At The Oxford Wine Company we spend our days surrounded by thousands of delicious wines, spirits and beers. But which of them do we decide to drink at home? Take a look below for our team’s top picks for this month.
What We’re Drinking in May
Ted Sandbach, Owner & Chairman
Cassarà Grillo Biologico, Sicily 2022– £13.00 £11.70 – This is white is going to be one of my go-to tipples of the summer! Made from the Sicilian grape variety Grillo, this wine is beautifully fresh and crisp, making it the perfect aperitif.
Donjon de Lamarque, Haut Medoc 2016 – £18.50 £16.65 – I have found myself coming back around to Claret recently, and for less than £20 you could do a lot worse than Donjon de Lamarque. From the lauded 2016 vintage this wine is drinking beautifully now with real complexity.
Bourgogne Chardonnay Domaine d’Ardhuy 2020– £24.00 £21.60 This is a good value for money white Burgundy (yes you heard me right!) From a family-run winery, this Chardonnay shows delicate, yet concentrated fruit, with a subtle touch of oak giving a soft, rounded finish.
Neil Gladding, Sales Director
Cherubino Pedestal Chardonnay, Margaret River, 2022 – £17.50 £15.75 – The closest new world white to taste like a Burgundy!
Tiefenbrunner Turmhof Schiava, 2022 – £20.00 £18.00 – The Schiava grape AKA Trollinger is a Pinot Noir style elegant Italian red.
Henri Fabre Dédicace Bandol Rouge, Côtes de Provence, 2016 – £24.00 £21.60 – With 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache, this rich and dense wine is full of black fruits with a balancing blackcurrant leaf character and a hint of leather
John Shuckburgh, WSET Educator
Guasti Grignolino d’Asti 2023 £15.00 £13.50 – So light it could almost be rosé. Dry, intensely juicy red cherry fruit flavours from a little-known Piedmontese grape of the same name. This is a refreshing, versatile style of red wine that can be enjoyed chilled, as an aperitif or with your favourite antipasti.
The Earth Beneath Our Feet Project, Blanc 2021 £14.50 £13.05 – South Africa has made a speciality of creatively mingled white blends and this doesn’t disappoint! An enticing and gastronomic mix of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. It has a pleasing texture and depth of tropical fruit flavours, with a herbal twist that tempts you back for more. Well, it does it does me anyway!
Retribution Spiced Rum – £38.50 £34.65 – This is the best Spiced Rum I think I’ve ever tasted. It’s elegantly spiced – not confected at all, just well-crafted and deliciously warming. From an artisanal producer in Frome, Somerset.
Manda Joyce, Wine Advisor
Rayos & Truenos L’Enfant Verdejo, 2021 £13.50 £12.15 – Fresh yet concentrated, this wonderful example of Verdejo has limey-peary fruit and lovely body thanks to nine months of lees aging. I enjoyed it with a tray bake of hake, potato and thinly-sliced lime. Any seafood, or even pork, would be great.
Bodega Benegas ‘Single Vineyard’ Sangiovese, 2019 – £26.50 £23.85 – The classic Chianti grape is thriving in South America. Typical sour cherry and rustic notes of Sangiovese are augmented with a rich, soft, plumminess that I find quite delightful.
Nathan Kendall Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, 2019 – £30.00 £27.00 – Purity of fruit and mouth-watering lime juice dryness combined with creamy mouthful. What a winner with fish and chips!
Tom Brady, Shop Manager & Spirits Buyer
Torabhaig Cnoc Na Moine – £63.00 £56.70 – Batch #3 from one of my favourite new distilleries. Pronounced “Crock Na Moyne” this release adds delicious nuttiness and dried fruits to the delicate floral and robust peatiness of the Torabhaig house style.
Ninefold Cask Aged Rum – £47.50 £42.75 – Scottish rum made the right way. Aged for around two years, this molasses rum has a tasty richness and notes of butterscotch, caramel, toffee, chocolate, vanilla and banana bread.
Brouilly Les Thibaults, Jean Loron 2022 – £17.00 £15.30 – A chillable red for summer (if it ever comes), this Beaujolais is packed with freshness and notes of crunchy red berries.
