We’re looking for 2 or 3 regular reviewers to review wines for us. Right now, no one is sending us complementary wines to taste (hint, hint) so don’t get the idea that you’ll be getting lots of free booze.

If you can write amusingly, accurately or even boozily about wine and would like to review the wines you are drinking, then please feel free to contact us.

We can’t pay much, but when those winemakers and merchants do decide to grace us with a few free bottles, we’ll happily pass them your way.

A fortified wine (distilled alcohol is added before aging), sherry is actually several wines. Fino, Oloroso, Manzanilla, and — the drink made famous by Edgar Allan Poe — Amontillado, are among the varieties all called sherry.

SIX OF THE BEST FROM SPAIN

The Fino and Manzanilla are younger and crisper, more acidic. The Olorosos and Amontillados are longer in the barrel, growing more mellow as they age.

Often drunk as dessert wines, especially by the British for whom sherry became something of a national drink, they go well with many other kinds of foods.

The British have more to thank Spain for than sherry, though. Not only did Henry VIII’s first wife come from the region, so did the well-regarded Carignan.

As you would expect, reds are prominent in this land of ample sunshine and red soil. The Aragonese don’t disappoint, producing many full-bodied wines, full of color and aroma. The Grenache, of course, is considered a regional treasure by vintners in this area.

Castilla, with its famous literary heritage, produces wine equally deserving of fame. To many, the entire region is considered one enormous vineyard. La Mancha, evoking memories of Don Quixote, is one reason for the reputation. It’s reputed to be the largest wine region in the world, though there are many Frenchmen who would, of course, argue.

Just to show how iconoclastic they truly are, from this powerhouse of winemaking comes a white named Airen. Crisp and delightful, it ensures that no Spanish knight will need to slay doubters.

Reds are well represented, though, by the Tempranillo often blended with French varieties, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Even Syrahs are beginning to be seen here.

North of Madrid are to be found the whites of Rueda. Delicate and light, they’re made from a local variety called Verdejo. Sauvignon Blanc, too, is making an appearance.

But traditions in Spain change slowly and red is still dominant. Robust and heavy, the Ribera has seen a renaissance in the the last few decades. The Tinto Fino, a kind of Tempranillo makes a complex red that ages well.

Mencia has its own tradition of red, based on the Cabernet Franc. Secluded near Castilla y Leon, the wines are intense. Lighter roses are a staple of the region, too, though. A specialty white, made from Godello, is produced here as well.

Catalonia, with coasts on the Mediterranean, has been making wine since the first Greeks arrived here. It continues those ancient traditions with vinos rancios that are only for the most hardy. But, for those who prefer something lighter, Catalonia is happy to provide a white from the Penedes.

It will also cheerfully serve a sparkling wine from Cava. The latter is actually a kind of Spanish champagne, but much more full-bodied than the French version, as befits the area.

But to get the most distinctive feel, the best bet is to try one of the reds of Tarragona. Full-bodied, from Cariñena and Garnacha grown in slate-enriched earth, it forms the pinnacle of wine from Catalonia.

Last, but far from least, Galicia continues to make wines as it has since Roman times — though in recent times the whites have come to the fore. Here Celtic traditions mix with Roman to produce wines that combine with seafood like no others in the world.

The moist climate and lower amount of sunshine produce wines high in acid and delightfully crisp. Most are made from varieties found only here.

Like so much about Spain, the country is filled deep with traditions but reaching into the 21st century to produce wines that can compete with any from around the world.

If you are looking for the very best in Spanish wines (and if you aren’t, you should be), then Baileys Wine is the place to go. Baileys are specialists in Spanish wines and have over 175 different wines from 27 different wine regions.

Click here to visit Baileys Wine and treat yourself to a good Spanish wine today !

Most of the cases are themed (ie: French, Rioja, Southern Hemisphere) and they’re not made up of the usual slow sellers - there’s a good mix of popular and quality wines in there.

