Schola Sarmenti Cubardi Primitivo IGT Salento 2016

A Big Italian Red that kicks down the door - but wipes its feet first. From Virgin Wines

Here's a dinner-party fact for you; southern Italy's Primitivo is the same grape as California's Zinfandel. As well as a couple from Croatia too.

Whatever you choose to call it, this is a grape that like lots of heat, and you can taste it. It's a Big, Baked sort of wine with dark fruits, spice and a high alcohol content.

Think of it like sex-symbol Rudolph Valentino; born in Puglia, moved to America, became a heart-throb.

Schola Sarmenti Cubardi Primitivo IGT Salento 2016 (£14.99, Virgin Wines) baked prune, damson and raisiny fruit with peppery, vanilla spice and minty eucalyptus; old-vine density and concentration with very fine tannins, all held in check by fresh acidity.

Good.

Match with Big Game, such as hare, smoked duck or venison.

Soave Gregoris, Antonio Fattori, Italy 2018

A very elegant and versatile Soave from Private Cellar

I don't drink Italian wines regularly and that's nothing to do with how much I do or don't like them; I've been to plenty of Italian tastings and encountered lots of Italian wines I enjoyed.

The problem (for me, at least) is more one of classification, ordering and reliability; I simply don't have the same go-to mental shortcuts with Italian wine that I do with other countries.

In France, I'll take a Chablis and a Bordeaux; in Germany, a Mosel Riesling and a Spaetburgunder; in Spain a Txakoli alongside a Rioja. And I'll know what they should taste like and what sort of quality to expect for the price.

In Italy, I don't really know where to start - or what's reliable.

Maybe I just need to get to know Italy better by visiting it more often; but in the absence of persuading the family to spend a couple of weeks there as part of an oenological experiment, I contacted Private Cellar.

Private Cellar have an MW buying their wines and a trainee MW advising, so expect elegance and plenty of varietal / regional typicity; I have known Private Cellar for many years and I'm always been impressed with the quality of their wines.

Soave Gregoris, Antonio Fattori, Italy 2018 (£10.75, Private Cellar) melon, lime and white stone fruits with honeysuckle and pebbly minerality. Textured, elegant and precise.

Good.

Improves with aeration and will repay some cellaring.

A versatile food wine, drink as an aperitif, with light starters, creamy risottos or lean white met such as chicken or fish.

It is also available in magnums for those "we're gonna need a bigger bottle" occasions.

Targa Rioja Tempranillo Blanco 2018

An unusual and elegant white Rioja from Virgin Wines

Rioja is best known for its oaked red wines made from mostly Tempranillo.

If white Rioja is less well known, white Rioja from Tempranillo Blanco is almost unheard of; the grape, a mutation of Tempranillo, was discovered only in 1988.

Tempranillo Blanco is not, by the way, the only red-white grape pairing - Pinot Gris / Grigio is a mutant clone of Pinot Noir and Garnacha also comes in red and white variants.

The rarity of the grape is reflected in the price to an extent, but this is a very well-made and elegant wine indeed. Plus it is one of the rarest grapes you are ever likely to try.

Targa Rioja Tempranillo Blanco 2018 (£16.99) fresh, citrussy and elegant with melon fruit, white flowers and some sweet spice. Very well-made and adept.

A versatile wine, match with roast white meat, such as pork or chicken.

Improves with aeration and likely to repay some cellaring.

Domaine Gayda Figure Libre Cabernet Franc

A substantial and classy Languedoc varietal Cabernet Franc from Domaine Gayda

You can find Cabernet Franc pretty much anywhere down France's western, Atlantic side - in the cool northerly Loire, it produces a fresh varietal wine; in moderate Bordeaux it is mostly a blending grape. And in the warmth of Languedoc, anything goes.

This Domaine Gayda Cab Franc is reminiscent of a Bordeaux, albeit one from a warm year; it is substantial yet refined and supple. Drinking nicely now, it is sure to improve with further aging.

Priced in the mid-teens, it represents value for money; you could pay more for a Bordeaux Cab Franc blend that is not as well made.

