Simon Hoggart

With the pound staying low, and taxes rising yet again in the budget, we wine...  

With the pound staying low, and taxes rising yet again in the budget, we wine drinkers need to snoop around for bargains to keep us drinking in the manner to which we would like to become accustomed. Luckily, The Wine Company of Colchester has stepped in with some terrific bargains. They are almost all French — how many of us can afford to glug good French wine these days? — and are terrific value. Mark Cronshaw has knocked some substantial sums off the case prices. The wines are very different, and you might want to try the sample case before selecting your very favourites.

Mark has taken £15 a case off this unusual and delicious Loire wine. It’s from Valençay — a little-known area — made at Clos du Château by Claude Lafond (1). This is a blend of 80 per cent Sauvignon Blanc and 20 per cent Chardonnay, and has the best qualities of each — the mellow peach of the Chardonnay with the dry steeliness of the Sauvignon. But the sum is greater than the parts: there’s a lovely evanescent perfume to this wine as well. It would work beautifully with fish, seafood and white meat, or would make a gorgeous, mouth-watering aperitif. Down to £9.45 a bottle, and a real discovery.

There is an even larger discount on the Montagny Premier Cru ‘Le Vieux Château’, from the Domaine Laurent Cognard 2009 (2). I have to say that I have been disappointed in some Montagnys — the flavour can be elusive, to put it kindly. But this has the depth and richness and scent of a more expensive Burgundy; it reminded me of a really nice Chablis at a considerably lower price. A £28 per case reduction brings each bottle down to £16.

Now a very tempting rosé from Provence. Before pink wines really took off, a lot of them reminded me of scent-free deodorants. They might look awfully nice, but tasted of very little. Not this. The 2009 Pampellone (3) is made from two of the best-loved southern French grapes, Grenache and Cinsault, and it really gives it some flavour. None of that old alcoholic sherbet dabs sensation. Get in plenty for our summer, however brief that might be.

Now the reds. Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow, which is why it tends to come from specialist areas such as Burgundy, Oregon and New Zealand. You won’t be surprised to learn that the Argentinians have now decided to have a go, if only, I assume, to make a change from Malbec. This Pinot, from the Alto Pampas del Sur (4) is no Gevrey-Chambertin, but it is a very decent drop, having the real savour of the grape, plus an attractive earthiness. And — this is the amazing part — it has been reduced to just £5.50! For a good, drinkable Pinot!

The joy of the 2009 vintage is that it didn’t just make great Bordeaux wines at the very top of the range; it also turned many workaday petits châteaux into well-priced, delicious drinking. Frankly this Château Malbat 2009 (5) is a steal at a mere £6.50 — ready to drink now, it is soft, fleshy and packed with flavour. You could get in a case for a party and then discover, to your surprise, that you’d drunk it all before the date.

Gigondas is one of the great Rhônes, rich, heavy, polished, a mahogany sideboard of a wine. I loved this. In a way it’s better value than a cheaper wine since every sip brings its own satisfaction, so you can spin out the pleasure without getting wasted. The La Tour Sarrazine from the Domaine le Clos de Cazaux 2007 (6) is a truly majestic drink and, since Mark has knocked £27 off each case, it costs only £15.50.

Finally, he has discounted the company’s admirable Champagne, a fine single-grower example from Michel Guilleminot, reduced to £20 from £21.99. You can order by the case of six on top of any other case you buy from the rest of the offer.

Delivery, as always, is free, and there is a sample case with two each of the still wines.