August's Recommendations
We rate our wines out of a 100-points scale.
Our reviews and recommendations are completely independent and we do not have any commercial affiliation with the importers and/or retailers listed.
Please note that prices are correct at the time of our tastings/reviews but are subject to change without us being notified.
Sparkling
Cristiana Meggiolaro Durello Frizzante IGT Sottocà 2015 - 91 pts
Veneto, Italy, Sparkling White, 12% abv, crown cap
100% Durella
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif, soft goats’ cheeses, seafood platter.
A great value sparkling offering NV Champagne-like acidity and freshness, soft mousse and pleasing salinity. Secondary fermentation happens in bottle without disgorgement giving it structure, rich mouth-feel and surprising length. A great example of Durella’s great potential as a sparkling variety.
£21 available from Bottles & Battles and Rolling Grapes
Castel Faglia Tesco Finest Franciacorta Brut DOCG NV - 89 pts
Franciacorta, Italy, Sparkling, 12.5% abv, natural cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif, white fish.
This bottle-fermented blanc de blancs from Lombardy in Italy shows, bright, fresh citrusy aromatic notes and a hint of brioche before the fruit bursts onto the tongue with a lively sherbet lemon tang that’s nicely balanced and refreshingly dry.
£15 available from Tesco
Chapel Down Sparkling English Rosé Brut NV - 90 pts
Kent, England, Sparkling Rosé, 12% abv, natural cork closure
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Meunier
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif, cold poached salmon.
Pale pink and lightly biscuity in aroma, this is a fine four-way blend of the champagne grapes (plus Pinot Blanc) whose intense berry fruit flavours explode on the tongue in a deliciously tangy, fresh mousse of bubbles, finishing nicely balanced and dry.
£27 available from Marks & Spencer
Dry White
Channing Daughters Ramato 2016 - 90 pts
Long Island AVA, New York State, USA, Dry Skin-Macerated White, 12% ABV, cork closure
100% Pinot Gris
Pairs nicely with: Niçoise salad, medium cured cheeses, roast chicken
Firm and taught this is a great food wine with rich phenolics rounded by 18-months in neutral French and Slovenian oak. Aromas of pink grapefruit, peach and nectarine lined by a mineral edge and great acidity.
£23 available from Wanderlust Wines
Red Hook Winery Jamesport SK Sauvignon Blanc (by Abe Schoener) 2013 - 91 pts
Long Island AVA, New York State, USA, Dry Skin-Macerated White, 12.4% ABV, cork closure
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Pairs nicely with: Barbecue, thai coconut curry, grilled sardines.
Red Hook Winery is an extremely interesting Brooklyn-based urban winery that buys fruit from New York State’s best vineyards and for each lot of fruit works with three different winemakers to express it differently. This skin-fermented Sauvignon, crafted by Scholium Project’s Abe Schoener, is a punchy love-it-or-hate-it orange wine with rich grapefruit, peach & musk aromas, sharp acidity and amazing persistence.
£30.09 available from Stannary Wines
Value choice of the Month
Jim Barry Barry & Sons Riesling 2017 - 89 pts
Clare Valley, Australia, Dry White, 12% ABV, screwcap
100% Riesling
Pairs nicely with: Shellfish, ceviche, smoked salmon.
Fresh with the scent of lemons and limes and a gentle spritz on the tongue, this juicy dry Australian Riesling with its refreshingly citrusy fruit quality and zestily crisp dry finish is just the ticket on a warm summer’s day.
£13.40 available from Tanners
Jim Barry Clare Valley Assyrtiko 2017 - 90 pts
Clare Valley, Australia, Dry White, 12.5% ABV, screwcap
100% Assyrtiko
Pairs nicely with: Prawns, pan-fried sardines, Salad Niçoise.
This dry white made from the variety that reaches its zenith on the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea may not have quite the mineral sharpness of its Greek counterpart; but it’s heading in that direction with its limey aromas and textured ripe fruit complemented by a mouthwateringly crisp acidity.
£19.50 available from Tanners
Tesco Finest Chablis Premier Cru 2016 - 90pts
Chablis, France, Dry White, 13% ABV, natural cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Dressed crab, gravadlax.
An expressive Chablis from the excellent co-operative La Chablisienne, showing ripe, full-bodied crème fraîche and stonefruit flavours complemented by a nice dry nuttiness and bone-dry finish thanks to the fermentation of a small a proportion of the Chardonnay in oak casks.
£15 available from Tesco
De Bortoli Tesco Finest Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2017 - 89 pts
Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia, Dry White, 12.5% ABV, screwcap
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Chicken, vegetable kebabs, lemon sole, Caesar Salad.
Made by the De Bortoli family, this is a finely-crafted Aussie Chardonnay with a veneer of gently smoky oak supported by a deliciously grapefruity quality and an appetisingly crisp and dry finishing , the lees-stirring in barrel adding a complexing nutty undertone.
£11 available from Tesco
Celler Cooperatiu Gandesa Jordi Miró White Grenache 2018 - 88 pts
Terra Alta, Spain, Dry White, 13.5% ABV, screwcap
Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo
Pairs nicely with: Tapas, baked cod, paella.
With its appealing and fresh aromatic quality, this distinctive, full-bodied Spanish white blend is rich in juicy stone fruit flavours, while stainless steel fermentation provides a lipsmacking appley bite for a balanced crips finish.
£9 available from Marks & Spencer
Dry Red
Channing Daughters Rosso Fresco 2018 - 91 pts
Long Island AVA, New York State, USA, Dry Red, 12% ABV, cork closure
64% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 6% Blaufränkisch, 4% Dornfelder
Pairs nicely with: Pizza, grilled vegetables, mezze, quiche lorraine
The name says it all: a fresh, uplifting Summer wine. With great acidity and crunchy fruit it’s the perfect bottle to – after letting it chill for a bit – get the action started at your Sunday barbecue.
£21 available from Wanderlust Wines
Nathan K. Pinot Noir 2016 - 93 pts
Finger Lakes, New York State, USA, Dry Red, 12% ABV, cork closure
100% Pinot Noir
Pairs nicely with: Grilled seabass, caprese salad, light pasta dishes
With its spicy length and finish this extremely elegant wine could easily be mistaken for a fine German Spätburgunder. It ages in old French oak for a year which gives it a lovely roundness and tannic softness. Nathan Kendall is a very talented and precise winemaker and his ability to allow this wine to express the minerality of the terroir’s shale deposits is testament to that.
£41.99 available from Top Selection
Wine of the Month!!
Red Hook Winery Seneca Lake Cabernet Frank (by Robert Foley) 2013 - 94 pts
Finger Lakes, New York State, USA, Dry White, 12.3% ABV, cork closure
100% Cabernet Franc
Pairs nicely with: Guineafowl, Shepherd’s pie, caponnata.
Another of Red Hook Winery’s delicious mischiefs, this time by Robert Foley. Cabernet Franc is one of the varieties that does best in the Finger Lakes as this wine shows: structured yet elegant; subtle yet complex. Expect ripe red fruit aromas, gentle green notes, refreshing acidity and broad mid-palate.
£28.35 available from Stannary Wines
Cascina Fornace Viscà 2017 - 92 pts
Piedmont, Italy, Dry Red, 13% ABV, natural cork closure
100% Nebbiolo
Pairs nicely with: Brisket, brandade, pork terrine.
Below £25 this wine delivers a gorgeous expression of Nebbiolo with complexity, structure and length. Hints of liquorice and black pepper float over raspberry, cranberry and bergamot aromas. The tantalising salinity and firm but soft tannins bind the aromatic richness for a really balanced, persistent wine.
£22.50 available from Theatre of Wine
Value choice of the Month
Valli Unite Vino Rosso Dù NV* - 90 pts
Piedmont, Italy, Dry Red, 13% ABV, screwcap
Croatina, Barbera, Dolcetto, Cortese
Pairs nicely with: Charcuterie, Caeser salad, beef tartare.
Yet another refreshing red that deserves to be chilled for 15-20 mins before opening. Brimming with crisp acidity, aromas of fresh raspberries, wild strawberries and blood orange, this racy red will have you running for a second (and third) glass not long after you’ve poured your first.
*NV (2018 blended with 2017 white wine)
£11.60 available from The Theatre of Wine
J. Bouchon País Viejo 2018 - 90 pts
D.O. Entre Cordilleras, Maule, Chile, Dry Red, 12% ABV, screwcap
100% País
Pairs nicely with: Cheese & charcuterie board, roast chicken, ratatouille.
Another serious contender for bargain of the month. This wine, hailing from 100 years-old País bush vines offers good complexity at great value. The variety’s rustic edge tamed by the age of the plants, you can expect a rich bouquet of red fruit (red cherries, redcurrant, wild strawberries) with just a touch of dried-herb smokiness and lovely, refreshing acidity.
£11.95 available from Slurp
De Martino Viejas Tinajas Cinsault 2018 - 92 pts
D.O. Costa, Itata, Chile, Dry Red, 12.5% ABV, cork closure
100% Cinsault
Pairs nicely with: Braised tuna, turkey, carbonara.
This Cinsault fermented in old tinajas (traditional clay vessels) is a long-time favourite and the new vintage does not disappoint. With a lovely mineral backbone, fresh red fruit flavours and a pleasing textural earthiness, it drinks well now but could easily be kept for 3 to 4 years in the cellar.
£14.99 available from Virgin Wines
Wine of the Month!!
La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Reserva 2011 - 91 pts
Rioja, Spain, Dry Red, 13% ABV, cork closure
Tempranillo, Graciano
Pairs nicely with: Lamb cutlets, lamb and rosemary sausages.
This classic, now mature Tempranillo-based blend (with a dash of Graciano) is highly aromatic with a hint of smoke and coconutty American oak. Its generous black fruit flavours are enhanced by a voluptuous silkiness of texture and etched with elegant acidity.
£19.50 available from The Wine Society
Mount Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2016 - 91 pts
Central Otago, New Zealand, Dry Red, 14% ABV, screwcap.
100% Pinot Noir
Pairs nicely with: Duck breast, venison.
With a fragrance of cherry and vanilla spice, this is a finely textured, gently floral Kiwi Pinot Noir whose cherry fruit quality is nicely framed by complexing notes of vanilla oak and finely balanced acidity for a juicy freshness on the finish.
£25.99 available from Waitrose
Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico 2015 - 90 pts
Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy, Dry Red, 14% ABV, cork closure
100% Sangiovese
Pairs nicely with: Gourmet pizza, calves liver, game sausage.
With four years’ ageing in the bottle, this is an aromatic, deliciously savoury, velvet-soft Chianti Classico with a herby warmth to the full-bodied sour cherry fruit quality and a voluptuous finish that makes it a perfect foil for robust, meaty dishes.
£19.99 available from Waitrose