December 2005
The Galvo Garage 2002 - Oddbins £11.99
A full bodied rich and dark wine from the d’Arenberg winery located in Mclaren Vale, South Australia. Made from a judicious blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc, the wine has been aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
The wine displays oodles of blackcurrant, red fruits, spice and pepper with a firm tannin backbone and nice length. Great for drinking now but has enough concentrated fruit, acidity and tannin to benefit from cellaring for a few years.
Rating: Good 
Hardys Nottage Hill 2004 - Widely Available £6.00
Made from a blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, this medium to full bodied red from the BRL Hardy Group offers a tasty and affordable introduction to an everyday Aussie glugger.
Reasonable plum flavour intermingled with a touch of spice counterbalanced by a delicate nuance of oak. The wine is light enough to drink at a party or will equally go well with the Christmas or Boxing Day dinner. Drinking now or keep for up to one year.
Rating: Good
Lost Valley Winery 2002 - Oddbins £15.99
Made from 100% shiraz and aged for 18 months in French then American oak. This is a sophisticated wine displaying layers of fragrant spice, pepper and cherry flavours with wonderful length.
Drinking now but has the potential to develop further in the bottle for up to 15 years. This will definitely be gracing my dinner table this Christmas.
Rating: Excellent 
November 2005
Bordeaux Merlot 2004 - Marks and Spencer £4.99
A simple modern claret made from the merlot grape variety. This variety can produce wines that are soft and smooth and is also used to soften the sometimes angular frame of cabernet sauvignon. The wine is medium bodied and is unoaked. What I did notice is that this is the first wine from Marks and Spencer that is rather bland compared to all the others I have tried over the last few months.
Drinking now or keep for up to one year.
Rating: Average 
Rockridge Merlot 2005 - Marks and Spencer £4.99
Another wine produced from the merlot grape variety but this time from the Western Cape of South Africa. The wine maker Nicky Versfeld has produced a juicy medium bodied wine that displays sweet strawberry and raspberry flavours with just a touch of oak to round it off.
Drinking now or keep for up to a year.
Rating: Good
Hardys Stamp of Australia 2003 - Widely Available £5.00
The quality of wines from the BRL Hardy group empire are consistent across the board. A clean and well made Aussie glugger made from a blend of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. The wine is bursting with cherry and pepper characteristics, rounded off with some mild oak influence.
Drinking now or keep for up to a year.
Rating: Good
Baileys 1920’s Block Shiraz 2000 - Oddbins £9.99
This wine is produced from vines that are 80 years old from the Glenrowan winery in North- East Victoria, Australia. A thickly textured and structured red displaying rich and intense flavours of blackberries, spice and plums yet balanced by integrated tannins.
An ideal wine for current Autumn/Winter drinking or has the potential to keep nicely until 2010/2015.
Rating: Good
October 2005
Dorgan - Tesco £3.99
The wine hails from the Aude region of southern France.
A very simple medium-bodied table wine displaying some soft red fruit flavours. Unfortunately, I found the wine to have rather sharp acidity, which was a major let down.
Drinking now.
Rating: Poor 
Melini Chianti 2003 - Tesco £5.99
I was asked to review this wine by Eimear from Dublin. The wine is made from two grape varieties- 85% Sangiovese and the remainder being the Canaiolo Nero. It is a bright ruby red colour and exhibits soft cherry and raspberry flavours.
The wine is light to medium bodied and is similar in style to a Beaujolais but does possess a rather firm tannic backbone. However, the wine is clean and well made.
Drinking now or keep until 2006/7.
Rating: Good
Chateau Haut Bellegarde 2003 - Marks and Spencer £4.49
This Bordeaux consists of 70% merlot and 30% cabernet sauvignon to add a bit of firmness and body. The wine is without oak influence, has a reasonable tannic structure and displays rustic flavours of forest fruits.
A basic yet appealing young claret.
Rating: Good
Valpolicella Classico DOC 2004 - Marks and Spencer £4.99
Marks and Spencer have produced the goods once more with another decent value for money red. Valpolicella is of one Italy’s best-known wines.
Medium bodied, smooth and fruity displaying plenty of raspberry and cherry flavours.
