Tallowwood Creek Shiraz 2006

We had a game of Tinner's Trail last night. If you've never played a game based on tin and copper mining in nineteenth century Cornwall then this is the one for you!

With it we had a Tallowwood Creek Shiraz 2006. It was dark and rich looking, and it smelled of cooked plums with spices. There was a high level of ripe tannins, with a full body and full-on alcohol. This is a big wine, filling the mouth with alcoholic warmth and a velvety tannin smoothness. The plum fruit has cinnamon spice added to it which perks it up.

This wine certainly packs a punch, it was perhaps a little too much for me, and would probably do better on a cold winter's evening. Expect to pay £7-8.

Pouilly Fume 'Les Champlins' 2006

So Mark Cavendish has gone home to rest up ahead of the Olympics, but the Tour goes on, and the new format seems to be keeping things interesting. Today's winner was Cyril Dessel, a French AG2R rider. He used to race for Jelly Belly - I could ride for them.

Time for a French wine. We had a Pouilly Fume 'Les Champlins' 2006. I've cycled through Pouilly sur Loire, it's pretty flat, not like today's stage. 2006 was wet. Very wet. You can just see my panniers wearing their little raincoats outside the Chateau in the centre of town.

The 'Les Champlins' is pretty good despite the rain. It's steely in that mineral way that the Loire has perfected, with some lemon and lime balanced by a weird but good honeyed apricot kinda thing going on. At 12% alcohol it's easy drinking stuff. At about £7.50 it's a reasonable price for this appellation.

Three Choirs May Hill 2006

Last week was English Wine Week, and we celebrated with a trip to Duncan Marray Wines in Market Harborough. They had an English wine tasting, including a visit from the wine maker at Welland Valley Wines.

We tried his Phoenix which was a little like green strawberries and almond biscuits, then a Bacchus which was better, rather more fruity with a little sweetness and greater body. The Naseby Battlefield red smelled like blackberry picking in the rain, with an earthy fruitiness, but it wasn't a favourite. The 'Tickled Pink' sparkling rose was, it had a strawberry redcurrant sweetness with a smooth annd persistent mousse. We picked one up but they sold out whilst we were in the shop.

We got home and tried a Three Choirs May Hill 2006, an English wine from a bigger more established producer. We drank it while filling in our Euro 2008 prediction forms. A weird task as their are no British teams involved at all. It was good. Ordinarily I wouldn't choose a medium sweet wine, but this had plenty of tropical fruit and enough acid to balance it out. I'm growing fond of Madeleine Angevine since trying some at Wissett Wines. Expect to pay ��6-��7.

Castell de Veza 2006 - Spanish Winner

Alberto Contador secured his win of the Giro this weekend, becoming the first non-Italian to do so for over ten years, and joining Miguel Indurain as the only other Spanish winner. Time for a Spanish wine.

We had Castell de Veza 2006, a Malvasia Moscatel blend from Valencia. It was lurking in the fridge as a random Spanish ��5 wine for when a cold white wine was needed. It wasn't what I expected.

It had a fresh yet almost floral aroma. Whilst it was dry the full on wallop of fruit made it taste almost sweet. It had spice too. Had I been given it in a blind tasting I'd have guessed (for that's what really happens at blind tastings) that it might have been from Alsace.

This wine was a bargain at ��5, I'd happily have paid ��8. I'm sure Astana feel the same way about Contador, although I'd be happier if he was in the old ONCE shirt.

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Wissett Pink - Perfect For The Giro

Mark Cavendish isn't quite English, he rides for the Isle of Man, but he is British so he gets a big hurrah for winning a stage of the Giro. I don't know of any vineyards in the Isle of Man so we settled for an English wine in Giro pink.

Wissett Pink 2006 is from Suffolk, but it tastes decidedly French. It's off dry with a high acidity. There's some strawberry, in a kind of Opal Fruits sort of way, and there's more red fruit in a shop-bought summer pudding style.

It's best served very cold on a warm evening with good company and easy conversation. It's also the best still English rose I've tried as it does it's job of being refeshing but not insipid, satifying but not cloying.

