The seriously
entertaining
 wine company


contact us

about us
    home

    faq's
   

Back to wine tips

Everyday reds

Special whites


Serious reds

                              HTQI ratings    
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
111  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  89 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 Whites

 

 Comments Outlet Price HTQI Date tasted
Argento Pinot Grigio 2003 Mendoza Argentina Perfectly respectable is you count yourself among that growing band of folk who seek a blander taste offered by Pinot Grigio, compared to Chardonnay or Sauvignon banc.  Not too acid, certainly innocuous but where does one find any pleasure in this neutrality Majestic £4.99 100 4th January 2004
Calvert Reserve Bordeaux 2002  Barrel Fermented Semillon Sauvignon Good mouthfeel, but the nose is just too muted.  A tad insipid - really nothing much to get interested in. Sainsburys £5.99 105 18th December 2003
Rossendale Marlborough NZ Sauvignon blanc  2003 Pleasant enough with shortish fruit flavours - the problem is that we have come to expect bountiful attractive flavours from Marlborough.  Well balanced, but just a little too timid for its own goood   Unwins £6.99 88 15th December 2003
Gerard Bertrand Viognier 2002 southern France OK, so we enjoy the scented apricots of cheap viognier.  That said, this well balanced wine is good value - either to enjoy the apricots, or just to quaff as a break from (woody) chardonnay. Majestic £6.49 108 12th December 2003
Le Vieux Clos Cheverny 2002, central Loire Valley, France Something for everybody hear - the acidity of Muscadet, the pungent freshness of Loire sauvignon blanc and a little roundness from chardonnay.   Made from a blend of the last two grapes mentioned above - its a brave attempt at something different - we are not sure that its a success.  Waitrose £5.49 100 1st December 2003
Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett 1994  Mosel, Germany Not one for every body - but for those who adore the complexity of ....... diesel and kerosene of all things this is superb.  Well balanced and not TOO sweet this is a teat.  Rush off to Majestic. Majestic £6.49 154 28th November 2003
Luzano Marotti Campi  Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2002 Italy (where else!!) Not a familiar bouquet that greets the unfamiliar.  But the mix of fruit and mineral is not unappealing.  The  redeeming characteristic is certainly the rich mouthfeel; and the lack of oak flavours.  Not astounding, but encouragingly different.  Try it.    Oddbins £6.49 120 3rd November 2003
Kaituna Hills Reserve  2002 Sauvignon Blanc  Marlborough, New Zealand A real step-up from the already good-value basic wine from Kaituna.  More length from the hint of oak maturation, and flashy golden label.  Really good value.  Marks & Spencer £6.99 129 23rd October 2003
Argento 2001 Chardonnay Argentina Big but not overstated, if you like chardonnay you'll love this - especially at this price.  Reliable producer.  Snap it up. Budgens £3.79 158 20th October
Sanctuary Marlborough New Zealand 2002  Sauvignon Blanc Yet another enjoyable glass of gooseberries and nettles, with the customary acidic freshness.  Long flavours.  Drink young Sainsburys £6.65 105 12th October
Leopards Leap, Western Cape, South Africa  Semillon Chardonnay 2002 A perfectly pleasant glass of wine with no real distinction.  Full bodied, the flavours don't last or provide much interest.  OK-ish.  Sainsburys £5.49 91 29th September 2003
Graham Beck Chardonnay 2002 Robertson, South Africa High in alcohol, higher in wood flavour.  There's probably some chardonnay in there somewhere.  Still, most folk will enjoy it. Sainsburys £6.03 99 14th September
Fairleigh Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2003  Marlborough New Zealand All you'd expect, and just a little bit more in flavour intensity. Majestic £6.66 114 3rd September
Chateau de la Fessardiere  Muscadet 2001  France Made organically, but it does not save it from being as bad as all the old fashioned Muscadets that convinced the wine drinking public to embrace the approachability of chardonnay.  It is acidic, and devoid of attractive flavours.   Better off drinking Highland Spring! Sainsburys £4.99 72 31st August
Merwida Winery 2002 Viognier Worcester, South Africa Disappointingly ordinary, even at this price - basic problem lack of flavour.    Satisfying mouthfeel is the best one can say, but very slightly bitter. Oddbins £6.99 75 24th August
Oyster Bay, Marlborugh New Zealand  2002 A benchmark standard, along with Vila Maria and Montana.   Slightly less acidic than most of its peers. Widely available £6.99 100 22nd August
Comte Cathare Marsanne-Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc  2001 southern France Living proof that not all viognier wines are interesting. When blended with the dull marsanne grape variety there's a chance that the resulting wine will lack appeal.  This one does, but on the positive side there's nothing actually wrong with it.    Oddbins £6.39 80 17th August 2003
Kaituna Hill, Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2002 Good basic & relaible sauvignon with oddles of nettles and cut grass aromas.  Acidic as expected, but not overly. Marks & Spencer £5.99 116 3rd August 2003
Jacob's Creek Dry Riesling 2002  South Eastern Australia A really appealing and classy fruit bouquet.  Well balanced in mouth with enough acid - eminently commercial.  Would certainly repay keeping a couple of years in the cellar - to exaggerate the maturing riesling flavours.   Sainsburys £6.09 131 27th July 2003
Vila Maria Pinot Gris 2002 Malborough NZ An unusual grape variety for New Zealand, but unfortunately not really a success - unless you adore Pinot Grigio bland wines.  Well made, but some flavour would help.  Other wines from Vila Maria are much more attractive and reliable. Waitrose £6.99 86 12th July 2003
Yalumba Viognier South Australia 2002 Interesting melon and apricot flavours, but too "oily" to be pleasant - lacks bite and overall falls down due to lack of zest Majestic

