Stockist/Retailer: The Champagne Company

(2026) Always a terrific white wine, this organically certified blend of local Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro from clay soils over granite and schist was fermented and aged six months in a combination of 75% steel tanks and 25% new American and French oak. Vines are aged 18 to 28 years. Nutty, burnished and creamy on the nose, there is peach, citrus and a lightly herbal note to the aromatics. On the palate it is ripe, rich and mouth-filling, with loads of textural heft and creamy and unctuous fruit, but the definition is there thanks to crisp and precise acids that smooth and refine the finish. Use the wine-searcher link to shop around as prices vary from under £17 to over £25 in various retailers. Watch the video for more information.

(2026) An enduringly popular favourite for a beefy but classy, well-priced red, the blend in 2022 was 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Shiraz and 7% Merlot. McLaren Vale normally delivers plenty of heft in its reds, and this 14.5% abv example, matured in American and French oak, is no exception. The colour is saturated and deep, and the nose spans ripe and fragrant cassis berries to dark, peppery plum. Cedary oak adds a sheen of polish. In the mouth it is sweet and ripe, with good juiciness despite quite blocky tannins. It stays fleet-footed enough thanks to the acid and juicy nature of the fruit. One for some red meat protein, especially if flames and a grill are involved. Watch the video for more information.

(2026) The 2022 is 100% Merlot, sourced from two of the estate's terroirs: Compagniesdrift with soils of weathered granite and The Quarry, a rocky vineyard of greywacke and shale. Each parcel spent six months in 300-litre French oak barrels before the final blend was selected, then returned to barrel for 12 months (40% new French oak). What a polished and lovely nose, all graphite and fine spices over solid black fruit. There's a hint of incense lift here that adds an ethereal dimension. In the mouth the fruit is firm and edged with spice. It is medium bodied, and a gravelly aspect to the tannins and well defined acidity gives an impression of finesse.

(2026) A pale-coloured Pinot made with one-third whole bunch fruit, there's a cranberry and hessian character on the nose, but the small, savoury red berries are packed in here, as well as a glimpse of exotic incense. In the mouth it has a supple, redcurrant and cranberry fruitiness, gentle and well balanced with some herbal notes and elegant tannins and acidity that barely ripple the surface. Price and stockist quoted at time of review are for the previous vintage.

(2023) What an interesting wine from leading Argentinian winemaker, Susana Balbo. The highly aromatic Torrontés is rarely fermented in oak, and this 11.5% alcohol example was clearly harvested early, which has also acted to temper its floral and herbal exuberance. There's still a whisper of jasmine, but aromas are much more about delicate orange and nectarine, just touched by a little oak creaminess. In the mouth lots of Mandarin orange juiciness, sweet peach juice, and refined acidity, the whole picture light, fresh and flowing due to that low alcohol and the delicate handling of the fruit. A nice way to celebrate International Women's Day in just a week or so. Watch the video for more information.

(2022) Grapes are sourced exclusively from Grands Crus sites in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, Chardonnay (70%) and Pinot Noir (30%). The dosage is 6g/l. There's a meatiness and bready depth on the nose once again, with complex yellow plum and little charcuterie notes flecked with floral and preserved lemon nuances. In the mouth the mousse is creamy, and this develops as such a sumptuous and complete Champagne, textured and ripe in terms of the mid-palate fruit, then the cool, sheer apple and lemon acidity of the finish. Gorgeous stuff.

(2022) All Chardonnay from Premier Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs, this is Brut, though at the lower end of the residual sugar range, aged for a minimum of five years before disgorgement. Around 50% of the blend is reserve wines. It's quite a meaty style, a nutty oxidation adding to a pillow of luxury, apples and lemons too. In the mouth quite powerful, the ageing and reserve wines adding texture and that nuttiness and umami depth again. Fascinating style here.

(2022) My first tasting of the deluxe Cuvée des Hussards from Frerejean Frères, a house created by Guillaume, Richard and Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger in 2005. It is 85% Chardonnay from Cramant, Avize, Grauves and Chouilly, and 15% Pinot Noir from Vertus. All vineyards are rated Premier or Grand Cru, with vines more than 40 years old. It is Extra Brut that spent eight years in the cellars. Even with a very low dosage, there is obvious ripeness and a suggestion of lusciousness on the nose. There are characters of its long ageing, with maturing notes of fig and honey, truffle too, but then a cleansing note of citrus and firm pear that balances. In the mouth the fruit sweetness belies the lowly dosage, the palate is nutty and caressed by creamy sweet flavours, but the sheer acid core gives a shimmering lemon brightness, flitting touches of saline and spices adding to the complexity of the long finish. I think this certainly ready to drink now.

(2020) Pommery doesn't enjoy the greatest of reputations among Champagne afficionados, but I really rather enjoyed this wine, made with around 9g/l dosage and with around 30% reserve wines in the blend. Bready and lightly toasty on the nose, the bubbles are tiny and rise steadily in the glass, and the palate it taut with a lemony thrust of fruit and acid, but a certain peachy sweetness on the mid-palate, with a reasonably long and nicely balanced, tangy finish.

(2019) The basics are the same as the Brut Gold, with wines from 2009, 2010 and 2012 and a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. The dosage is 33g/l. The wine arose from experimentation in the winery, even though the Cattier's realised that Demi-sec was a controversial style, it was decided the wine could be launched as a Prestige cuvée, made with sweetness at the lower end of the Demi-sec category (which begins at 32g/l). Slightly darker in colour than the Brut, it has a lemony and yeast nose, some biscuit and autolytic character, and doesn't immediately reveal that it will be Demi-sec. The palate is soft and rolling, sweet nectarine and marshmallow vanilla note, but the sweetness very nicely balanced. I'm not generally a Demi-sec fan, but I have to say this is a terrific interpretation.