“Tip-top wine merchant.” - The Independent

CROQUE-EN-BOUCHE, Underdown - Groom’s Cottage, Gloucester Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2JE. UK
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New Zealand continues to shine, not just for the sauvignon. Clean chardonnay and riesling are very attractive. And pinot noir has found a good home here. Merlot too.

Australian whites are bigger, and need careful choice, but the reds, esp. shiraz, are the world's best... When you factor in value. Fine OZ reds at £20 - 50 are still under-valued. Mature well.

Chile is value, but the good stuff needs hunting out. And suddenly the sauvignon has blossomed.

Argentina, fourth largest wine producer, still has to be a top value. Almost anything is worth trying.

South Africa is developing nicely into both value and quality areas. Some A1 wines, and now, sauvignon to challenge New Zealand. SA and the Argies have useless exchange rates for them, so good for us.

Cheap US Californian is pedestrian, and the posh stuff too pricey. But Washington State has shown some really good wine making and cracking prices.

In Europe, Spain is tops. Their adoption of Aussie wine skills, has made the whites fresher, and reds fruitier, but they still taste Spanish.

Italy I've worked on recently. The fine wines are very dear, but can be stupendous.

Don't neglect Germany's best - Mr. J.J. Prum.

Info about France...

Firstly reassurance, we do not stock poor vintages. There are one or two marginal exceptions, but these are always flagged in the list. A wine’s entry often indicates the quality of the year. There's wine info and comprehensive vintage charts at www.winespectator.com, but here’s my no-brainer WINEPRO guide.

One... The great years are in five’s everywhere, reds and whites: 2005, 2000, 1995, 1990, and 1985.

Two... Buy Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book.

Three... wannabee experts... Most wine is well drinkable these days - everybody knows how to do it. Worry about years for the expensive stuff, where cost counts. A great year shows potential only for greatness. Depends on the grower. Few can crack the lesser years. That takes skill and discipline, i.e. knowing what to throw away. And remember, the recent great years are always praised more than the proven older great ones! Because that's what most merchants have to sell! Five to ten years old is a nice time to judge.

France is on the back foot, and sort-of struggling. The classic wines are very dear, and elsewhere offers better value. The regular can be interesting, but too ordinary, we forget them. Alsace still shines, and still love Rhône, esp. Châteauneuf.