White wines

Chical Verdejo (Spain)

From a cooperative, gentle on the palate, surprisingly low minerality (£7.99, VIN)

Aurele Viognier (Languedoc)

Quite a floral nose, apricots and touch of marmalade on the palate with good minerality and balancing acidity – good value at £11.99, VIN)

Nugan Estate Chardonnay (New South Wales)

Pleasant, unoaked and unremarkable (£11.99, VIN)

Pacifico Sur Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)

A very pleasant understated Sauvignon Blanc from the Central Valley (Santiago), pronounced delicious citrus element (£9.9, VIN)

Red wines

Puglia Primitivo (Puglia)

A nice example, quite light and not at all jammy, cherries on the palate, reasonable value (£12.99, VIN)

Tattoo Tannat/Merlot (Cotes de Gascoigne)

An interesting and unusual blend from Fortan, the Tannat quite muted and softened by the Merlot, a nice quaffable red, reasonable value at £12.99, VIN)

Weinwurms Zweigelt (Austria) 2020.

A really interesting wine, much more so than some previous Zweigelts we have tasted. Good medium weight and soft red berries on the concentrated palate, fruity nose and delightful soft tannins. Very good value at £17.99, VIN). Pity about the name!

Rickety Bridge Merlot (South Africa) 202.

Not a lot to say, exceptionally dry, almost chalky, from a very old vineyard first planted in the 1700s. Touc of alcohol burn at 15% (£13.99, VIN)

The cheeses and the matches!!

Open Air Dairy Mature Cheddar (Dorset)

Worked really well with the Tattoo blend and the Zweigelt

Montagnolo Blue (Germany)

Very good with the Verdejo, Viognier where the touch of sweetness in the wine complemented the soft aromaticity of the cheese. Not good with the reds except the Merlot.

Old Winchester (Wiltshire)

OK with the Zweigelt, totally overpowered the whites

Brie de Meaux (Normandy)

Not an easy match, OK with the Zweigely and the Chardonnay.

Rosary Plain (UK)

Delightful soft Goat’s cheese, worked well with all the wines, especially the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc)

Belton Farm Smoked Red Fox (Shropshire)

A revelation of a cheese! Wonderful with the Zweigelt, OK with the Tattoo, not easy with the others!