Andre Colonge Fleurie 2006 - Come On You Reds

On Saturday I went to Wembley to see the mighty Ebbsfleet take on Torquay in the FA Trophy. I own Ebbsfleet, along with around 24,999 of my friends, so it was an exciting day for me.

We won - hurrah!!! It wasn't easy, and for the first half hour it didn't look to be at all possible, but it was wonderful.

Afterwards we went for dinner and had a particularly good Fleurie. It was a cheerful purple-red with strong legs. It smelled of mashed damsons and blackberries and even blueberries, which was strange but good. It tasted just as it smelled, aided by soft ripe tannins and a medium level of alcohol. It was smooth and decidedly more-ish.

It wasn't cheap, but restaurant wine never is. Expect to pay around ��10 from a wine merchant.

Noah's First Pinot Gris 2006

Last weekend was the East Midlands International Cicle Classic, a truly bonkers cycle race looping around roads and farm tracks in Rutland, Oakham and Melton Mowbray, best known for pork pies and Stilton cheese. I prepared myself for my role as marshals' assitant by having an English wine with tea on Saturday.

We'd picked up a bottle of Noah's First 2006 from Wissett Wines in Suffolk. The winery is fairly Noah heavy, with their logo based on roof bosses at Norwich Cathedral and their story based on Noah's penchant for the odd cup of wine. We met the winemaker who told us the rather sweet story of his first grandson being born on the first day of harvest of the grapes for this wine, and him being called Noah. I'm a sucker for romantic wine related stories.

The wine is late harvested pinot gris, with Wissett explaining that the local climate is very like that of Alsace. It's just off dry with a fruity, floral nose. There's sweet honied fruit salad, with nothing in particular standing out, with just a smidge of cinnamon like spice and some citrus to keep it fresh. At 11% alcohol it's light, but quite more-ish. It would be perfect for a summer picnic.

Yarrunga Field Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

This weekend we had a blast of cold weather, with actual snow that stayed on the ground. It was pretty and a quick stroll out put me in a cheery mood, but it was cold, very cold, so I needed a warming wine. We had a Yarrunga Field Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2006 with a game of Twilight Struggle. Inspired by the snow I took the USSR role.

The wine was warming. It's one I've had before, and one that still doesn't seem to reflect the label. It's yeasty with chocolate and spice, but the dominant theme is fruit. There's damsons and blackberries and some blackcurrant jam.

It was a perfect choice for bringing some sunshine into a snowy evening for less that ��6.

Premiere Sauvignon Blanc From The Loire

The Paris-Nice cycle race is underway and men in brightly coloured lycra are whizzing through streets that I bimbled through slowly in the cold rain as I cycled my way along the Loire. One of the things that kept me going was the promise of a decent glass of wine at the end of each day's ride. We mmostly opted for a jug of house white along the way, and in the sections covered by the Pro-teams for the last couple of days that was Sauvignon Blanc.

The closest I've had to those refreshing cold wines back home is Premiere Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France. It's dry with a high acidity and tastes of fresh grass with grapefruit. The flavour isn't overly intense, and it has a medium body matched by a medium alcohol level. It's about £4 a bottle, which is probably double what we paid in bars for similar quantities fresh out of the tap.

It's not the best Sauvignion Blanc in the world, in France, or even in the Loire, but it tastes like the kind of wine you would be drinking whilst eating your dinner, looking out through the rain at the Loire as it rolls past.

Pere La Force Cabernet-Merlot

Pere La Force boasts a decidedly fancy label, giving the impression of being a swanky wine. It's a Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot mix, the basis of the swankiest Bordeaux. So far so good. It's a Vin de Pays d'Oc, so it's not priced like a Bordeaux.

It's a rich purple colour with a spicy aroma filled out with cooked black fruits. It tastes jammy with liquorice and cake-spices. There's some Ribena-like sweet blackcurrant too. The fruit is somewhat overcooked, but that just makes it feel warming and more-ish. It's easy to enjoy, with enough depth to be interesting.

