Shop By Region
Argentina
Argentina has come a long way in a relatively short time. The potential has always been there but the country has been beset by all manner of political troubles and upheavals. Fortunately they are now producing stunning white and red wines and not just chunky, over-extracted Malbecs.
View Wines >
Particular favourites of mine are the Altos Las Hormigas Malbec and the Valentin Bianchi Enzo; rich yet not over powering with wonderful brambly fruit and excellent length. The Finca Los Prados wines are also proving extremely popular.
Australia
Australia has had a hard time recently, bush fires in Victoria, droughts in areas of the country and over production issues at the lower end of the market, creating a 'wine lake'. Fortunately there are still exceptional wines around.
View Wines >
The Plantagenet winery in Margaret River, Western Australia is going from strength to strength. We like to focus on their Omrah range, which we feel offer terrific value for money, our favourites are the Unoaked Chardonnay and the Shiraz which both fall somewhere between old world classicism and new world bravado. The Marktree wines continue to be very popular; it is rare to find such good wines for under six pounds these days.
Other personal favourites include the Clare Valley Rieslings from Grosset, probably the best on the market at the moment.
At the upper end of the range we feel that the S C Pannell wines are exceptional, Steve has worked his way around the world as a winemaker and has brought back a love of the Nebbiolo grape and crafted his very own version of Barolo in the McLaren Vale which is absolutely superb.
Austria
An increasingly important wine producing country that has had its problems in the past. Sometimes producing more than a third of that of its large neighbour, Germany. It also shares grape varieties and other similarities with Germany but generally produces drier and fuller bodied wines.
View Wines >
Canada
Although not considered a huge player in the world of wine production, area under vine is growing in Canada. The wines from Clos Jordanne are exceptional examples of cool climate Pinot Noir, so much so that the Burgundian giant Boisset were confident in investing in the project. Canada also produces some of the finest 'Icewines' and I hope to add some to the list soon.
View Wines >
Chile
Chile continues to be one of the most exciting wine producing countries in the world. Offering great value for money but also exceptional wines at all levels. Of course Chile is still perhaps the very best source for dependable, great value varietal wines but it is now home to an increasing range of truly fine wines to rival the world's best.
View Wines >
My personal favourites are the Vina Chocalan Range, especially the two Carmeneres, a grape variety that Chile has truly adopted as its own, even if they did think it was Merlot for more than a century! The Tabali wines are also superb.
France
France produces more fine wine than any other country and wine is entwined with the whole fabric of society and culture. Nowhere else are the regions so clearly defined and controlled than here. I do feel that it is still difficult to find French wines that offer good value but that does not prevent me from constantly tasting to try and find them.
View Wines >
I have made a concerted effort to list wines from less well known regions as I feel that they offer better value for money, while I will always list wines from Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux etc. that just are too good to be missed!
Germany
Without doubt my favourite white wine producing country, I still cannot understand why it is so difficult to sell. It is my intention to build up stocks of all levels of German Riesling as there are few greater joys in life than sitting down with an old bottle of this elixir. I know that if I cannot enthuse my customers with the joy that I have I know that I will have some stunning wine to drink in the years to come! I have recently added some new producers to my website, all of them amongst the best and most exciting producers in Germany and all of the wines......stunning.
View Wines >
Italy
I have always found Italy very difficult to fathom, maybe it is because it produces such a huge array of wines from an insurmountable amount of regions and sub regions from grape varieties that I have never heard of. This is made even more difficult as you can taste two, for example, Barolos from the same vintage costing the same price, one will be stunning while the other will be completely undrinkable, a 'minefield' indeed!
View Wines >
Fortunately the UK agency that I get most of my Italian wine from have won the Best Italian Agency at the IWC for many years and only represents the best producers and the best wines and through them I am slowly learning how to pick the best myself.
New Zealand
Since Rannoch Scott wines started in 2007 we have sold more Kiwi wine online than wine from any other country and over 50% of that has been two wines; the Tinpot Hut and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blancs. This fascination with Marlborough Sauvs started in the early nineties when Cloudy Bay exploded onto the market and created such an impact that is still ongoing. While still producing many and varied styles of their most famous wines they are slowly developing the their portfolio, superb Pinot Gris, riesling and Viognier and also improving the quality of red wines, the stunning Wild Earth Pinot Noir swept the board at the 2008 International Wine Challenge, culminating with winning the international red wine trophy.
View Wines >
I particularly enjoy the Yealands Estate wines, New Zealands most ambitious new winery in over twenty years, creating stunning wines with a very low carbon footprint.
Portugal
Portuguese wine is the result of traditions introduced to the region by ancient civilizations, such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and mostly the Romans. Modern exports developed with trade to England during the early part of the Eighteenth Century, a connection that still exists today. From this commerce a wide variety of wines started to be grown in Portugal. And, in 1758, the first wine-producing region of the world, Douro Valley was created. Portugal has a large variety of native breeds, producing a very wide variety of different wines with distinctive personality.
View Wines >
I love the wines from Alianca, a large cooperative producing wines from all around Portugal and I am a big fan of the Dow's Crusted Port, very close in style to Vintage port but without the excessive price tag.
South Africa
South Africans have been making wine since the Seventeenth Century when an employee of the Dutch East India Company, Jan Van Riebeeck, was given the task of planting vineyards in an effort to ward off scurvy.
View Wines >
The majority of South African wine is grown in the Western Cape area around Cape Town and traditional varieties include Chenin Blanc, Cinsault and Pinotage. Modern winemaking techniques are allowing producers to expand their horizons and they are now producing world class wines from most of the major international varieties. The Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc is consistently superb, much closer in style to a top level Pouilly Fume than the more pungent and unsubtle New Zealand Sauvignons.
For everyday drinking and sheer consistency I love the False Bay wines especially the Chenin and Sauvignon Blancs, which both offer superb value for money.
Spain
No other country has come as far in such a short time as Spain. Twenty years ago one would only see Rioja, Cava and Sherry on shelves in shops, now excellent wines are being produced and exported from many previously unheard of regions.
View Wines >
Over reliance on heavily oaked Tempranillo and oxidised whites are also in the past largely driven by the success of the Ribera del Duero where many Bordeaux winemakers decamped during the Phylloxera crisis, bringing with them rootstock from their home land, laying the groundwork for the amazingly concentrated wines from the Duero valley still being produced today. The whites of North Western Spain are personal favourites; crisp, fresh and aromatic and generally better value than wines from better established producing countries.
Personal Spanish favourites include the Riojas from Bogegas Riojanos, the Borsao Tres Picos and the whites from Bodegas Naia in Rueda.
USA
The United States is the fourth largest Wine producing nation after France, Italy and Spain, California alone produces twice as much wine as all of Australia and this is where all of my wines come from, although I hope to add some from other regions soon.
View Wines >
The main red grape from California is Zinfandel, long thought to have been the same as the Italian Primitivo. It can easily produce wines high in alcohol and fruit but lacking much else. However De Loach and especially Seghesio have managed to harnass this power but managed to produce wines with real finesse as well.