 

 £6.99 86 10th July 2003
Connubio Pinot Grigio Dellevenezie, Italy 2002 Ideal for those who seek an inoffensive mouthful of nothingness - no interesting fruit flavours, just a hint of hot grapey youth.  Fresh and lively, but not cheap  Sainsburys £6.65 69 3rd July
Zondernaam Sauvignon Blanc 2002 Stellenbosch South Africa Second wine of Tokara, but truly flavuorsome, with tons of acidity and body to excite and please the palate.  Good wine, great value Majestic £6.99 129 27th June
Montana Marlborough NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2002 Clean fruity flavours, reasonable length and well balanced.  The benchmark - lacking ultimate finesse, but consitently dependable if lacking a little freshness/acidity.  Widely available £5.99 115 6th March 2003
Tahbilk, central Victoria, Australia 2000  Marsanne Lots of body (mouthfeel), but not enough finesse in the aroma - not really showing the "lemon, honey and peach" promised on the back label.  Just a pleasant, if somewhat unbalanced due to lack of acidity, mouthful of fairly nondescript wine. Waitrose £6.66 92 28th February 2003
Alamos, Mendoza, Argentina  2000 Chardonnay Massive glassful of ripe chardonnay flavours, well balanced and good value.  Basic Montagny/Chablis needs to take note of this wine, not good Meursault which can "reach parts" that this wine never dreamed of caressing.  A crowd pleaser.  Majestic £5.99 125 4th February 2003
Fairview Chardonnay 2000  Coastal Region, South Africa Pungent mix of classic new world chardonnay flavours and oak.  In the mouth, rich and full, with the woody flavours driving the long aftertaste.  Good value, Widely  available £6.99 114 27th January 2003
Sainsburys Albarino  Rias Baixas, northern Spain  2001 Sublte fruit, but if one searches hard then a reward is to be gained - in the unusual floral tones.  Most folk drinking this without attention (and why not?) will miss the class.  Others will miss out as "albarino" is hardly well known as a reason-to-buy; and the label is very ordinary.  Try it.,    Sainsburys £6.99 105 24th January 2003
Out of Africa Unfiltered Semillon 2002 Western Cape, South Africa Nice heavy bottle, dreadful branding and a really big mouthful of wood.  Shame the semillon grape flavours have been lost.  If you ever wondered what oaky white tasted like - but one bottle of this!  Sainsburys £4.99 85 15th January 2003
Sincerely Sauvignon Blanc 2001  Wine of Origin Coastal Region, South Africa Spoilt by excellent value from New Zealand, South Africa seems to have trouble competing.  This does represent decent value when up against most Sancerre, but best to go looking in Marlborough.  Reasonably clean & attractive gooseberry aromas, well balanced with enough acidity.  Quite weighty - drink now. Sainsburys £6.99 100 14th January 2003
Jacobs Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2000  South Australia No nonsense chardonnay, big mouthfeel from time in oak casks - really not bad at all.  Good value. Tesco £6.99 115 10th January 2003
Bernard Germain Anjou 2000 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, France Big mouthful of wine; but what a shame that the Chenin Blanc grape has been given its full head and produced a frightful appley flavour, made even worse by the yeasty tones from leaving the wine on lees following fermentation.  Best thing about the wine is the tasteful label! Sainsburys £6.99 50 8th January 2003
Danie de Wet, Chardonnay sur lie, Unwooded  2002  South Africa A green yeasty smell greets the nose, and on old-fashioned Muscadet  rawness swamps the palate.  Did we enjoy it - no.  But its no worse than lots of Pinot Grigios which by some are considered drinkable.    Sainsbury £3.99 83 7th January 2003
Les Quatre Clochers, Limoux Chardonnay  2000  southern France A surprising wine from a little-known area which is almost famous for its ordinary sparkling wines.  A really heavy bottle augurs well.  A pungent aroma of toasty chardonnay and wood barrels is redolent of Burgundy, but then again it isn't.  A delicious big mouthful of wine - drink up.  Tesco £5.99 133 22nd December 2002
Semillon 1999 St Hallets Wines, Barossa Valley, Australia Flagrantly bland and innocuous, certainly does not live up to claims of "rich lemongrass and lime blossom aromas". Almost balanced but there is
something fishy about the spritzig sensation. Avoid.		 Marks & Spencer £6.99 71 7th December 2002
Penfolds Rawson's Retreat Riesling 2001South Eastern Australia A neutral wine without much depth of flavour, well balanced and would slip down without anyone noticing. Shame there is no hint of Riesling flavour. Tesco £4.99 95 6th December 2002
Matua Valley, Marlborough, NZ 2002 Delightfully pungent nettles and
gooseberry flavours. Well balanced and long flavours, just what we've come to expect (and consistently get) from Marlborough. Good wine.		 Tesco £6.99 129 1st December 2002
Domaine Galeti, Vin de Pays D'oC, southern France.  Chardonnay-Viognier 2001 Rich honey and bananas/apricots aromas, verging on ripe fruit salad. In the mouth, generous and balanced with long pleasant aftertaste.  This is the real thing - so big it could have been made by an American footballer. Marks & Spencer £3.99 225 25th October 2002
Fetzer Vineyards, California Chardonnay-Viognier 2000 In spite of the horrid yellow label, attractive mix of melons and apricots with no confusing wood, a little short on intensity of flavour but well made, and tons of alcohol!  Sainsburys £5.99 116 24th October 2002
Le Midi Viognier Vins de Pays d'Oc, Southern France 2001 Excellent value for this price, classic deep apricot flavours of viognier grape (which some people will find overpowering)  A little fat, but overall reasonable balance, and better value.   Sainsburys £4.49 178 20th October 2001
Saint Veran, Les Monts, southern Burgundy  2001 Delightfully successful and affordable clean buttery chardonnay form Burgundy - buy it up and enjoy over the next couple of years.  Almost sumptuous and rich - pleasing and mouthfilling.  Old World charm. Marks & Spencer £6.99 129 18th October 2002
Oak aged Bordeaux, Sauvignon Semillon, Dourthe 2001 If you like your Meursault really woody, then here's an affordable alternative - it could be made from just about any grape - all you get is woody flavours (chips!!??), but it will appeal to most people    Marks & Spencer £6.99 114 1st October 2002
Vila Maria Private Bin, Marlborough, NZ Riesling 2001  Better value than Alsace, even though it it so slightly sweet.  Wasted drunk now, will develop more complex flavours going forward, but why wait - enjoy it now even tho the Montana Rieslings are better Waitrose £6.99 100   29th September 2002
Domaine Cazal-Viel Viognier Vins de Pays d'Oc  France Delightful apricot and peach flavours which exemplify the viognier grape's charm. Well balanced and good value, if somewhat unspectacular Tesco £4.29

155

2nd August 2002
Labeye Viognier-Chardonnay  Vin de Pays D'Oc France Attractive blend of buttery melon and apricot flavours, a tad low in acid and shortish finish but still very respectable for the price.  Maybe worth keeping 12 months. Oddbins £5.49 135 2nd August 2002