Drinking now or keep for up to one year.
Rating: Good
September 2005
Errazuriz Estate Merlot 2004 - widely available £5.99
A rustic offering from the Curico valley in Chile.
The wine is full bodied with moderate tannin and there is an offering of some restrained fruit but I detected quite an earthy/minerally flavour.
Rating: Average
Campaneo Old Vines Garnacha 2004 - Sainsburys £5.99
The Garnacha (Grenache) grapes come from vines that are over 40 years old located which are located just outside the famed Rioja region of Spain. The vines produce low yields of fruit that can offer a greater concentration of flavour.
The wine is medium to full bodied and offers smooth/delicate red fruits which are counterbalanced by the classic pepper characteristics of this grape variety.
Rating: Average
Stella Aurea 2001 - Oddbins £9.99
This wine is made from cabernet sauvignon grapes from the Clos Quebrada de Macul vineyard in the Maipo Valley in Chile.
A smooth, full-bodied wine with sophisticated layers of blackcurrant and spice counterbalanced by rather restrained tannin. A reasonably classy wine.
Rating: Good
Altivo Rioja Reserva 1998 - Sainsburys £9.00
A reasonable example of a classic Rioja. This medium bodied wine displays soft, sweet oak, with a twist of spice supported by well-rounded tannin.
I bought this on offer at £4.50, which is a good buy. However, I feel the wine is not really worth its full retail price, as there are better Riojas out there for less money, hence the average rating.
Rating: Average
August 2005
Reggiano Rosso 2004 - Marks and Spencer £3.99
Without question Marks and Spencer offers some of the best value wines in the UK today, yet they do not compromise on quality. This is a reasonable example of a simple,fresh and vibrantly fruity value for money Italian red bursting with rusticity.
The wine is made by Francesco Lombardini from the Reggiano Emilia region of Italy. The wine is light and soft offering fresh cherry and cranberry flavours and is best drunk with food.
Drinking now.
Rating: Good
Avila Pinot Noir - Oddbins £9.99
This wine has been recommended by a work colleague for me to try and what an interesting wine!
The grapes were sourced from Laetitia Vineyards in San Luis Obispo County which are situated just 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The grapes were fermented for 10 days and underwent gentle pressing before being transferred to oak barrels to age for 8 months.
This light to medium bodied wine displays oodles of gamey cherry fruit interlaced with spice, pepper and balanced by a touch of vanilla/oak influence.
Drinking now.
Rating: Good
Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2004 - Widely available £6.99
A light and well-balanced Beaujolais made from the Gamay grape. The wine offers reasonable classic flavours of ripe cherry fruit and bubblegum that lingers in the mouth for a short while, which is one good indication of a quality wine.
Great served lightly chilled on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Even though the wine could be cellared for 2 years I would recommend that you drink the wine now in order to fully enjoy the youthful flavours and character.
Rating: Good
Macon Rouge 2002 - Tesco £4.99
Another wine from France made from the same grape variety (Gamay) as the Louis Jadot but from the Macon region of Burgundy.
A soft and light to medium bodied wine displaying soft pepper and wood shaving characteristics but suitably counter- balanced by delicate raspberry fruit flavours. I actually bought this on offer at £2.99 which is good value but not worth its £4.99 price tag hence the average rating.
Rating: Average
July 2005
Verse 1 Shiraz 2000 - Oddbins £9.29
This wine comes from a boutique winery in the Margaret River region of South Australia.
An earthy yet refined medium bodied shiraz with lashings of sweet plummy fruit and vanilla/oak influence balanced by soft tannins. I'm pleased to see that the wine has been gently filtered. Even today there are still too many producers who overly filter their wines and as a result a lot of the character and flavour of their wines are removed.
Fine for drinking now or keep for 3 years.
Rating: Good
Stowells of Chelsea Tempranillo - widely available £4.00
A simple light and fruity wine ideal for quaffing, which displays soft strawberry fruits. I recommend that the wine could be slightly chilled for the summer barbecue.
Okay for a glass or two but I found that my palate soon became tired due to the wine being rather light and one-dimensional.
