Tomorrow night The Wine Tipster is tutoring a Rioja tasting for The Stroud Wine Society. Out of the eight wines I will be featuring only two of the wines will not be tinto. Although this reflects the emphasis in Rioja, I always like to show a traditional white Rioja that has had contact with oak. However, The Wine Tipster is not following the fashionable route for this region because since the Stone Roses part of the eighties the majority of blancos have been members of the Viura (the dominant white varietal)fresh,crisp and fruity school. In anti fashion non baseball cap reversed mode I discovered Cune Monopole Blanco during this period and have remained a fan of this excellent producer, who are also responsible for some excellent reds from Vina Real, Imperial and Contino. Say hello to tradition and enjoy Cune Monopole Blanco, Rioja, Spain, 2007, £8.99. Stockists: Waitrose, Majestic.This is a classic ultra consistent barrel fermented white Rioja made from Viura and Malvasia. Dry, medium bodied with citrus fruit, creamy, vanilla and a nice touch of elegance. An ideal white to match to smoked fish or crab and The Fall’s I’m Going to Spain.

I know sentiment is not part of racing for a professional punter and although I try to be dispassionate most of the time, I won’t be today. In The 2.40 Victor Chandler at Ascot, the 11 yr old Well Chief will be having a few pounds on from me because I think the two protagonists Twist Magic – ground – and Petit Robin – track – are suspect and that Well Chief is now one of the most popular jumpers around. Having let sentiment drift into my previous selection, an unemotional choice is Strawberry in the earlier 2.05 1942 was a Vintage Year Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot. The favourite, Whiteoak, is a bit of talking horse that lacks consistency and

should be opposed.
Dispassionate Selection: 2.10 Ascot, Win 9/4, Strawberry.
Sentimental Selection: 2.40 Ascot, Win 5/1, Well Chief.

Roda Reserva , Rioja, 2005, £23.00. Stockists: Oddbins, Caviste Tel: 01256-770397, Tanners Tel: 01743-234500.
From the outstanding 2005 vintage, Roda is made from Tempranillo, Garnacha and interestingly 9% Graciano, which adds aroma, intensity of colour and ageing potential to the blend. It might come with a pretty serious price tag but the impressive medium to full bodied intensity of dark fruit flavours, savoury influence from the French oak and the length of finish means that I rank Roda as one of the most impressive Riojas I have tasted for sometime.The 2005 can be quite happily opened, swirled around in your wine glass, and then savoured for another 5-7 years. Drink with lamb or beef and bring yourself into the world of The Tindersticks and Falling down the Mountain.

I have been waiting for Fenix to return after injury and off a low weight in heavy conditions he has a real chance of a place in the Kempton 2.45 Williamhill.com Lanzarote Hurdle. The Wine Tipster’s Selection: 2.45 Kempton, Fenix each way 16/1.

Last night, our dinner host, offered me a thirst quenching aperitif of Old Hooky, just what was required after a day of drive clearing and instructing yourself on how to steer a motor vehicle correctly. We then post meteorological conversations moved into dinner and I thought we were going to

be drinking Burgundy, having spotted a bottle in the kitchen, however our host casually introduced Chateau Talbot, St Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2004, £44, will vary. Stockist: Berry Brothers & Rudd,Tel:0800-280-2440 and various wine merchants. It reminded me of how delicious and refined a quality Bordeaux can be. The 2004s are renowned for their intensity of fruit flavours and this Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend delivers a truck load of dark fruits and cassis,with the correct dosage of elegance and surprisingly subtle tannins. A lovely wine to drink now or keep until 2015.

Looking ahead

to Cheltenham and take the 6-1 on offer for Barbers Shop because he will be more suited to the shorter trip in The Ryanair than The Gold Cup, in which he ran in 2009.

The 2007 vintage in the Rhone was outstanding at all levels. For a punter it is like visiting your local market and finding all the fruit and veg to be of top quality. This is instead of my usual experience of organic carrots in juxtaposition with dodgy curly kale. From a vino perspective take home the award winning Domaine des Paquieres, Cotes du Rhone, France, 2007,£9.99. Stockist: Connoisseur Estates Tel:01344-862230,Essentially Wine Tel: 01737-557737 Before you introduce your palate to this wine, pour it into a glass jug for half an hour because it does need a bit of loosing up. Once in the wine glass, this is medium bodied, spicy, with soft plum fruit flavours and firm tannins. A satisfying experience and will go well with meat and two veg!

Wreckless Eric, aka Eric Goulden, won The Wine Tipster’s Award for The Book of 2009 not published in 2009.Eric sent me a very nice note saying that he was delighted to receive a second award for his book A Dysfunctional Success, published by The Do Not Press £9.99. His first award had been in the top ten books of the year in Mojo magazine in 2003. Make sure that you tune into Eric’s half an hour radio show by clicking Wreckless Eric Radio Show. Eric plays a wonderfully eclectic range of music covering contemporary, jazz and country and reads extracts from his book.Wreckless is famous for the wonderful Whole Wide World released on Stiff in August 1977, however for some more recent work listen to Eric with Amy Rigby.

Hello and welcome to 2010 in a non David Frost style. The first wine of 2010 is white and comes from the very warm, in the summer, Alentejo region in southern Portugal and is made at the quality Herdade do Esporao estate by Australian winemaker David Baverstock. It can be really challenging making good balanced whites in this region and David has done a great job in producing a high quality branco from the excellent 2008 vintage. Esporao White Reserva 2008, Alentejo, Portugal, £10.65. Stockists:Edward Sheldon Tel:01608-661809,Cambridge Wine Merchants Tel: 01954-214528,The Wine Society Tel: 01438-741177.Made from The World Cup Football sounding squad of Antao Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro this is dry,medium bodied,lovely and fragrant on the nose with citrus fruit flavours, good acidity and the elegance of a good white burgundy. Time to forget the weather reports for the next few days and tune into Nick Cave!

Kauto Star looked brilliant beforehand yesterday and appears to be a very happy horse. The way he jumped the first few fences demonstrated his well being and it was all over on the first circuit. I’ll be at The Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 19th and Kauto Star will beat Denman on ground better than soft. In The Wine Tipster’s household we had a profitable afternoon backing Barbers Shop, who finished third, each way. A great racing year.