine is a legendary creation and it is about as full and lusty as this grape gets without tipping over into sweetness. This is my favourite, exotic, fully upholstered PG on the planet. Drunk with creamy fish dishes or Blanquette de Veau you are in seventh heaven. We also have a few other great Weinbach wines to complement our list, as you’ll see below. The Sylvaner is a dead ringer for a slightly more aromatic version of a Cote Chalonnaise white Burgundy! It is silky smooth, unctuous and layered. Our two Gewurzs are a mesmerising duo. RP keeps itself under control, with shy, temptress-like moments of lychees and rose petals hinting at unimaginable pleasures to be found within, whereas Cuvee Theo leaves nothing to the imagination at all, with a brazen, exotic aroma and a vampiric body built solely for carnal deeds.
One of the lighter and racier of our new German finds, this is a spectacular Riesling and it is even more amazing to think that you can drink wine from one of the greatest estates in the world for a snip over a tenner. Joyous, dry and grapey, this wine will do more for you than £1000 of massage therapy! Is there a better aperitif wine in the house? NO. The 2008 Abtsberg was, in the annals of time when this place was a monastic manor house, reserved solely for the abbot’s consumption, such was its prized fruit! These grapes were described as venerable and opulent! Nothing’s changed then!
Drum roll please, this estate is considered to be Germany’s finest by all of the bigwigs and I am in awe of them and write this on bended knee. I have never made it to Prüm – although I have tried. Manfred Prüm is apparently a funny old fish and he doesn’t let people into his cellar, but his wines are like nothing else on the planet, so who cares? Slow to open and yet living forever, these are a collector’s dream and we have the entry level Kabinett and then take steps up the sweetness ladder as far as the lush, but not any more than ‘grapey’ Spätlese. In time these wines will all broaden and relax, but for now they are like snowflakes made of razor-wire. You simply must have a go.
This is not only the finest Greco that I have ever tasted, it is also the finest white wine from the South of Italy – I did some extensive research in the summer! Desperately short in supply, the burst of fruit on the nose would stop traffic - greengages, quince, peaches and pears - this is a stunning work of art and it is a bottle that compares to the great Chablis and Condrieus with its class, distinction and beauty. Take the plunge and shock yourself with the sheer splendour of Cutizzi.
Domaine Weinbach is my favourite estate in Alsace – full stop. This wine is a legendary creation and it is about as full and lusty as this grape gets without tipping over into sweetness. This is my favourite, exotic, fully upholstered PG on the planet. Drunk with creamy fish dishes or Blanquette de Veau you are in seventh heaven. We also have a few other great Weinbach wines to complement our list, as you’ll see below. The Sylvaner is a dead ringer for a slightly more aromatic version of a Cote Chalonnaise white Burgundy! It is silky smooth, unctuous and layered. Our two Gewurzs are a mesmerising duo. RP keeps itself under control, with shy, temptress-like moments of lychees and rose petals hinting at unimaginable pleasures to be found within, whereas Cuvee Theo leaves nothing to the imagination at all, with a brazen, exotic aroma and a vampiric body built solely for carnal deeds.
Domaine Weinbach is my favourite estate in Alsace – full stop. This wine is a legendary creation and it is about as full and lusty as this grape gets without tipping over into sweetness. This is my favourite, exotic, fully upholstered PG on the planet. Drunk with creamy fish dishes or Blanquette de Veau you are in seventh heaven. We also have a few other great Weinbach wines to complement our list, as you’ll see below. The Sylvaner is a dead ringer for a slightly more aromatic version of a Cote Chalonnaise white Burgundy! It is silky smooth, unctuous and layered. Our two Gewurzs are a mesmerising duo. RP keeps itself under control, with shy, temptress-like moments of lychees and rose petals hinting at unimaginable pleasures to be found within, whereas Cuvee Theo leaves nothing to the imagination at all, with a brazen, exotic aroma and a vampiric body built solely for carnal deeds.
Our other white Rhône star couldn’t be more different than the wine above. Here Viognier is the grape variety and this is a flamboyant, poseur of a wine with dramatic flashes and theatrical oohs and ahhs in every sip. Villard is one of the original Three Musketeers of the Condrieu (the others being Gaillard and Cuilleron). Made from three different vineyards and using one third new oak you could not find for a more expressive, ultra-high-kicking Condrieu if you tried. Awesome fun and like all guilty pleasures – utterly delicious.
