Fancy trying a bottle of something new but not sure what to pick? That’s why we’re here. Drop in to see us and we’ll happily provide some grape related inspiration.

We regularly select some wines that we think are interesting and let you know why. You’ll see these wines in our shop with a ‘Vino Gusto recommends’ sticker on. Take away a copy of our tasting notes or have a read of them here…

Matias Riccitelli ‘This is Not Another Lovely Malbec’, 2019, 13.5%

As somebody who would consider themselves ‘not a Malbec drinker’, I couldn’t believe the quality of this wine when I was blind tasted on it recently. Blind tasting is often used to determine the quality of a wine, having removed any preconception of how the wine should taste. I found it to be a classic example of Malbec, with purity and freshness, but also an intriguing and wild bouquet of fruit and earth.

Certainly not an ordinary Malbec but it’s really rather lovely. Somebody should tell Matias…

Extra Brut, Crémant de Bourgogne, Domaine Stéphane Aladame, Burgundy, France, NV, 12.5%

I was lucky enough to visit Stéphane at his winery last year and experience a delicious tasting of his Chardonnay bottlings. Stéphane is the king of the Côte Chalonnaise and I left the tasting with a new found admiration for the less considered (almost forgotten) area of Burgundy (south of the famous Côte D’Or), a book (that Stéphane helped pen) to cement my understanding of the terroir and a bottle of this glorious fizz.

This bottling is an example of Burgundy’s other white grape, Aligoté, making up 60% of the blend. Topped up of course with Chardonnay. It is fresh and crisp with beautiful peachy aromas and subtle floral hints on the palate, with good minerality and a long finish.

‘Vinista’, Pais, Pedro Parra, Itata Valley, Chile, 2018, 13%

A customer of ours recently described this as the ‘perfect pizza wine’, and we’re inclined to agree. But if pizza isn’t on the agenda and you’re looking for über crushable, hipster wine, look no further…

Pedro Parra is a world-renowned soil expert (and consults for about half of the wineries in our shop). This is his own project in Chile, where he makes juices that are pure reflections of the ‘terroir’ in which they are grown. This bottle is super fresh, immensely light bodied and almost ethereal. Fine tannins, great acidity and an eternally long finish make it a perfect summer sipping red.

Viognier, Baron De Badassière, Languedoc, France, 2018, 13%

This is a sublime example of Viognier. Most impressive, considering the price. It’s rare to find an affordable Viognier with true Viognier characteristics which is also extremely well balanced on the palate. Demonstrating freshness with acidity but a gentle texture.

The name of the wine refers to the Badassière vineyard which lies near the small town of Pomérols. In the 18th century, the vineyard belonged to Baron Charles Emmanuel, a colourful character who was rumoured to be the illegitimate son of King Louis XV.