Gavi La Lancellotta 2007 - Celebrating with Ricco

Ricardo Ricco of Italy took the sixth stage of the Tour in an exciting last kilometre climb which saw the yellow jersey splatted into the road with a silly wheel clip mistake.

We celebrated for him with a Gavi La Lancellotta 2007. It's very pale with a zippy scent of grapefruits and peaches. Bone dry it had a zingy acidity, medium body and alcohol level. The flavour was intensely fruity with lots of fresh grapefruit backed by a little sweeter apricot. The flavour lasted well, and it was delightfully more-ish.

Not your standard forgetable bianco, this wine was a 'buy again' at ��7.50, but it's currently on sale at Majestic for ��6 in an Italian multibuy offer. If you're a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, but want to try something different that will still make your steely tastebuds smile give this a go.

Langhe Nebbiolo De Forville 2005

It's cold out so we've been eating hearty comfort food, so I've been raiding the cupboard for hearty wines that can stand up to them. Last nights' choice was Langhe Nebbiolo 2005 De Forville. It's made from the same grape as Barolo, in the same general neighbourhood, give or take a few miles, and comes in at around ��7 at Majestic.

It's a rich plum colour with strong legs, it has a fairly full on aroma with a mix of tar, plums and cherries. It's dry with a medium tannin level, I'd have expected higher. Reasonably full bodied with medium-high alcohol, it feels quite big. It has a fairly earthy flavour with tar and red-black fruits, and quite a punch.

It wasn't a big success, but used to stew some wild and dried mushrooms it redeemed itself wonderfully.