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Everyday Whites

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Special Reds

 The HTQI ratings points  
A wine to seek out and enjoy as much as you can superbly over 140
A fairly reasonable wine worth trying, certainly better than its price suggests
110  to 140
Sound commercial wine for the price – goodish but no surprises
 90 to 110
A wine you should probably be thankful you didn’t buy, just try to enjoy at a friend’s  place –
65 to  90 points
If someone gives you this wine as a present, use it in the salad dressing or to de-scour  the kettle, or both sadly less than 65
  The HTQI is simply calculated by taking assessed value of wine divided by the actual retail price, so a wine “worth” £7.99 but costing just £4.99, has a HTQI of 799/499 = 160.  A really good buy indeed. 
       
Everyday Reds Comments Outlet Price HTQI Date tasted
Cabernet Sauvignon del Montello e Dei Colli Asolani, DOC Italy  2000 Delicate but attractive cabernet flavours, nothing special but surprisingly smooth for a cheaper Italian.  Pleasing long flavours, and not too bitter. Majestic £5.49 109 10th October 2002
Fairview Shiraz 1999 Paarl South Africa Almost "luscious big mouthful", and not spoilt by too much tannin.  Only criticism at this price is the lack of a plummy or peppery shiraz smell.  Commercially acceptable. Tesco £5.99 117 19th September 2002
Santa Ines Legado de Armida 1999 Reserva Cabernet sauvignon Maipo Valley Chile Rated "Great Value wine of the Year" by wine magazine raised our expectations. This is a sound but fairly dull wine, nothing offensive, but no real reason to seek it out.  A "safe pair of hands" for the unadventurous amongst us. Wine Rack £6.99 86 11th September 2002
Quinta das Setencostas 1999 Alenquer, Central Portugal  Made from a very non-trendy mix of indigenous Portuguese grape varieties, like Periquita, this is a big gutsy chappie. Hints of oak. But not overly alcoholic and surprising approachable.  Nice one. Oddbins £5.99 100 7th September 2002
Anubis 2000 Malbec Mendoza Argentina Hoping to find some different red-fruit flavours here we were disappointed, but it is well made and pleasant enough. Doubtless we were hoping for too much from this popular Argentinian grape Waitrose £5.99 100 1st September 2002
Redwood Trail Reserve Pinot Noir 1998 California Really soft and luscious mouthful.  Classic raspberry flavours untainted by wood.  Commercially attractive - a red for white drinkers.  In the old days we could have got away calling it "feminine" Oddbins £4.99 181 23rd April 2002
Oak aged red Burgundy 1999  Cote d'Or France Nothing special, but at this price pleasant enough.  Clean grapey flavour - nothing to do with classic pinot noir, but drinkable.  Don't bother cellaring. Tesco £4.99 120 11th April 2002
Bourgogne Pinot Noir 1999 Jean-Claude Boisset, France Evidence that even in a specially good year, Burgundy at the lower price points is not worth experimenting with.  Feeble fruit flavour and no body to speak of, really best avoided unless you find the label attractive! Marks & Spencer £6.50 78 23rd March 2002
Marisa Tempranillo, Telmo Rodriguez  2000 Cigales, Spain Good simple wine which has no sophistication but lots of pleasing fruit, not too tannic and perfectly commercial. Don't bother keeping, just enjoy now! Marks & Spencer £4.99 108 21st March 2002
Fetzer Valley Oaks Shiraz California 1998 A reasonably attractive mouthful of fruit, lots of body as you'd expect from a respected Californian producer.    Tesco £6.99 100 14th March 2002
Fairview, Coastal Region South Africa, Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 A rare treat - unabashed claret from south of the Equator. A truly pleasant if somewhat muted cassis aroma.  Lightish structure for New World and all the better for that.  Buy and drink now. Sainsburys £5.99 115 5th March 2002
Landskroon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 Paarl South Africa Big, juicy and gutsy which is worth keeping for a year or so.  However this is not a subtle wine but goes well with stroganoff-type dishes.  Not too tannic, with flavours restricted to damson fruit.    Marks & Spencer £6.99 100 23rd February 2002
Manta Preta 1999 Touriga Nacional & Tinta Roriz, Estremadura, Southern Portugal A real surprise because of its splendid mix of unusual ripe fruit flavours and new oak which provides pleasing length of flavour.  Ready to drink but will be rewarded with keeping. Waitrose £5.99 143 21st February 2002
Sutter Home, Pinot Noir  Monterey California 1998 Light but soft, with classic pinot stink, which is reasonably attractive. Not a great wine but decent value at this price.  Don't keep, drink now. Sainsburys £4.79 105 23rd January 2002
Campo Viejo Crianza 1998 Rioja  Spain Long gone are the days when this quality (and brand) of Rioja had some attractive regional character.  Shame.  Still its innocuously pleasant. Tesco £6.29 85 6th January 2002
Bourgogne Hautes Cotes des Nuits Les Caves des Hautes Cotes 1999  France Ordinary and dull light, which if it had any class would be great value.  But it doesn't.  Insipid wines like this sent drinkers to Rioja, then to Oz and now to Chile.  Avoid.  Sainsburys £6.99 80 2nd January 2002
Premius Bordeaux Claret 2000,
Yvon Mau, France
 After the bizarre labels, you'd expect very little at this price, but it really does deliver. From a decent vintage we almost have something affordable to rekindle some faith in the Bordelais. A decent flavoursome claret, that would even repay keeping 18 months. Unwins
£5.99 145 12th December 2002