'I'm a wine expert - these are the bottles you should buy this week from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Waitrose'
Christine Austin tells us her favourite wines of the week, lauds award-winning stores and drops a Christmas hint in her column this week.
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Wines of the Week
Finest Floreal 2024, Vin de France, 11%, Tesco down from £8 to £7 with a Clubcard until October 6: Floreal is a new disease-resistant grape variety, which means fewer sprays in the vineyard. It has ripe citrus notes with hints of passion fruit and melon.
Laurent Miquel Albariño 2024, Languedoc, France,13%, Sainsbury down from £12.75 to £10.75 with a Nectar card until October 14: This fresh, elegant Albariño comes from innovative winemaker Laurent Miquel based in a cool, breezy part of the Languedoc.
Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Chile,13.5%, Morrisons down from £10.50 to £8 with a More card until October 21: A luscious cassis-filled wine with enough structure to cope with the first beef casserole of the season.
The Ned Pinot Noir 2021, Waihopi Valley, New Zealand, 13.5%, Waitrose down from £15 to £12 until September 30: Delicious upfront raspberry and plum fruit with a thread of savoury complexity and silky tannins. Perfect with duck or pate.
Best in The North
Congratulations to Bon Coeur Fine Wines in Melsonby who won the Award for the best Regional Wine Merchant in the North at The International Wine Challenge.
They also came close on many other accolades including Buying Team of the Year, only to be beaten by Tesco and Trade Educator of the Year but were beaten by a major importer in London.
I have been a judge on The International Wine Challenge for many years, and these awards are not lightly given. They show that we really do get a fine range of wines and a really good service in the North.
Congratulations also to House of Townend based in Melton, who won the IWC award for the best retailer of Champagne and Sparkling Wines.
Whisky Tasting in Beverley
Morgan McDermott, Sales Manager for Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery will be in Beverley on October 2 at 19.30pm to present a range of Filey Bay whiskies. The event, hosted by Roberts and Speight, will be held at Junksoul (formerly the Atom Bar) on New Walkergate.
Tickets cost £25. Ring 01482 870717 to find out if there are still places available.
Pocket Wine Guide
Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Guide 2026, Mitchell Beazley £15.99 is the perennial of the wine bookshelves.
Packed with up-to-the-minute information on regions, vintages and wines, this is the essential reference book for any wine-lover. Comparing this current edition with the first which was published in 1977, it makes me think of how mini cars have grown over the years.
You really will need a substantial pocket to put this book in, but actually, it works best on a desk, near your wine stock, or in your car when you go shopping, so you can check facts before you buy.
New this year are pieces about how wine is priced, good value wines and the way the cost of vineyard land and winemaking can affect the price of the bottle on the shelf.
The real joy of this book is the easy-access, unbiased, concise information about the wines of the world. It is a perfect stocking-filler for the festive season.