Rating: Average
Dark Corner Durif 2003 - Laithwaites (internet wine merchants) £8.39
This wine was kindly given to me by a work colleague to review. An unusual grape variety (Durif) that I have never come across before but I believe it originates from France. This Australian red produced by Sam Timboli is an impressively dark and brooding wine displaying sweet dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit intermingled with chocolate, spice and toffee characteristics.
Great for drinking now but can keep for up to 3 years.
Rating: Good
Minervois 2003 - Sainsbury's £2.99
This wine hails from the Minervois region of France, which possesses some of France's oldest vineyards. The wine is made from a blend of Grenache and Shiraz grapes. A very simple medium bodied red with some fruit character intermingled with delicate nuances of pepper and spice but nothing much else. What else would you expect for £2.99?
Drinking now or keep for up to one year.
Rating: Average
June 2005
Burra Brook 2004 Merlot - Marks & Spencer £4.99
The wine was sourced from premium fruit parcels from South East Australia and aged in oak to round it off. Smooth, medium bodied and nicely balanced by sweet fruit. This characteristic is generally typical of the merlot grape variety, which, in my opinion, can offer value reds that are very approachable and cause the least offence. Fine for everyday drinking or will go well with the barbecue or summer picnic, weather permitting!
Drinking now or keep for up to 6 months.
Los Nucos 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon – Marks & Spencer £3.59
Chile is one of the countries I recommend for exploring good value reds. The wine is produced from grapes harvested from the Colchagua region, which lies near to the Pacific Ocean and has been produced by a team of Chilean and Australian winemakers.
A smooth, medium bodied wine that is nicely balanced by plenty of sweet black cherry fruit with a hint of spice. The wine is clean, well made and displays quality winemaking for under a fiver.
Drink now or keep for up to one year.
Wolf Blass Red Label Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - Widely Available £5.49
You are probably thinking… not another Wolf Blass being reviewed! I make no apology as I particularly enjoy drinking and collecting wines from this company, as the quality is consistently high regardless if you are paying £5 or £20 for a bottle, as I have never been disappointed with what I have in the glass.
The wine is part of a range called: Red Label, Green Label (shiraz) and the higher quality (and price) Yellow Label (shiraz or cabernet). The wine is medium bodied exhibiting plenty of soft juicy sweet fruit with some oak influence balanced with just a prickle of acidity.
Drinking now.
Clos Petite Bellane 2003 - Oddbins £10.69
This wine is from the Cotes Du Rhone region in France from a village called Valreas. The winemaker is Olivier Peuchot who has used 100% syrah for this wine. The colour is a deep ruby red with some soft taste of raspberries, spice and pepper balanced by rather firm tannins.
On my first tasting the wine seemed to have very little flavour. Twenty-four hours later I tasted again but the wine still tasted rather bland with very little fruit present. If I tasted this blind I would have thought I was drinking a bottle worth no more than £5.
Disappointing. Rating:
May 2005
Peter Lehmann, Barossa Grenache 2002 - £4.99 Widely Available
A soft, light wine exhibiting lots of juicy cherry fruit balanced by pepper and spice. Ideal for everyday drinking but can also be lightly chilled for barbecues and picnics.
Rating:
Lindemans Cawarra, Cabernet/Merlot 2004 - £4.99 Widely Available
Another value red from down under from a company that produces wines of consistent quality across the board. Simple, sweet blackcurrant fruit from a wine that is well made.
Rating:
Berberana, Carta De Oro Reserva 2001 - £7.99 Sainsburys
Rating:
Ferngrove, Frankland River Shiraz 2001 - £6.99 Oddbins
Rating:
April 2005
Rouge No.2 - £4.78 Tesco
John Lewis from Builth Wells in Powys emailed inviting me to review this wine. Produced from the merlot grape the wine exhibits quality winemaking, supple blackcurrant flavours with a twist of spice. A nice easy drinking red.
Drinking now or keep up to 6 months. Rating:
Las Falleras - £2.99 Marks And Spencer
An example of a Spanish wine made in the modern style without any oak influence. Plenty of ripe cherry fruit with a hint of spice. Can be lightly chilled for barbecues or picnics. This is one of the best value reds I have tasted for under £3 in a long time.
