Spring wine offer

There’s a fair bit of Petit Verdot in this month’s selection. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a late ripening variety often included in the classic Bordeaux blend to which, in warm years, it can bring an agreeable peppery spice. It seems to thrive in warmer climates and oak doesn’t often work – subduing the exuberant fruit.
We’re waiting for delivery of some of these wines so the offer will be a late starter and run through to the end of April. As usual; buy any two and get 10% off, any six and save 15%.

Bill Downie Biodynamic Petit Verdot (£16.50) We don’t sell a lot of Aussie wine but this one’s here to stay. Jancis Robinson liked it so much she made it her wine of the week and we’ve bought large (by our humble standards) to get the price down a bit from £17.99. Very good value with our monthly wine offer on top.

Era Aglianico 2013 (£8.99) Aglianico is an increasingly highly thought of grape variety grown in Central Southern Italy. Ours comes from over the border in Puglia but has all the jammy fruits and balanced tannins the grapes renowned for – and it’s great value – down from £9.99 and monthly wine offer discounts as well.

Dominio de Punctum Tempranillo/Petit Verdot demi crianza (£10.99) From the same stable as our ever popular Finca Fabian range, this is several levels up. Six months in oak rounds it off nicely and makes it more akin to a decent Rioja than a humble Vino de la Tierra de Castilla.

Amalaya Salta Malbec/Tannat/Petit Verdot red (£13.35) Still my favourite Malbec (70%) with the other grapes and altitude adding balance, length and finesse.

Dominio de Punctum Sauvignon Blanc (£9.45) A revelation. Great value SB that really works. All the fresh, crisp, tropical fruit flavours we’ve come to expect from the world’s favourite white wine.

Moulin de Gassac ‘Blanc Classic’ IGP Pays de l’Hérault (£7.99) New from ‘Grand Cru of the Languedoc’ producer Mas de Daumas Gassac this lively blend of 80% Terret and 20% Sauvignon has a lovely balance of fruit and acidity.