Wine

It’s not every day you get to try a wine blended with six full-bodied red grapes before going through an intensive oak ageing process to deliver a uniquely bold flavour layered with maple, vanilla and charred spice more akin to whisky than wine. But thanks to Apothic Wine’s latest release, Inferno, you can now get your hands on this intriguing wine for quite a reasonable price at most Sansbury’s, and it’s well worth a try. The Californian small-batch bottle is...

The Bank Holiday is here and following a prolonged absence the sun is out, gardenware is being dusted off and there’s a noticeable feel-good factor in the air as millions of Brits across the country prepare for a long weekend off work. This evening cellars will undoubtedly be filled with wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Beaujolais in preparation for the main event, and what a selection there will be. Tipped by TLE as being the best wine-drinking holiday of the...

Wine from the Swiss canton of Valais will soon be more readily available to buy in the UK after producers announced plans to ship more of their produce to Britain. Despite being home to a nation of “passionately obsessive winemakers” who cultivate some 37,000 acres of land for viticultural purposes the Swiss have historically only exported between 1 per cent and 2 per cent of its total production abroad. Domestic demand and high production costs have limited overseas appeal with...

I'm going to make a bold claim. Easter is a better wine-drinking holiday than Christmas, hands down. The bleak midwinter offers little joy for wine fanatics much beyond a comforting pour of claret in front of a warm log fire. When the main event arrives you face the realisation that turkey pairs comfortably with few good wines, nor do many of the other ingredients that adorn the mishmash plate. After all, when does turkey make it onto a tasting menu...

Mother's Day is around the corner and while gifts and cards make the cut nothing beats cracking open a good bottle of wine to celebrate. This year we have wines from across the world to help you make the right pick for the occasion. From old world to new, red wine to rose, here are some wines to say thank you for being awesome. Red: De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Grown Pinot Noir 2016, Australia Alluring red fruit aromatics, charcuterie and spice....

Australian by name but deceptively Austrian in nature, this week's wine pick hails from the sunny state of Victoria in the south of the country. Combining the aromatic Gewürztraminer with the flowery, perfumed Riesling this is a perfect way to kick-start spring. Heavy perfumed aromatics of musk and rosewater complement fresh spice and lime. A gorgeous and balanced palate of freshly dusted Turkish delight and lychee freshened by a fresh and zesty finish. Will pair perfectly with Thai food. Buy...

Valpolicella, a "Valley of Cellars", is probably one of the most important wine-growing regions you have never heard of. Second only to Chianti in terms of total Italian DOC wine production, it is known colloquially as the "pearl of Verona" to locals, who enjoy everything from novello-style table wine to Classico and Superiore styles thanks to its plentiful bounty. The Bonacosta Valpolicella Classico 2016 is stereotypically intense claret that displays cherry aromas on the nose with inviting and attractive hints of...

Complex, mellow and packed full of flavour this week's wine choice is a Pinot Noir masquerading as a Burgundy. The delightful Yarra Valley-grown vino is packed full of deceptively French characteristics, with plenty of earthy and developed personality. Yet with a light and delicate composition it is very much the embodiment of everything that is good about Australia's famed wine growing region, saving you plenty of dough on a comparative bottle from continental Europe. Twenty pounds may sound a lot for a Pinot...

There's nothing quite like a wine with a good story, and New Zealand's Marisco Vineyards certainly aren't short of a tale or two. Descendent from the noble de Marisco family, whose members variously fell in and out of favour with the English monarchy in the 12th and 13th centuries, 'The King's Series' celebrates the extraordinary tales of the family through five wines, appropriately named The King's Legacy, The King's Thorn, The King's Favour, The King's Wrath and A Sticky End. The story starts...