At under ��5 a bottle this is a good value wine, perfect for a mid week treat, and it wouldn't be out of place with a Sunday roast or a cheese plate.

Bales' Choice - The White Stuff

We had a bottle of Bales' Choice 'The White Stuff' 2006 with a game of Twilight Struggle. It was OK. It tasted like a blended white wine, nothing exciting, nothing unpleasant, nothing memorable. It was 50% Chenin Blanc with 35% Chardonnay and 15% Sauvignon Blanc. It came from South Africa. In South Africa I'm sure it would be a really good, well priced, locally produced wine.

It's bright and fresh with good acidity and a mix of cheery melon and chopped fruit.

Here in England that seems a long way for a wine to come to be 'pleasant enough'. We can get those wines from the Loire Valley, a Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France would do the same job without a 5,500 mile trip. There's no good reason for people in South Africa to drink VdP when they can buy perfectly pleasant wines grown and produced locally. The Loire isn't exactly local, but at only 500 miles away it's close enough.

Baron Lazare Pinot Grigio

We had a bottle of Baron Lazare Pinot Grigio 2006 whilst playing Twilight Struggle. I'm not a huge Pinot Grigio fan, and the wines I've had from Hungary haven't been consistent, so hadn't got high expectations.

It didn't smell like Pinot Grigio though, it was sweetly floral. It tasted dry with a high acidity, and medium body. It had an intense flavour with the florality being joined by grapefruit and kiwis.

There was an additional flavour of tinned vegetables, nothing too specific, a grey-green kind of canned veg that your grandparents may have served, making you ask questions about what food was like during the war. It wasn't an unpleasant flavour, just adding a little depth.

At ��5-6 a bottle it's a good value alternative to insipid Pinot Grigios. I held onto Hungary throughout the game, which helped me take an early win for the USSR.

Yarrunga Field Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz - Brioche Wine

We had a bottle of Yarrunga Field Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2006 from New South Wales whilst we watched the Brits last night. I enjoyed them both more than I thought I would. The wine was a deep garnet and smelled of sweet, fresh baked brioche, smothered in damson jam.

The tannins were soft and ripe, and the 14% alcohol mixed in to create a full body. The sweet brioche flavour carried on to the palate with blackberries joining the damson, along with a smidge of rich dark chocolate and cinnamon. I wouldn't have placed this as a Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz blend, there's little blackcurrant and the spice is soft and sweet.

This is a bargain at under £6 a bottle, certainly a wine I'd be happy to try again, and with the Osbournes in charge I think I'll give the Brits another go next year too.

Côtes De Saint Mont - Cuvée Spéciale Boiseraie 2006

When people talk of fine wines, the talk often makes its way to France. France produces some fabulous wines and many command high prices, some even justify those prices. Yet in French households ordinary wine is being drunk and enjoyed by ordinary families with ordinary meals.

C��tes De Saint Mont - Cuv��e Sp��ciale Boiseraie 2006 is just such a wine, picked up in a French supermarket for under ��3, not in the bargain bucket or cheapo-wines section, but in the big aisle full of weekday wines.

Its pale and dry with a medium high acidity. It smells a little of lemons and some curious vegetables, nothing specific, just the sort of smell you get when you open the botton draw of the fridge. It has a similar taste, nothing specific, nothing unpleasant, just nothing memorable.

Nobilo Five Fathoms Sauvignon Blanc - Easy drinking

Nobilo was the first New Zealand wine I remember drinking. It wasn't a Sauvignon Blanc, it was 'White Cloud', a cheery combination of pedestrian grapes like Muller Thurgau and Chenin Blanc. It was really not bad at a time when Paul Masson, Blue Nun and Black Tower were still fresh memories.

It was therefore an enjoyable retro-moment to try Nobilo 2006 Five Fathoms Sauvignon Blanc which had made its way back on a ferry from France. Pastily pale yellow-green, it was fresh smelling with fresh cut grass and gooseberries. It was dry and crisp. It tasted lemony with under-ripe stone fruit, grapefruit and more grass.

