Wine, Spirits & Tobacco
If you've landed a pike big enough for dinner, stroll home and drink it with this rich, buttery Chardonnay with its crystalline-pure citrus and apricot flavours. Henri Germain acquired winemaking skills at the Germain family estate, Château de Chorey-les-Beaune, before setting up on his own in 1973. His domaine is based in Meursault, where talented son Jean- François now holds...
Category: Wine £24.50
In our 20 vintage association with winemaking dynamo Ernst Loosen, he's never faltered. We often visit his Mosel-side estate near Bernkastel (good before he took over in 1988; now great) and know the secrets of his success: low yields, late harvesting and thoughtful stewardship of a stunning vineyard portfolio. Even this basic Riesling shows real integrity. Light yet vibrant, with enticing...
Category: Wine £6.99
Eight out of ten East Anglian brides' fathers can't be wrong: it's their top choice for wedding Champagne. We wholeheartedly pin our name to this fresh, effusive cuvée with its appealing, citrusy flavours. The blend is astute: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in the main, lending backbone and substance to the flowery fruitiness of Chardonnay.
Category: Wine £17.99
Volpaia is the touchstone by which all other Tuscan wines are judged. There's a refinement and simplicity about their Chianti which owes much to the altitude of this ancient estate and the talented personalities involved: Giovanella Stanti, husband Carlo Mascheroni and eminent consultant oenologist Maurizio Castelli. This fine Riserva is elegant and understated but with great persistence of...
Category: Wine £17.99
Basa, made by relentlessly innovative Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodriguez, derives its name from red counterpart Baso, itself named after the country's ancient 'baso'(goblet)-shaped bushvines. Basa is from Rueda, source of many of Spain's finest whites, particularly Sauvignon. Telmo fights the corner here for local varieties Viura and Verdejo, conceding just a little Sauvignon for...
Category: Wine £7.29
Well-structured, with underlying minerality and grip, this elite Grand Cru Chablis offers an enticing array of aromas: peaches, apricots, citrus zest, pepper and spice. That it lacks the heaviness characterising so many wines from the exceptionally hot 2003 vintage is mostly due to the efforts of young Benoit Droin. In recent years he's proven increasingly adroit in balancing the use of...
Category: Wine £29.50
Classic claret. Mellow, complex, mature aromas and flavours. The perfect match for traditional roast beef.
Category: Wine £24.99
Outclasses many a top Bordeaux: organic, strikingly complex and individual Cabernet-based tour-de-force. Celebrated Languedoc 'Grand Cru', Mas de Daumas Gassac is home to iconoclast Aimé Guibert, who carved vineyards into the herb-scented, tangled thicket ('garrigue') pervading his ancient estate. Disdain for the varietal-proscribing laws of appellation (which, he says,...
Category: Wine £24.50
There's no stopping Telmo Rodriguez, tireless champion of obscure Spanish grape varieties and reviver of ancient vineyards. He roams relentlessly from his Rioja HQ (the Rodriguez family's respected Remelluri estate) seeking out long- forgotten parcels of vines and unlocking their potential. From north-western Spain's hot, rocky, rugged Toro region, this pure Tempranillo is dark,...
Category: Wine £8.50
The prestidigious Chateau Giscours in Margaux has vineyards lying to the north of the main property from whence comes this superior Haut Medoc. All the care lavished on the Grand Vin is shared by its junior cousin. A claret of structure and breeding that's ready for drinking now.
Category: Wine £129.00