We are all looking forward to the Bank Holiday weekend and some brighter weather. As well as enjoying wines at home, with the reopening of hospitality, this is also a great chance to celebrate the wonderful diversity of wines at your favourite pub, bar, hotel or restaurant. Read on for The Wine Tipster’s 8 recent favourite wines as shared across his Twitter and Instagram accounts over the past few months. Don’t forget to follow for live tips and recommendations!

Simpsons Wine Estate Chardonnay 2020 from Barham, Canterbury, Kent is a lovely Chardonnay stylishly crafted by Ruth and Charles Simpson. English wine is booming at the moment, and this impressive bottle is no exception. Available from Waitrose (£14.99).

Albariño Madurado 2019 Rias Baixas from Viña Lareira, Spain is packed with intense fruit flavours. The smooth texture and balance make it a wonderful drinking experience, and its attractive dry finish result in a great Albariño to shout about! Available from Waitrose (£11.99)

Having celebrated International Sauvignon Blanc Day this May, Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Awatere Valley, Marlborough is a must try. This is the perfect Sauvignon Blanc to pair with food such as sea bass or even fish and chips as the crisp acidity, freshness and beautiful fruit flavours make it a classic for The Wine Tipster. Available from Waitrose (£11.59).

One of The Wine Tipster’s favourite grape varieties is Mourvèdre, especially from the Bandol appellation. A firm favourite of The Wine Tipster is this Bandol 2015 Dedicace Henri Fabre, made from 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache. This wine ages beautifully, yet is so impressive now and benefits from being decanted. Available from The Oxford Wine Company (£22.95)

A great value red The Wine Tipster has enjoyed recently is the Altano Douro 2019 Organic from the Douro, made by the Symingtons. Organic wine is an important advance in the industry which has great results with this full-bodied and versatile bottle. Available from Waitrose (£10.99).

The team at Chapel Down make exceptional English wine, and the Bacchus 2019, Kent is a great choice. It has wonderful fruit aromas of green apples and grapefruit, with satisfying citrus and tropical tasting notes. Another great bottle for fish dishes, this really is England’s Sauvignon Blanc! Available from Waitrose (£11.19).

A tried and tested favourite rosé of The Wine Tipster’s is the Côtes de Provence Château Léoube ‘Love by Léoube’ Organic Rosé 2019. With a beautiful delicacy that is classic of the dry Provence rosé style, this is a classy organic bottle from Daylesford (£15.99).

Finally, the crisp white Burgundy Mâcon-Azé 2019 from Louis Jadot has a flinty finish that is perfect for roast chicken. Available from Waitrose (£12.99).

Share your recent favourites with The Wine Tipster on Social Media, and let him know how you’ve been celebrating International Wine Day! Cheers!

Great to see everyone enjoying these wines from the excellent Chilean producer Errazuriz in my Drinks Theatre session at the Foodies Festival in South Parks, Oxford yesterday. Thanks also to the lovely audience at my local Foodies. Look out for my column in The Oxford Times and I’m a regular presenter on BBC Radio Oxford too.

As promised here are the list of the wines and the stockists I presented in my Errazuriz: Premium Chile session:

Errazuriz Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Aconcagua, £9.99. Stockists: Budgens, Majestic, Waitrose.

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2011, Valle de Casablanca, £13.99. Stockists: Co-op, Majestic.

Errazuriz Estate Series Merlot 2013, Valle de Curicó, £9.99. Stockists: Booths, www.rhythmandbooze.co.uk, Majestic.

Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Aconcagua Valley, £13.99. Stockists: Budgens, Tesco, Waitrose.

I also mentioned the Errazuriz Estate Series Carmenère 2013, Aconcagua Valley, £10.49, which is available from Majestic and Wine Rack .

We have had a great time in the Drinks Theatre at all the Foodies shows and we will

be in The Old Truman Brewery in London from November 28th-30th for the Christmas Foodies Festival. See you there!

Thank you to all the lovely people who came to the Tatton Park Foodies Festival and to the Drinks Theatre. One of the sessions I presented was Errazuriz: Premium Chile and here are the list of wines again with stockists:

Errazuriz Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Aconcagua, £9.99. Stockists: Budgens, Majestic, Waitrose.

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2011, Valle de Casablanca, £13.99. Stockists: Co-op, Majestic.

Errazuriz Estate Series Merlot 2012, Valle de Curicó, £9.99. Stockists: Booths, www.rhythmandbooze.co.uk, Majestic.

Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Aconcagua Valley, £13.99. Stockists: Budgens, Tesco, Waitrose.

Great to see everyone enjoying these quality wines in the session and great to see the lady who didn’t like Chardonnay loving the Wild Ferment Chardonnay! Good to see people being honest too.

Each year we leave our drinks shopping later and later so here are my Ten to Follow win bets for Christmas and the New Year.