Check Out Majestic Wines Latest Mixed Case Offers - Click Here

It has a bold, fruity taste - it’s not trying to be anything other than what it is and is all the more enjoyable for it.

Decanter Magazine rate Bodegas as one of the top 20 Rioja producers in the world and this barrel aged wine is a fine example of their offerings.

Rioja lovers won’t be able to resist it.

RATING: 8 out of 10

WHERE TO BUY:

Available from Laithwaites at £6.92 per bottle - click now to buy.

However, this 2007 Ned Black Label Waihopai River New Zealand sauvignon blanc has everything you would want from a very dry white.

Majestic Wines claim it has a “nose of nettles and grass”. For me, though, it is reminiscent of freshly cut grapefruit.

On drinking, the grapefruit combines with other zesty flavours, such as lime and lemon. I guess this is one of those wines that is traditionally described as “complex” but it might be better described as “demanding”.

There are lots of flavours here all asking for attention and, like a stroppy teenager, demanding you pay them the respect they really deserve.

As far as very dry whites go, this is an excellent wine and I would recommend it highly.

RATING: 8 out of 10

WHERE TO BUY ?

£8.33 from Majestic Wines - click here to buy it now

Located in the South West of France around the city of Bordeaux, near the Atlantic coast, the region covers 10,725 square kilometers, containing 284,000 acres of vineyards. It is home to thousands of Châteaux, the vineyard and other facilities for winemaking.

Winters are short and the climate temperate with hot summers, long falls and high humidity thanks to its location near the estuary of three rivers the Gironde, Garonne and Dordogne.

The vineyards cover five distinct regions and 57 appellations. In France, the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), refers to a specifically defined and regulated region, which controls how wines may be produced, labeled and sold.

SIX OF THE BEST FROM BORDEAUX

In the Medoc region, a 50-mile strip between the Atlantic ocean and the Gironde estuary, vines grow on gravelly plateaus, called croupes, which sit atop heavy clay and limestone. Cabernet Sauvignon finds a home here. Some wines originating here contain as much as 40 percent Merlot. Its 10,500 acres produces on the order of 36 million bottles annually from 400 vineyards.

The Graves region derives its name from the pebbles in the soil, excellent for drainage and very healthy for the vines. It covers 12,844 acres west of the Garonne River and produces a stellar garnet-colored red, with slightly more Merlot than Cabernet. The whites produced there are dry, heavy on Semillon with a moderate amount of Sauvignon Blanc.

The best wines of the region are distinguished by the name Pessac-Leognan, north of the Graves, with other Châteaux sometimes referred to as crus bourgeois.

South of Graves lies the Sauternes (and the subset Barsac) region with a warmer, drier climate and limestone rich soil. The whites labeled Sauternes produced from Semillon are sweet, a quality derived from the infiltration of a fungus called Botrytis cinerea.

Famous for the sweet, dessert wines such as Yquem, Raymond-Lafon and Rieussec, over 4.5 million bottles are produced on 4,500 acres.

Saint-Emillon, the oldest area in Bordeaux, lies east of the Gironde, where the grapes are largely Merlot. The soil type ranges from limestone gravel to sandy, both providing excellent drainage. The 13,000 acres concentrate primarily on high-quality reds, to the tune of 36 million bottles. That soil, and loving production of its superior grapes produces the most robust, fast maturing reds.

Lastly, is Pomeral with a mere 1,900 acres producing scarce but superior reds from sandy soil atop a clay substrate infiltrated with iron. The vineyards grow Merlot and a type of Cabernet Franc called bouchet. Among other excellent products, here is produced the Château Pétrus, with 95% Merlot.

Many Bordeaux reds have an ageing potential of 5-15 years, with some reaching to 20-50 years. But you will probably find a challenge to wait that long for one of these excellent wines!

