Maravedi is the name of an ancient Spanish coin and this wine is an excellent blend of Chardonnay and Airen (an indigenous Spanish white grape). The flavours are smooth and creamy with Chardonnay strutting its flavoursome, approachable taste in every mouthful. It is made from dry farmed, organically certified vineyards in the La Mancha region of Spain, south of Madrid, which is Spain's largest wine region.

Here's a surprising fact - nearly one third of Germany's vineyards are planted in red grapes – but until quite recently most of these wines were made specifically with the country's own tastes in mind.

Now there is a generation of winemakers producing riper, fuller bodied Pinot Noirs made in a modern style - and one which takes both Burgundy and New Zealand Pinot Noir styles into account. Winemaker Gerd Stepp is at the forefront of this cultural change and this fabulous Pinot Noir illustrates this in this savoury, smooth and finely tuned Pinot Noir, which tastes like the ultimate match with roast duck or aubergine and then again, is equally beautiful on its own. 

This is a thought provoking Pinot Noir which offers exceptional value for money.

Italian designers bring their best bling to the design of the new Pizzolato Prosecco, which contains zero alcohol but loads of lovely aromatic flavour. This lightly sparkling wine is certified organic. 

Vallformosa, is a family owned operation that has been around for 150 years. 

Appearance: Pale yellow with greenish reflections in the glass

On the Nose: Good aromatic intensity of fruity aromas, including green apple and fresh herbs like fennel welcome the nose. These fruiter elements also combine with notes of white flowers and citrus in the bouquet to offer complexity.

On the Palate: Vallformosa Cava is a bright sparkling wine with fine persistent bubbles. The palate is balanced and dry while soft, resulting in well balanced acidity and a fruity aftertaste.

About Cava...

Cava is one of the great sparkling wine secrets of the world and you could call it poor man's champagne because it's made the same way, only with slightly shorter aging time and therefore a little less complexity on the palate. Still, given that it costs a fraction of the price and has had its secondary fermentation in the same bottle that you buy it in, this really is superb value for money.

It can be made with grapes grown anywhere in Spain. These days, producers are allowed to use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to make cava but this one is from the traditional Spanish grapes, namely, Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, each of which combines to create a fruity but dry and lightly yeasty fresh taste. A stunner at the price and an extremely fresh, refreshing dry bubbly. Awesome value for money.

Graciano is one of Spain’s best kept wine secrets - a red grape with thick skins that is a tricky customer to grow, which means there’s precious little of it about, even in the vineyards of the Rioja, where it is one of the traditional ingredients in the wine of the same name.

This is a dark Spanish beauty with soft fruit flavours, medium body and fresh, long finish.

 José Luis Ripa is a fan of more 'serious' rosés (think Pibarnon, Trevallon, Tempier and the poster child of extended ageing Viña Tondonia).  His day job is commercial director at a well known winery in Haro, but in 2016 he managed to get hold of some old-vine fruit from the Najerilla Valley, a tributary of the Ebro, and made his first vintage of Ripa Rosado. The wine is mainly Garnacha with a touch of Tempranillo, the must is drawn-off slowly, then fermented and aged for 18-24 months in large oak vats, called bocoyes in Rioja. He only made 3,000 bottles in the first year, he's gradually increasing that, without losing the artisan vision of the project. After all, he has his wife María José López de Heredia to keep him focused!

A little deeper and probably more lactic than the 2019, but a little less exuberant. There are more dried herbs and minerals, with dried grapefruit and a touch of Aperol. Unique in style, which makes you think of a young Lopez de Heredia rosado (and you wouldn't be surprised if you find who makes this). Textured, full and harmonious despite higher alcohol. Cheerful and unassuming at the same time.

-James Suckling

From the sun-soaked limestone terraces of Bandol, this powerful red captures the very soul of Provence. Château de Font Vive is a small, almost secret estate — no flashy marketing, just pure dedication to Mourvèdre and Grenache. In the glass, it’s an explosion of dark cherries, ripe plums, and blackberry, wrapped in peppery spice and Provençal herbs. Silky yet robust tannins give it a bold structure, while a long, warming finish leaves you craving the next sip. Whether you enjoy it now with a hearty lamb stew or cellar it for a decade, this is Bandol as it was meant to be — rich, authentic, unforgettable. If you’re looking for a wine that turns a meal into an occasion, this is it. 

Grape 85% Mourvèdre, 15% Grenache

When Erni Loosen rediscovered the remarkable quality and longevity of his ancestors' dry Rieslings, he set about reviving the culture and techniques of his family heritage. The GG Réserve wines are selectively harvested from the best parcels of very old, ungrafted vines in Grand Cru vineyards. They are fermented naturally, like traditional GG Rieslings, but mature for 24 months without filtration or fining on the lees in traditional oak casks. This is followed by a further 48 months of bottle aging before release. This extended maturation period lends the wines an additional dimension of finesse and balance, perfectly expressing the unique terroir of each individual vineyard.

Bouquet: Blackcurrant and cassis layered with notes of subtle pepper and spice. 

Palate: Generous and sweet blackcurrant followed by layers of cedar oak and dried bay leaf. Elegant and textured tannins are balanced with natural acidity leaving a firm, persistent finish.

Bold, rich and dry with powerfully fruity aromas and depths of deliciousness. This wine is a super intensely purple hued red made from Alicante Bouchet, a red fleshed grape, which ripens to surprisingly low sugar levels and lends itself to having a modest level of alcohol with stacks of flavour intensity. Alicante is a cross of Petit Bouschet (itself a cross of Teinturier du Cher and Aramon) with Grenache. It makes wine that tastes of cherries and spice.

We love the interesting different take on light red vs rose that this wine offers. A must try in summer. Serve chilled.

Rockford Wines' legacy

Rockford Wines is an icon itself and a relatively new one, established in 1971 by Robert O'Callaghan, who has forged a reputation for preserving winemaking tradition and saving many of the world's oldest grape vines from being pulled up in the Australian Government's vine pull schemes of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Rockford vintage shed houses equipment from 50 to 100 years ago, which was discarded by other wineries as modernisation took over.

Lovely dry, full bodied French Chardonnay, made by Cave de Lugny, a cooperative of over 250 winemakers in the Macon region in southern Burgundy. The Macon region is the warmest area of the world's most famous Chardonnay wine region and provides high quantities of grapes to make accessibly priced, very good quality dry whites like this one. 

Southern Right is re-defining Pinotage with this intense classically styled, clay-grown wine, packed with complex berry fruit, beautiful tannins and subtle wood spice. Full ripeness and the longer hang-time afforded by cooler sites, combined with the complex, more classic fruit aromas and structure resulting from clay-rich soil, make this wine a highly individual expression of South Africa?s unique grape variety.

The seemingly maverick wines of Domaine Marcel Deiss pay homage to historical field blends made in Alsace, France; a region steeped in controversial history between France and Germany, countries which have both fought and both won (and lost) ownership of this territory. This is why the wines in Alsace are made from grapes more commonly associated with Germany, such as this interesting white - a dry Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. 

This wine is made from vines planted in 1997 at a density of 2,000 per hectare on steep terraced, south facing slopes of shallow, granite soil. 

The grapes in this wine were hand picked, fermented with natural yeasts and aged for 12 months in large, ancient foudres.

Like all wines of Domaine Marcel Deiss, this one has cult status with wine collectors and drinkers alike so we are thrilled to have a wide range of them back in store, only they are in limited supply, so if you're a fan or a curious newcomer, get in quick.

Domaine Marcel Deiss is located in Bergheim, a small village nestling in the heart of the wine region of Alsace, equal distance from the northern and southern boundaries of the region. The current winemaker is Jean-Michel Deiss, who was born into a long-established family of wine growers, living at Bergheim since 1744.

Today he manages the domaine, which consists of 26 hectares (52 acres) of hillside vineyards spread over nine communes and approximately 20 kilometres.

This certified organic French dry white is a field blend of Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc, made from biodynamically grown grapes from the talented hand of Marcel Deiss. one of Alsace's most talented and ground breaking winemakers. 

Domaine Marcel Deiss is located in Bergheim, a small village nestling in the heart of the wine region of Alsace, equal distance from the northern and southern boundaries of the region. The current winemaker is Jean-Michel Deiss, who was born into a long-established family of wine growers, living at Bergheim since 1744.

Today he manages the domaine, which consists of 26 hectares (52 acres) of hillside vineyards spread over nine communes and approximately 20 kilometres.

The wines of Domaine Marcel Deiss have cult status with wine collectors and drinkers alike so we are thrilled to have a wide range of them back in store, only they are in limited supply, so if you're a fan or a curious newcomer, get in quick.