Aljoscha Wright, Buyer
Delheim Pinotage Rose’, Stellenbosch, 2023– £13.50 £12.15 – Drink the wine for the weather you want, not the weather you have!
Doppelganger Aperitivo – £22.00 £18.50 – Our answer to Aperol made right here in the UK. Refreshing and delicious!
Valletta Toscana Rosso IGT, Gagliole, 2019 – £33.50 £30.15 – An exceptional Toscana Rosso with some extra cellaring, drinking really well and the perfect pairing for lamb.
Tim Bradley, Trade Sales & WSET Educator
Tio Martin Crianza Rioja, Bodegas Mateos, 2020– £20.00 £18.00 -Full of blueberry and blackberry fruit from 40 year old vines. Perfect with spring lamb and other barbecued meats. Very good quality Rioja from this top Spanish Bodega.
Dornier ‘Moordenaarskloof’ Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, 2021– £19.50 £17.55 – One of the most delicious Chenin Blanc’s I’ve tasted with a delicate nose of wild flowers, white peaches and pineapples. A treat!
Boschendal Brut Méthode Cap Classique, NV – £16.00 £14.40 – A vibrant smooth, creamy bubbled fizz from South Africa with fresh lemon and apple with a hint of almond Biscotti. Lovely!
Katy Barker, Retail Marketing Manager
Katz Brut, Domaine René Meyer, 2021 – £22.00 £19.80 – This is an intriguing Crémant from Alsace, with it’s slightly pinkish colour and unusual varieties. It makes for a delightful glass of bubbles, rich in fruit with a soft texture, the perfect aperitif!
Julien Sunier Régnié, Beaujolais, 2021 – £26.00 £23.40 – Régnié is the newest of the Beaujolais Crus, and Julien Sunier delivers a lively, bright wine packed with juicy, luscious blackberries, bramble, and plum. So fresh and rustic!
Luis Pato Maria Gomes, 2023 – £15.50 £13.95 – If you’re looking for something new and different to try this summer, look no further! This Portuguese wine is made from a variety called Maria Gomes, super fresh with lots of lime zest. pink grapefruit, with a touch of orange blossom and spice.
Mark Warde-Aldam, Shop Manager
Terre Sicilliane,Fedele Nero d’Avolo, 2022 – £10.75 £9.68 – An Organic/Vegan red from Sicily. Nero D’Avola produces a really juicy, fruity, light red at an amazing price!
Vinas del Vero Gewurztraminer, Somontano, 2022 – £14.50 £13.05 – Gewurztraminer is normally associated with Alsace. This one comes from a delightful denomination in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Slightly spicey and goes well with mild spicy food.
Pineau des Charentes Blanc, Jules Gautret – £22.00 £19.80 – Having picked grapes in Cognac many years ago, I am very familiar with this. Delightful before or after dinner. Surprise your guests with something different!
Min Yee Tseu, Corporate and University Account Manager
Vilarnau Gaudi Sleeve Brut Cava NV – £14.00 £12.60 – This is a surprisingly tasty and affordable Cava that beat a Champagne at a blind tasting that I went to.
Chablis 1er Cru Vau-Ligneau, Alain Geoffroy 2021 – £29.50 £26.55 – I’m a big Chardonnay fan and this is my standout Chablis from the Geoffroy range – and a bit of bottle-age certainly doesn’t hurt!
Marchesi di Grésy Monferrato Rosso 2017 – £21.50 £19.35 – 100% Merlot, this is a rich and warming red that’s perfect for whiling away an evening with friends…which I may have done on more than one occasion!
Emily Silva, Head of Retail and Marketing
La Rifra Lugana DOC Libiam 2022 – £17.00 £15.30 – Beautifully crisp and elegant dry Italian white wine that reminds me of a blissful visit to the gorgeous Lake Garda. Close your eyes and imagine you’re under the Italian sun!
Passagem Branco, Douro, 2021– £17.50 £15.5 – Don’t sleep on Portuguese white wines! This delicious Douro offering from the brilliant Quinta de la Rosa is concentrated, intense and dry – a delight with sardines or other oily fish.
Kellerai Bozen Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige 2023 – £17.00 £15.30 – Pinot Grigio is world-famous for a region – pick up this delicious example from Alto Adige and you’ll see why. With delicious stone fruit notes and pretty floral aromatics this is just lovely.