A producer of both whites and reds, 80% of new plantings are Shiraz, Cabernet, and Merlot and a sprinkling of others. Over 20% of the white is predominately Chenin Blanc, and white varieties are still in the far majority.

Though new to the international scene, South Africa has been under cultivation for 350 years, since the arrival of Dutch settlers. With 60 appellations, the area has fewer than a dozen major regions.

The Cape area has seen vintages since the arrival of Europeans, with the Stellenbosch region serving as the modern hub of production. Though the region knows several common varieties, it also produces an indigenous hybrid called ‘pinotage’, which is well suited to local conditions.

Walker Bay is one of the newer, cooler areas on the Whale Coast south of Cape Town. Classic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir form the bulk of the production here. To the north is Swartland, where rainfall is limited so efforts are fed mostly by artificial irrigation.

In the suburbs is the small Constantia, where vineyards reside on the slopes of the eponymous mountain. The historic center of winemaking, it boasts a Semillon made from ideal climatic conditions.

East of Stellenbosch is Elgin, where the high altitude produces cooler temperatures than most other regions. Inland to the west, surrounded by the Drakenstein mountains, is the Franschoek Valley. Blessed with high rainfall and hot periods, the variety of soils combine with the climate to make perfect growing conditions.

To the north-west, Paarl houses many of the leading South African producers. Traditionally given almost exclusively to white, political and economic changes have encouraged the vintners to turn their efforts to red. The Mediterranean climate helps those efforts. Hotter than Stellenbosch, Paarl produces some of the best South African wines.

Durbanville vineyards, on the hills of north-east Cape Town, have been producing wine for nearly 300 years. Today, both red and white are well represented between a stellar Sauvignon Blanc and an excellent Shiraz.

But South African conditions don’t merely emulate the Mediterranean. The Klein Karroo is a semi-desert region where muscatels and Portuguese port is produced.

Robertson, 120km (72mi) form Cape Town, lies along a fertile and warm valley. Chardonnay and even sparkling wine are made here. Like other regions, red is becoming more popular, with the main effort being Shiraz.

Hot Worcester, near Robertson, and the surrounding area forms 20% of all South African vineyards, despite the long distance from Cape Town. Here, brandy is one of the chief products.

While politically the country’s fate is always an open question, their winemaking efforts show a commitment to quality second to none. With the substantial investments made over the last few years, several vineyard’s results are set to enter the world stage.

Starting out, if you can, let someone knowledgeable decide how to serve. To do even that skillfully requires a little education and experience. Some need to be served room temperature (reds usually), some chilled (whites in general). By room temperature, we mean a slightly cooler room —60F is good for reds— and by ‘chilled’ we don’t mean frozen; start at 50F and adjust to taste.

Some should be served right away (whites with many exceptions), and some (reds again with exceptions) allowed to breathe — sit in an uncorked bottle, exposed to air — for up to 15 minutes or more. Some even need decanting (filtering out sediment) before being served (Ports and wines that have aged considerably).

Pour into an ordinary wine glass, no more than half full, and swirl a bit to generate some additional ‘winey’ vapor. Avoid heavy cut glasses so you can see well. Then examine the color. Is it clear? Hazy? Opaque?

Take a short sniff; some waft the vapors into the nose rather than hold it directly over the opening. Experiment. Pay close attention by closing your eyes. This is pretentious, it helps one to focus on one or two senses —— taste and smell, over sight. Even experts sometimes misidentify wines in blind tests.

Try to identify the odor. Is it fruity like grapes or apples or oranges? Chardonnay sometimes reminds one of apples or figs (especially when aged in oak). Others, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlots evoke the woody smells of cedar or pine needles. Syrah puts some in mind of ground black pepper or floral scents. It’s not entirely subjective —— there’s often wide agreement among experts and amateurs alike, but impressions differ on degree.

