Oxford Landing River Crossing

Two wines from Australia's Oxford Landing via The Co-op

First I was sniffy about Australian wines, then incredulous.

Later I found them too lean and austere.

Finally it all fell into place at an Australia Day tasting.

These two are Big Brands and none the worse for it. Well-made, well-presented, easy-drinking; what's not to like? For me, the gently-oaked Chardie is the more enjoyable wine; the Shiraz I find a little fruit-forward.

Oxford Landing River Crossing Chardonnay 2017 (£8) toasty-oaky with lemon-lime and melon fruit; ripe and honeyed, saline and mineral; supple and savoury with no rough edges.

Thoroughly enjoyable and good value.

A versatile food wine, match with chicken, hard cheese or meaty white fish.

Oxford Landing River Crossing Shiraz 2017 (£8) ripe dark fruit, inky pencil shavings and spice with menthol. Fresh with no rough edges. Fruited and easy-drinking.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Match with herby sausages, salami or bolognese.

Rosés from the South of France - Foncalieu

Two elegant rosés from Languedoc's Foncalieu

Master of Wine and rosé enthusiast, Liz Gabay describes pink wine as oenology's ugly duckling well in need of a re-appraisal.

Vignobles Foncalieu is a southern French collective based in the heart Languedoc who are pioneering new approaches to wine; I have been nothing but impressed with not just their wines, but also their innovation and willingness to challenge convention in presentation, such as labelling, packaging ans design.

It may seem a moot point to judge a wine by its labelling, but scan a shelf of wines quickly and few will stand out, however good their contents; Foncalieu's wines are distinctively presented and memorable.

The first has a Boaty McBoatface of a name; the second clearly has an eye on the designer rosé market with its elegant frosted bottle and glass stopper.

Drink either of these wines as an aperitif, with aromatic starters, sushi or mixed antipasti.

Griset Gris de Gris 2018 herbaceous and floral-blossomy with white pepper, citrus, passionfruit, grapefruit and menthol. Fresh, nervy and precise; mineral and linear.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Paradis Secret a zeitgeisty rosé with a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah; very pale and elegant with white stone fruits, citrus and some red-berry fruit; white pepper, zippy lime and grapefruit. Precise and linear, supple with saline minerality.

Good.

Cave du Vieil Armand Medaille Gewurztraminer 2016

A ripe and full Gewürztraminer from Alsace's Cave du Vieil Armand via Auchan

Gewürztraminer is not the easiest wine to track down in the UK, but a quick search suggests that you will find a few supermarket examples as well as at your local wine merchant; I brought this one back from France.

Aromatic with exotic fruits and spices, Gewürztraminer is highly distinctive, perhaps even a bit Marmite in that you will probably either love it or loathe it.

The New World produces some Gewürz - you will find it in New Zealand and Chile - and its name purports to originate from the German-speaking Alto Adige or Südtirol (the name means "Spicy from Tramin / Termeno").

However, the spiritual home of Gewurz is Alsace where it is one of the most widely-planted grapes. This is a medal-winner with a couple of years in bottle.

Cave du Vieil Armand Medaille Gewurztraminer 2016 (Auchan) musky perfume and blossom, ripe tropical fruits, exotic spices and honeysuckle with classic rose-petal-and-lychee flavours. Aromatic and full with an oily-waxy, late-harvest viscosity yet dry on the finish; supple, fresh, adept and substantial.

Drinking nicely now and will age.

Very Good.

Drink with rich pâtés or gingery stir fries.

Famille Perrin Les Cardinaux Cotes du Rhone - The Co-op

A spicy-yet-fresh southern Rhône from The Co-op

I have to confess a bias here - I have had several holidays in the Rhône and I think it's a lovely place. It's the fruit garden of France. Lavender-scented, hot, dry and dusty in the summer with rocky mountains. And ripe, spicy wines with the wildness and attitude of Manon de Sources.

Unlike their Northern counterparts, Southern Rhône wines are a blend, often of the classic Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (aka GSM).

This one is made by the illustrious Famille Perrin and comes in a smart, embossed, heavy bottle which makes the wine taste better (this is not a joke, there is scientific evidence of this).

Famille Perrin Les Cardinaux Cotes du Rhone 2016 (£10, The Co-op) GSM blend, ripe, slightly baked fruit with spice and garrigue herbs; fresh, with firm tannins.

Thoroughly pleasant.

Match with plain roast red meats.

It also gets a nod from Knackered Mother and MW Tim Jackson, who scores it a 16/20.

Saumur Blanc "Secrets de Chai" 2017

A Chenin Blanc from the Loire via Auchan

Loire Chenin is, perhaps like German Riesling, something of an aficionado's choice - not a front-of-mind wine like kiwi Sauvignon or oaky Chardie.

A quick online search for Saumur Blanc suggests you'll struggle to find it easily in the UK at anywhere but a specialist wine merchant. Which is a pity, because it is a lovely wine with the expressiveness of Sauvignon and a rich, honeyed complexity.

The elements of the flavour profile will all be familiar, you just may not have had them all in a single wine.

Saumur Blanc "Secrets de Chai" 2017 (€5, Auchan) expressive and aromatic, zesty-zingy citrus and ripe stone fruit with a leesy, honeysuckle richness. Supple and full, very well-made and adept.

It has a silver medal from somewhere - which in France is a reliable indicator of quality.

Good.

Drink as an aperitif, with starters, fish or white cheeses.

Closerie de Malescasse Haut Medoc 2014

A classy second-wine red Bordeaux from the Haut Medoc

With red Bordeaux, they say in a good year you buy the second wine and in a bad year you buy the Grand Vin.

This is a second wine from Bordeaux's Haut Medoc from a good-but-not-great year. It is made from younger vines, so perhaps lacks some of the concentration of the first wine; lighter, fresher, earlier-drinking

Think of it either as a wine to drink young whilst you are waiting for your first wines to mature, or as an aperitif wine if you like Big Reds. Or just a good-value, inexpensive, classy and very typical Left Bank Bordeaux red.

Closerie de Malescasse 2014 bramble fruit, cherries and coffee grounds with mintiness and spice.Supple, harmonious and fresh with fine, ripe tannins. Well-made with good underpinnings.

At five years old, it is drinking nicely now and will age further.

Good.

Match with plain roast red meats.

Chateau D'Hanteillan 2016 Haut-Medoc

A classy Bordeaux for drinking now or cellaring

Based in Bordeaux's Haut-Medoc, Chateau D'Hanteillan is classified as Cru Bourgeois, better than everyday, better value than the classed growths.

From a good year with a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this is ready for drinking now but will improve with cellaring.

Chateau D'Hanteillan 2016 ripe ramble fruits, inky pencil shavings, violets, mintiness, spice and savouriness. Excellent underpinnings. Fresh and balanced with perfectly ripe, firm-fine tannins.

Will age.

Very Good.

Match with roasts.

Purchased in Auchan Calais for a few Euros.