This was a good midweek wine, expect to pay around £6. If the cost comes in above £7 then there's other Marlborough Sauvignons about that are worth trying.

Villa Masetti - Weedy

People often complain that Pinot Grigio is a dull, flavourless wine with little to recommend it. I've often defended the poor maligned grape as I've had some really bright and flavourful examples.

Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio 2006 however is not one I'll be standing up for. It barely stood up for itself. It had a vaguely citrussy aroma, and tasted very slightly like wine. It's perfect for people who don't much care for wine but want to graduate from alcopops, but at around ��6 a bottle there's a world of better wines to choose from, give this one a miss.

Running out of Macon Lugny

With Christmas fast approaching I was shopping for wine, and picked up a selection for assorted festive needs. Two nice people loaded up the car for me.

We tried out a bottle from the haul with a fish pie. It was a Louis Latour M��con-Lugny 2006. A bright, pale lemon with a touch of green. It smelled fresh and crisp with apple and something not quite liquorice, not quite quince but really inviting. Bone dry and crisply acidic it was refreshingly clean. Apples and a little lemon joined the not-quite identified slightly spicy taste with some soft malolactic butteriness. It worked really well.

At ��7-8 a bottle this is good value chardonnay from Burgundy, but with the latest offer at Majestic it's ��5 on multi-buy. I'm really glad, as we've already worked our way through the Christmas dinner allowance. Stock up whilst it's on sale.

Pilgrimage Bierzo Mencia

I'm a sucker for wines from places I've visited, doubly so if I've cycled through them, tripley (is that a word?) so if they have a cute name, so when I spotted The Pilgrimage Bierzo Mencia 2006 in Tesco I had to buy it. It had a little map of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago on the label, a desperate ploy to make me buy it.

I'd never heard of Mencia grapes, but I didn't feel bad about it, there's lots of grapes in the world I haven't tried. It does seem that I'm just in time though, it's gaining a reputation and plenty of plantings to go with it.

This one was a bright, medium depth purple-garnet. It smelled fruity with black cherries and ripe plums, with something curiously, but not unpleasantly fennel like. It served up a whack of acidity and tannin, it felt a little young, and I suspect the tannins would soften a little in a year or two without losing the plumminess, but allowing some of the spice lurking about to come forward.

It's drinkable now, but to make the most of my ��7 (less 25% if I'd opted for a half case) I think I'll pop a bottle under the stairs and drink it next Christmas.

I used the last of the bottle to poach some cherries, adding a little vanilla-sugar and cinnamon, topped off with a little grated 85% cocoa chocolate they were divine.

The end of pink

T-Mobile are the latest corporate sponsor to pull out of professional cycling citing . We'll miss them. T-Mobile's bright pink shirts have been a cheery splash of colour in the peloton for years.

To bid them farewell here's the last pink wine of the year, a Cune Rioja Rosado 2006. It's not quite T-mobile, but it is a bright and cheerful candy pink. It smells of strawberries and a little of raspberries and a lot of summer. Just off dry it has a refreshing acidity, as a good balance to the sweet fruit, like lemon curd and strawberries. It has a satisfyingly full body for a rose, boosted by a hefty 13.5% alcohol.

I'll miss the T-Mobile pink next summer, but look forward to enjoying rosado's again next season.

Berton Crook Road Verdelho - Limey!

I'd never knowingly tried Verdelho, so when I was asked if a bottle of Berton Crook Road Verdelho 2006 would be OK, I didn't know. There was only one way to find out.

It was pale and had a slight green tinge. It smelled citrussy with a smidge of herbyness and a vague florality. It tasted of limes. Fresh squeezed limes, not namby-pamby lime-essence, this was more like margarita-wine. The palate was bone dry with crisp, refreshing acitity, medium body and medium alcohol. At around ��5-6 this is a perfect midweek wine. Australia week is going well.

The lime carried on wonderfullyand would have gone fabulously well with lightly spiced Mexican or Asian dishes. The technical data sheet tells me this was the first wine made in a new winery, rather romantically described as "our 'first crush' wine", which made me smile.