Now take a sip and run it around the tongue to get many different kinds of taste buds involved. Some areas of the tongue are more attuned to sweet detection, others more to salty or sour. Does the Zinfandel you’re testing remind you of berries? Or, maybe you’re trying a Pinot Noir from Burgundy, with a suggestion of violets. A Gewürztraminer evokes peaches to some, a Chenin Blanc orange blossoms to others.

Set aside or finish the wine and come back another day. Don’t try too much or too many at one time. One per day is preferred but a slow way to learn; certainly no more than three, otherwise your ability to discern differences will be too diminished.

The next day, try some reds and concentrate on sensing that oak storage cask. Some California reds have hints of chocolate or coffee. A fine Merlot may carry a ‘tarry’ quality preferred by those that favor strong scents.

In every case, subtlety is the watchword of the day. Good wines don’t hit the nose over the head, so to speak. Before long, you’ll find yourself with pinky raised tossing around ‘zesty’, ’shy’, and ‘brave’ like an expert.

If you would like to learn more about wine tasting, then you should consider signing up for a one day workshop at the London Wine Academy or, for the more committed, one of their six week workshops.

But whether ancient or modern, many of the same conditions are required and similar techniques used. The chemistry of grapes is, put simply, eternal.

Wine grapes grow, with very few exceptions, only in bands delineated by latitudes 30-50 degrees North and 30-45 degrees South of the equator. However, unlike most crops, grapes don’t require fertile soil. The thinness of the soil restricts the quantity of the crop, producing fewer grapes of higher quality.

Paradoxically, soils too rich in nitrogen and other nutrients —highly beneficial for most types of plants— can produce grapes unsuitable for making wine. Fine for eating, but lacking desirable quantities of minerals, sugars and acids.

The best wines are produced from soil that would be considered poor quality for other agricultural purposes. The stellar wines from Bordeaux are made from grapes grown in gravelly soil, atop a base of clay or chalk. Fewer grapes are grown, but those that are, are high in quality. The pebbly earth allows for good drainage — grapevines require access to adequate, but not excessive, water. As the roots reach down further, more complex minerals are absorbed.

Vineyards are most often founded in river valleys, with slopes that provide abundant sunshine. Vines there are most often of the European species vitis vinifera, from which many common wines are made, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

Viticulture, the practice of growing grapes for wine, is today one of the most complex agricultural undertakings. A master vintner (today, sometimes called an oenologist), must be an expert in soil chemistry and fermentation, climatology and several other ancient arts and modern sciences.

In addition to categorization by variety, the products of these vines are classified by vinification methods - sparkling, still, fortified, rosé, blush — or by region — Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace — and of course by vintage, as well as a dozen other methods.

After the farmer, chemist and manufacturer have had their say, the businessman must take over. In 2002, 595 million gallons of wine were sold in the U.S. alone, representing over $20 billion in consumer spending. France led the pack with 22% of export volume, with Italy a close 20% behind.

The bold artists of wine must possess a sensitive nose and palette and balance dozens of time-sensitive factors . For example, when to harvest, how long to ferment and age, when to bottle. And that’s before considering modern manufacturing and marketing requirements, not to mention legal restrictions.

An art, a science and a business definitely not for the timid.

Remember when you were young and your parents told you not to eat too many sweets or your teeth would rot ? Well, they should give the same advice about Blossom Hill Chardonnay.

You can almost literally feel your teeth rotting from the first taste of this wine. It is sugary in a way that no wine should ever be.

Flavour ? Well, there is a hint of the chardonnay grape on your first sip, but there is quite literally no middle or finish to this stuff. Although, you will want to brush your teeth after drinking it to get rid of the sugary residue.

Where I live, the local pubs and wine bars chill white wines far beyond the point where there is any taste left and I would suggest that is the secret to Blossom Hill’s success - it’s a wine designed for people who don’t actually like wine.

RATING: 1 out of 10

WHERE TO BUY?

LastOrders.com has 6 bottles for £36.99 - click here to buy now