Champagne Fever is top of many tipsters lists for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham in March and this horse’s name sums up the Yuletide period for fizz sales so here is my combination exacta with the Tote (first three in any order) for bubbles: Pommery Brut Royal NV £29.99, down from £38.99, Sainsbury’s  is dry, delicious and creamy, whilst the award winning Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV has made its mark as a consistently high quality performer, Majestic £42.00 buy two bottles save 1/3 to £27.98.  If you are looking for a well-bred, Group 1 quality champagne  from a great vintage year then Dom Pérignon 2004 Gift Box, £120.00- £135.00 Majestic, Selfridges has class and elegance in abundance with a memorable finish.

There have been some famous New Zealand racehorses including Playschool, ridden by Paul Nicholls,  then jockey and now seven times champion jumps trainer, who won the Hennessy and Welsh Grand National in 1987. It was around that time that many people were discovering that a chilled  New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was the wine for them and the fan club has only carried on increasing over the years so if you are a member or haven’t yet  signed up the try this delicious, zingy, fresh, peppery, spicy, Peter Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £10.85, Co-op with your smoked salmon  – some NZ Sauvignon Blanc is just too full on for this kind of matching – but this is spot on.  You may also want to snap up the  ante-post 11/4 on the Nicholls’ trained Big Buck’s for the World Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival.

From the list of runners with drink related names at The 2013 Cheltenham Festival I tried to include Vino Griego (successfully backed at 25-1 to win at their January meeting)  in my group for this year’s Cheltenham Festival Racecourse Radio piece, however I was given a yellow card for this one as Vino Griego didn’t quite match up to Champagne Fever, John’s Spirit and The Liquidator! (hugely impressive on his last run). Despite my reprimand, I’m a big fan of Vino Griego and I’ll be backing him for his next run, which will hopefully be the Argento Chase. In vino terms, Oldenburg Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2012,  Stellenbosch, South Africa, £16.99 – £17.95, Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.sawinesonline.co.uk is a classy, premium, subtlety-oaked and complex white which is ideal with fish dishes in a creamy sauce. Alternatively if you are having the full roast turkey with all the trimmings then mark your card with Château Cissac 2009 Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France, £17.95. Stockists: Tanners www.tanners-wines.co.uk, The Sampler. 2009 is one of the great well-bred Bordeaux vintages with winners at all grades and this intensely fruity, well structured red will most definitely bring some Christmas cheer.

As a punter I’m always on the look out for a bit of value and with Yuletide it is no different with Torres Vina Sol 2012, Catalunya, Spain, £6.69, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, down to £5 in Asda and Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2011,  Viña  Concha y Toro, Valle Central, Chile £7.99-£5.99, Sainsbury’s, a couple of runners I would definitely back. These are perfect wines to enjoy whilst taking in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 28th December.

We invariably don’t spend enough time on the cheese course or the wines to match, however make it different this year. Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2007, Alsace, France, £33.00, The Wine Society, vintagemarque.com is a brilliant, top class, off dry wine with complex flavours of citrus, honey and pear, with a truly memorable finish. This is a great match with blue cheese and worth every penny of your pre-Christmas winnings. Alternatively, your tipple might be port, so check out Sandeman’s Late-Bottled Vintage Port 2008, £15.99, Waitrose, which is definitely well-handicapped.

Cheers!

Thank you to all the lovely people from Chadlington, Charlbury, Finstock and Billericay who came to The Wine Tipster’s Charity Gig for Friends of Chadlington School and Greatwood Caring for Retired Racehorses. The punters at the packed Chadlington Village Hall consumed Gordal olives, Marcona salted almonds from Brindisa and fabulous mini-pizzas from Cafe de la Post in-between tasting eight wines on sparkling form.

First up was the elegant Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV, Champagne, France on offer in Waitrose at £29.99 until April 2nd, followed by Esk Valley’s Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough, £9.99, Cafe de la Post, The Oxford Wine Company, which really does express the quality of

this New Zealand vintage. We moved on to the well-priced, elegant Planalto Douro Reserva 2011, Portugal (pictured right), £7.99, Majestic, with citrus and peachy flavours, whilst the Mâcon Charnay, Réserve Personelle 2011, Burgundy, France, £9.99, Cafe de la Post, The Oxford Wine Company, with soft, buttery and vanilla flavours is quality, good value Burgundy under a tenner.

Then Zalze Cabernet /Shiraz Rosé 2012, Coastal Region, South Africa, £7.99, Waitrose, full flavoured with attractive red fruits and spice raised the flag for the pink corner, with the wine options round revealing the soft, elegant, rounded and abv friendly 12% Aurora Reserve Pinot Noir 2012, Serra Gaûcha, Brazil, £9.50, Stevens Garnier. Interestingly, many people guessed Pinot Noir and chose Chile instead of New Zealand.

The final part of our journey ended in Europe with the smooth, Beronia Rioja Reserva 2008, Rioja, Spain, £11.99, The Oxford Wine Company, Cafe de la Post and the stunning Ramos Pinto Collectors Port, Douro, Portugal, £13.99 The Oxford Wine Company, Cafe de la Post.

A big thank you to all the wine producers, S.Pellegrino, Cafe de la Post, The Oxford Wine Company and Alex James, Craig Ogden, Ed Fenton, Nicola Leyland, Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival, Chadlington Quality Foods and The Tite Inn for the raffle prizes.