Domaine Gayda Figure Libre Cabernet Franc 2017, Pays d'Oc (£17.99, independents) dark berries, bramble fruits and sour cherries with raspberry leaf and oaky spice. Ripe, very fine tannins. Dense and concentrated, supple and substantial.

Good.

Improves with aeration.

Match with roast lamb with garlic and rosemary or darker game.

Antakari Syrah, Laithwaites

A Big-and-Blowsy, but well-enough-made Chilean Syrah from Laithwaites

I feel like I've been on a run of overextracted, chewy, chunky Big Reds from Laithwaites; as a result, I have started to have a bit of a thing about over-extraction.

This latest Laithwaites wine is another Big Red to be sure, but what it does have in its favour is that at least it's not overextracted. There's not much else to recommend it, however; even Laithwaites' own customers only give it 3.4 out of 5.

Antakari Syrah 2017 (£9.99)  lots of up-front dark fruit, spice and mintiness; warming and alcoholic; reasonable tannins and acidity.

Overblown, overpriced and underwhelming.

The (Mostly) French Classics Road Trip with Private Cellar

A tasting of (mostly) French classics from Private Cellar

At the request of our CEO, I organised a tasting of six wines for colleague just before Christmas; with no specific requests, budget or theme, I decided to go for French classics - mostly.

The wines came from Private Cellar and made for a road trip through France, zig-zagging our way from the east to the Atlantic coast and back before crossing over the Alps into Italy. As you might expect with an MW buying, all the wines were absolutely textbook and flawless, so if you want to get familiar with a particular style, these are as good a place to start as any.

For a bit of fun, I asked people to estimate selling prices for the wines and, in the main, they guessed around £5 - £10 high. So either a) my colleagues spend too much on their wine for the quality or b) Private Cellar are sourcing wines that outperform for the price. Or both.

In a number of cases, the wines carry a relatively unassuming official classification but are of a much higher standard that you would expect from the label alone; this is an area where smaller, better independent wine merchants can punch above their weight. And everyone apart from label snobs benefits.

At the end of the tasting, I asked people to name their favourite wine; there were a range of answers which is always a good sign when the wines shown are all of a similar price.

The final indicator was to see which bottles, when we sat down to drink with some food, emptied the most quickly.On this basis, the Bordeaux was a clear winner, closely followed by the Barbera and the fizz.

The wines in detail:

Crémant de Bourgogne Brut P100 Blanc de Noir Simonnet Febvre NV, Burgundy (£18.85)

Les Rafelières Sauvignon Blanc, IGP Val de Loire 2018 (£9.96)

Mâcon Uchizy, Mallory & Benjamin Talmard 2018 (£14.50)

Château Tayet, Bordeaux Supérieur 2015 (£14.95)

Château Beauchêne Premier Terroir, Côtes du Rhône 2016 (£14.70)

Barbera d'Alba, Rocche Costamagna 2017(£15.30)

De Martino Niebla Sauvigon Blanc

A classy Chilean Sauvignon from Virgin Wines

De Martino is one of the most interesting wineries in Chile - eschewing alcoholic, heavy-handed, US-pleasing styles, they focus on elegance, subtlety and restraint in their wines and are leading the way for many Chilean winemakers.

This Sauvignon is well-made and distinctly New World, almost kiwi in style; priced in the low teens, it is a good purchase for Christmas or any other occasion where you want a slightly superior version of a familiar wine.

If you are serving to guests and want a couple of dinner party facts:

- Niebla means "fog" and refers to daily fogs of the Casablanca Valley during early summer mornings
- This fog keeps the grapes cool and ensures freshness in the wine
- Niebla is also the name of the vineyard, a small block of vines just 11 miles from the sea

De Martino Niebla Sauvigon Blanc 2019 (£13.99) lifted aromatics and herby-nettley cut-grass; ripe tropical fruits with pea pod, asparagus and lime, white pepper and florality. Pure and precise, deft and elegant with a saline-minerality.

Good.

Serve as an aperitif, with goat's cheese tartines or herby fish dishes.