OCTOBER WINE CLUB

This is a cellar that looks like a cellar, with stacks of wine in wooden cases, some of it covered in dust and cobwebs, the finest stored in a locked cage with a creaking door.

In spite of that, they have a modern approach to pricing. The business has an enormous turnover, and the inevitable consequence is that they overstock on some wines, which have to be priced to clear. These are absolutely first-rate bottles, but some are a little unfamiliar and won’t sell off the page; others are so good that Averys’ people bought them in vast quantities. The result is that once again we are offering some terrific bargains this month.

Take the 21 per cent discount on Tamaya 2007 (1), a Chilean blend of Viognier, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc which has the perfume of the first grape, the peach and vanilla savour of the second, plus the dry grassiness of the last. It’s a great full-flavoured, zestful wine for glugging any time, and it would make a perfect aperitif. Reduced to just £4.75.

There’s £2 a bottle (28 per cent) off the Terrace Vale Chardonnay 2005 (2) from the Hunter Valley in Australia. This strikes me as having all the flesh and all the weight of a classic Oz Chardonnay, and for a remarkably low price. The other day we had a friend round. She asked for a white wine — ‘anything but Chardonnay’ — so we offered a white Burgundy instead. ‘That would be lovely!’ she replied. Curious how many people don’t realise that it’s the same grape, and that it makes some of the finest white wines in the world. This is not Meursault, but it is a very nice drop and very good value.

Which brings us to the Sancerre Couronne et Lion 2006 (3).