Finally, a big thank you to Robina, Lois, Jo and Steve for organisation and pouring.

Thank you to all the lovely people who attended the Tickler Cheese and Wine Masterclasses at Taste of Christmas. Richard Newell, cheese maker from Tickler and The Wine Tipster had a great time over the three days presenting 21 Masterclasses with fabulous cheeses and wines. Richard Newell has over 20 years’ experience in the cheese industry and he is a man who knows his cheese. Each day, we presented two cheddar masterclasses including Tickler Cheddar, from their award winning Taw Valley creamery in Devon. Tickler is matured for up to 18 months, and is tangy, sweet, full of flavour and available from all major retailers.

For the other sessions, we were joined by an array of guests. On Saturday, The Wine Tipster presented with the lovely Alex James (pictured right), whose Goddess, Little Wallop and Farleigh Wallop are all rightly proving to be very popular cheeses. In other masterclasses, we were joined by Philip Stansfield, who presented his award winning Cornish Blue and moreish pate, whilst Cathal Murphy continued the blue theme with the delicious Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue. From Dorset, George Streatfeilds from Denhay Farm, waxed lyrically about their Dorset Drum. The Wine Tipster should also extend a big thank you to George for my daily breakfast, which consisted of a Denhay unsmoked streaky bacon sandwich. Yum!

With such an exciting range of cheeses we needed the ports and wines to match and a big thanks to Lorenzo Bakewell – Stone from Taylor’s Port, who included their First Estate Reserve, Late Bottled Vintage 2007, 10 Year Old Tawny (always great when you are getting people to taste Tawny Port for the first time) and the high class Quinta de Vargellas 2001.

Our wine travels took us to India, with the exciting Vallone Vineyards Anokhee Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Namaste Wines, then we were on to Croatia and Franc Arman’s really meaty, full bodied Merlot 2008 and the creamy, classy white Kabola Malvazija Istarska 2011 Vrhunsko, which are both available from Croatian Fine Wines. From southern Italy, the Filadoro Fiano di Avellino 2010 is a creamy, peachy white from Campania and the red Taurasi 2008 made from Aglianico is full bodied and smooth, with both of these wines available from Ager Taurasinus. Staying in Europe, Château Vrai Gaillou 2009 Bordeaux Superieur from Bordeaux Undiscovered is another reason why punters should buy reds from this outstanding vintage at all levels. If you are looking for consistent good value at £6 a bottle then the Chat-en-Oeuf  (pictured left) selection from southern France, featuring a white, rosé and red will certainly impress your guests. Away from Europe. the southern hemisphere was on top form with the Two Rivers Convergence Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – a great Sauvignon Blanc vintage – and the Limited Edition Reserve Pinot Noir, Louis Vavasour 2008, Awatere, Marlborough, New Zealand, which is a wonderful example of how classy and refined quality Pinot Noir from Marlborough can be given the chance to have some bottle age. These two wines are available from the smart Antipodean Sommelier.

Look forward to seeing you at Taste of Christmas 2013. Cheers!

Just back from a rockin’ weekend of presenting workshops in Bristol at The Tesco Wine Fair. Tesco Wine by the Case  have some fantastic offers on until midnight 25^th September. All the prices quoted below are promotional prices and are per case 6 x 75cl.

The Wine Tipster’s workshops started with Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest Range (the grapes are harvested at night time) and their Moscato wines, with Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest Vermentino 2011, £25.62 a case,  and the Moscato Rosé, £33.66 per case popular choices. Next up were Brindisa’s Gordal Olives, Almonds and Manchego to get people in the mood for Journey to Rioja with Campo Viejo and as ever their Tempranillo 2010, £22.50 per case, Reserva 2007, £31.44 per case and Gran Reserva 2004, £60.00 per case were all vote winners.  From Spain we then travelled to Marlborough to taste Brancott Estate’s high quality Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs. The Brancott Estate “B” Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is high class, well priced at £12.99 for premium  Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc and is on offer at £44.94 per case, whilst Brancott Estate’s Pinot Noir “T” 2010 £69.66 per case, is enjoyable now, however will  continue to develop for 5-7 years.

Other wines on the The Wine Tipster’s radar included, from Chile, the Kiwi style grassy, gooseberry Montes Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2012, £47.94 per case and the intense, smooth Montes Selection Cabernet Carmenère 2011, £47.94 per case. From Portugal, Tesco’s Finest Vinho Verde 2011, £22.50 per case, is crisp, fresh and zingy and Tesco’s Finest Touriga Nacional 2010, £35.94 per case, from the beautiful  Alentejo region in southern Portugal is packed with flavours of damsons and plums.
Away from The Tesco Wine Fair, The Wine Tipster recommends the contemporary Hilton Garden Inn for an overnight stay, with good wines by the glass including the Riff Pinot Grigio delle Venezie Terra Alpina 2011.

See you in Brighton next weekend.

The Wine Tipster picture by Jim Winslet, t.+44 7802 448 309 www.jimwinslet.com