Nick Gorton, Shop Manager
Campo Reale Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore, 2020 – £22.00 £19.80 – After a recent trip to Campo Reale, I have fallen in love with this wine. Rich and powerful but with a lot of fresh fruit and a silky texture, this “Amarone-lite” is a wonderful wine for pairing with food or enjoying in front of a fire.
Guasti Mocasto d’Asti, 2023 – £15.00 £13.50 – One of the most fun sparkling wines you can buy. Lots of white peach and honeysuckle, combined with sweetness and just 5% ABV means you can enjoy this with a lunchtime picnic and not need a post-prandial nap!
Szepsy Estate Tokaji Dry Furmint, 2018 – £33.50 £30.15 – A wine that shows just how good dry Furmint can be. Rich and textural, with well-integrated oak characteristics, this is a Burgundy matching (perhaps even beating) wonder.
John Chapman, Managing Director
Tio Pepe En Rama 2024 – £20.00 £18.00 – Big showy version of this unfiltered Fino. Very much a crowd pleasing style but hits the sweet spot for me and will be a ready choice pre-dinner for the coming month and beyond.
Pascal Clement Bourgogne Chardonnay, 2020 – £30.00 £27.00 – A new addition to our eclectic Burgundy range a small producer following simple wine making principle with the aim of producing a damn fine glass of white Burgundy. Drink whenever you like as this will cheer up even a rainy May day.
Marques de Borba Tinto, 2020 – £13.00 £11.70 – Not the most serious red but hell of a bang for your buck in this one. Juicy with classic fruit and enough length to be a surprise for the price. Very moreish and worthwhile purchase to make the pennies go further.
Thom Allinson, Buying & Logistics
Thomas Stopfer, Ried Morthal Roter Veltliner, 2022– £22.50 £20.25 – I’ve waited over a year for this to land on the shelves and I haven’t been disappointed! Ripe orchard fruits with a spicy, mineral finish. Amazing.
Lauren Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc Lujan De Cuyo, Bodega Casarena, 2018– £29.75 £26.78 – Deep and rich, full of varietal typicity with a luxurious oak spice backbone. Enjoy with anything off the grill.
Trinity Hill ‘Gimblett Gravels’ Syrah, Hawkes, 2020– £27.50 £24.75 – Ferrousy, garriguey deliciousness from New Zealand. Don’t let the label put you off as considering the quality, it’s a steal at the price!
Romain Alaphilippe, Shop Manager
Jacques Charlet Terra Occitana Pinot Noir, Vin de France, 2022 – £12.50 £11.25 – A great and refreshing Pinot Noir at its best! Strawberries and raspberries with subtle floral notes, and a very good acidity despite that it is from Languedoc! At this price it is a bargain!
Massaya “Le Colombier” Bekaa Valley, 2020 £18.00 £16.20 – The smoothest and most delicious wine I had to drink in a while! A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Tempranillo grown at 1000m of altitude in only 50 hectares of vineyards. Big cassis, cherry accompanied by hints of spice, cedar and tobacco. Velvety texture and very-well integrated tannins, bold and elegant. Superb!
Genepi-Liqueur des Alpes 50cl – £41.50 £37.35 – My two best friends being from Annecy, of course I had to drink some Genepi! Strong herbal aroma with hints of alpine flowers, a slightly bitter taste balanced by sweetness, touch of citrus and spice on the finish! How to get warm in the cold mountain!!!
Emma Bristow, Wine Advisor
Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs, Sussex, 2019 – £42.50 £38.25 -Elegantly rich sparkling wine from Sussex. Delightful notes of cherries and toasted nuttiness, with rich shortbread flavours and lovely fine bubbles. Perfect for a celebration but would pair well with a mushroom risotto!
Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay, Auckland, 2022 £28.00 £25.20 – Splendid Chardonnay from NZ. Delicious biscuit and lemony notes followed by apples, ripe peaches and pears. A delight with every sip!
Falchini ‘Vigna a Solatìo’ Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG, 2022– £16.00 £14.40 – Lovely floral aromas of jasmine and green apple freshness. Refreshing and well balanced flavours of stone fruit. Wonderful as an aperitif and would also lend itself to most light supper choices!