Drinking now. Rating:
Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - £7.99 Widely Available
A wine that exhibits quality winemaking. Soft and smooth with a blackcurrant and mint charm. Nicely pronounced sweet fruit with a touch of oak and refinement.
Great for drinking now or can be cellared for 4 years.
Rating:
Fitou 2003 Mont Tauch - £3.49 Sainsbury's
Hints of some cherry fruit with tannin adding some backbone but otherwise rather ordinary.
Drinking now. Rating:
March 2005
Gran Tempranillo 2003 - £3.99 Sainsburys
The wine is clean and well made but lacks any distinctive fruit character. However, there is some indication of soft raspberry fruit with a hint of pepper and spice.
Drinking now. Rating:
Faustino V Reserva 1999 - £9.49 Widely Available
This is the next rung on the quality ladder from the Faustino Vll reviewed in February. A soft, spicy and fruity wine which exhibits lots of nice sweet oak and cherry flavours.
Drinking now. Rating:
Campo Viejo 2001 - £5.99 Widely Available
Lighter in style than the wines from the Faustino range but nevertheless incredibly easy to enjoy. Soft and smooth with nice cherry fruit, a touch of spice with nicely balanced oak.
Drinking now. Rating:
Torres-Sangre De Toro 2003 - £5.50 Widely Available
This medium bodied wine is clean and well made but was really struggling to find any decent fruit flavour. There is some faint spicy/peppery fruit but overall I found the wine to be slightly diluted and not as chunky as earlier vintages.
Drinking now. Rating:
February 2005
Toscana - £5.99 Marks And Spencer
Rather a curious wine that is high in acidity and tannin. This can be typical of some Italian table wines which are best drunk with a meal. Some fruit present and quite full-bodied, but not worth its £5.99 price tag.
Drinking now or keep for up up to a year. Rating:
Negroamaro Del Salento - £3.99 Marks And Spencer
A reasonably lively wine with sweet blackberry fruit and a hint of spice. Fine for everyday drinking.
Drinking now or keep for up to a year. Rating:
Faustino VII - £5.56 Widely Available
Had a few bottles of this easy drinking red with friends over Christmas. The wine is typical of a good traditional Rioja exhibiting soft and ripe cherry fruit balanced by oak.
Drinking now. Rating:
Argento Malbec 2004 - £4.99 Widely Available
A classy and refined wine from Argentina for under a fiver. Nice and smooth with blackcurrant fruit balanced with soft tannins.
Drinking now. Rating:
January 2005
Concha Y Toro Cabernet-Chile 2002 (Winemakers Lot) - Oddbins £9.99
A seriously sexy wine. This is what I expect for a tenner. Lots of nice blackcurrant fruit, smooth tannins and quite full in the mouth with a long finish (means the longer the taste of the wine stays in the mouth after swallowing indicates the quality of the wine. The longer the finish the better).
Drinking now but can be kept for up to 4 years.
Rating:
Blossom Hill Reserve Cabernet-California 2001 & 2002 - £5.69 Widely Available
For reserve wines I found these rather disappointing. There is some soft blackcurrant fruit and tannin although I detected a slight vegetal edge with both wines. The label on the reverse states that the wines will go well with red meat, roasted vegetables and rich tomato pasta dishes. While the wines may go with the first 2 items I seriously doubt that they would marry with rich tomato dishes as these wines are just too bland and overpriced.
Drinking now. Rating:
Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz 2003 - £4.99 Widely Available
This is one of my favourite gluggers from a company that produces a range of wines that are of consistent quality across the board. The wine has some character with blackberry fruit and soft integrated tannins.
Drinking now but can be kept for up to a year. Rating:
Simply Garnacha-Spain - £3.09 Tesco
This is very much an everyday wine, which would also be ideal for parties as it is incredibly easy to enjoy. Being made from the Grenache grape (Garnacha in Spanish) I found it approachable with plenty of ripe/soft fruit flavours with a hint of spice. Fine when lightly chilled for barbecues or with anything else you fancy. With its easygoing charm it can be drunk by itself if you want.
Drinking now and recommend that this be drunk up within 6 months of purchase. Rating: