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 September
Ted Sandbach, Owner & Chairman
Château Haut Gaudin Cuvée Prestige Bordeaux Supérieur 2020 – £14.50 £13.05 – Who says you can’t find value for money in Bordeaux? This has all the classic characteristics I love in a Bordeaux. Plummy richness, touches of sandalwood, and a hint of age.
Pouilly Fuissé, Domaine Ferret 2021 – £40.00 £36.00 – You can often find me sitting on a bar stool at our Oxford Wine Cellar, and I’m often sipping a glass of this Pouilly Fuissé from Domaine Ferret. It’s an old favourite which still represents good value despite the huge increases in price for lots of Burgundy. Good ripe fruit combines with very well judged oak to offer a balanced and reliably delicious wine.
John Shuckburgh, WSET Educator
Château Cambon la Pelouse Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc 2018 – £25.50 £22.95 – Surely one of our best value clarets at this price. Cru Bourgoise Exceptionelle is no empty, out-dated accolade and is a genuine indicator of quality. Exceptional indeed – from the reputable ‘Negociant’ – Maison Sichel. Delicious.
Bodegas Hidalgo, La Gitana Manzanilla 50cl NV– £12.50 £11.25 – Bring the south of Spain to your table! This is benchmark sherry of the driest kind. Enjoy thoroughly chilled (you and the wine!) with salted almonds, olives, cheeses or any kind of Tapas. Think sunshine, palm trees and Flamenco. Estupendo!
Manda Joyce, Wine Advisor
Paul René Cap Classique Brut 2019 – £24.75 £22.28 – This is my ‘go to’ bubbly of the season! Beautifully balanced fruit, freshness and brioche complexity. A great example of the quality and value being produced in South Africa nowadays.
Maison Sichel Sauternes AOC, Sauternes 2022 – £15.50 £13.95 – An excellent and accessible example of Bordeaux’s sweet wine. Try with tarte tatin, crème brûlée, liver pâté or a strong blue cheese such as Roquefort or Stilton.
Jung and Wulff No. 2 Guyana Rum – £47.00 £42.30 – A rich, round Rum, redolent of rainforest honey and butter on toast, with no added sugar or colour.
Tom Brady, Shop Manager & Spirits Buyer
Château Sergant, Lalande de Pomerol 2022 – £26.50 £23.85 – Rich, plummy, chocolatey. What more could you ask from a delicious right-bank, Merlot-forward wine?
Crémant de Bordeaux Precious Day NV – £14.00 £12.60 – A bone dry, yet immensely fruity blend of Semillon and Merlot. For an outstanding price this wine captures both freshness and richness of flavour.
Ardnamurchan AD The Midgie – £57.00 £51.30 – A slightly more peated edition from the team at Ardnamurchan, this release is blended from ex-Madeira, ex-Sauternes, ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso casks to create something decadent and delicious.
Aljoscha Wright, Buyer
Jade de Fleur de Lisse, Bordeaux AOC 2019 – £14.50 £13.05 – A deliciously modern wine from Bordeaux with crunchy primary red fruits and soft round tannins.
Botivo Zero Alcohol Aperitif 50cl – £26.95 £24.26 –This has enough complexity to keep you interested in drinking when you’re not drinking.
Campari Bitter – £25.00 £22.50 – Because the Campari spritz is the next big thing!
Tim Bradley, Trade Sales & WSET Educator
Donjon de Lamarque, Haut-Médoc 2016 – £19.50 £17.55 – Delicious soft blackberry, cherry and blackcurrant with earthy and leathery savouriness, a mature but also fresh wine ageing most gracefully! Amazing value too for this wine just short of a decade!
Paul Cluver Village Pinot Noir, Elgin 2020 – £17.50 £15.75 – Try this Burgundian style Pinot Noir but with riper fruit than some, infused with sweet spice and cherries. A lick of soft vanilla and this is perfect for summer drinking and goes beautifully with smoked meats. Excellent value too!
Miopasso Fiano, Sicily 2021 – £11.50 £10.35 – Lovely soft acidity but still refreshing, with stone fruits and a nutty almond finish. Retried this recently and think it delivers wonderfully as an aperitif or accompaniment to cheese and roasted vegetables. Another glass I think!
Katy Barker, Retail Marketing Manager
Vignobles Moreau La Clef de Voute Saint-Émilion 2018 – £33.00 £29.70 – This modern style of Bordeaux is deliciously rich and concentrated, packed with blueberries, blackberries, and cherries, all wrapped up in a velvety texture.
Geyer Seaside Cabernet Franc, Barossa Valley 2020 – £31.00 £27.90 – Wine doesn’t get more fun than this! This is a curious style of Cabernet Franc and I assure you haven’t had one like this before! Crunchy red fruits, liquorice, and a lick of salt.
Reichsrat Von Buhl Riesling Trocken, Pfalz 2022 – £14.50 £13.05- Rediscovered this wine recently and it’s perfect for the warmer evenings. Super fresh and lean, very elegantly made.
Mark Warde-Aldam, Shop Manager
Château de Roques Puisseguin Saint-Émilion 2019 – £17.50 £15.75 – This Saint-Émilion has impressed me time and time again! Great value for money and pairs well with rich meats, such as beef and lamb.
Boschendal Brut Rosé Méthode Cap Classique NV – £16.00 £14.40 – Holding on to the summer while enjoying one of the best Rose sparkling wines we have to offer! Packed with strawberries and raspberries, followed by a creamy mousse. Delicious!
Emily Silva, Head of Retail and Marketing
Château Cantemerle 5ème Cru, Haut-Medoc 2016 – £50.00 £45.00 – This Haut-Médoc is widely acknowledged to punch well above its classification. Add the impact of the superstar 2016 vintage and you’re on to a winner with this one. A wine to savour now but which will continue to improve over the next decade.
Thomas Stopfer, Zweigelt Classic, Wagram 2021 – £14.75 £13.28 – A deliciously sappy, crunchy, red wine which works beautifully when lightly chilled. The perfect companion to warm autumnal evenings. If you’ve never tried Zweigelt before, now’s the time to start!
Maison Sauvion Crémant de Loire Brut NV – £15.50 £13.05 – Fantastically good value fizz from one of our favourite producers in the Loire. Just the ticket to add a touch of sparkle to a midweek evening!
Nick Gorton, Shop Manager
Château Yon-Figeac, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2016 – £39.75 £35.78 – I don’t believe I’ve had a bottle of Bordeaux for £40 or under that can match the second wine of Château Figeac. Amazing intensity of fruit, dazzling complexity and a finish longer than an Olympic triathlon. Come to think of it, buy something else, I want this bottle!
Old Road Wine Company Fat Man Pinotage, Franschhoek 2022 – £11.50 £10.35 – This really impressed me at a recent tasting. Bright red fruit with a meaty, smoky side that means this will be perfect for a BBQ, or more authentically, a Braai!
Guasti Timorasso Colli Tortonesi 2021 – £25.50 £22.95 – Another recommendation for the wine geeks out there. What do you get if you add a rare native Italian grape to ageing in Acacia barrels? This absolutely delicious if, a bit bizarre, Piemontese white! Give it a go if you want something truly different!
John Chapman, Managing Director
Valdespino Inocente Fino ‘Pago de Macharnudo’ 37.5cl NV – £14.50 £13.05 – Best value Fino on the market! A harmony of nutty charm with an abundance of freshness. The sun is out, and you need an aperitif, don’t be guilty grab an Inocente!
Maison Henri Champliau Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé NV – £22.50 £20.25 – Stylish pink fizz with all the decadence of champagne without the price tag. A must have for all alfresco occasions.
Benegas Lynch Meritage, Uco Valley 2019 – £48.00 £43.20 – Try something new, this Argentinian Bordeaux blend is a revelation as it couples the hints of South American pazazz with a classic Cabernet backbone. What a corker of a wine, why wait for an occasion to drink classy Cab?
Thom Allinson, Buying & Logistics
Château Moutinot Saint-Estèphe 2020 – £22.50 £20.25 – Really impressive how this wine exhibits so much appellation typicity at this price point. Always has a place on my wine rack.
La Fleur Solitaire Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023 – £12.50 £11.25 – Delightfully fresh and floral that really delivers at this price point. Get some while the sun lasts…
Valletta Toscana Rosso IGT, Gagliole 2019 – £33.50 £28.48 – Blend of 50% Merlot & 50% Sangiovese from Tuscany that will have you reaching for another glass. Rich and full of black fruit and spice, simply delicious!
Emma Bristow, Wine Advisor
Château Petit-Vedrines, Sauternes 37.5cl 2017 – £17.00 £15.30 – Rich aromas of pineapple, honeysuckle with underlying spice and citrus notes. Delicious refreshing and balanced acidity. Would pair well with blue cheese and any fruit tarte-tatin. Excellent value dessert wine!
Cocchi Americano Aperitivo – £30.00 £27.00 – Versatile and delicious Italian aperitif. Bitter yet sweet and herbal, with cherry citrus notes and white flowers. Refreshing sweet almond palate. Great neat on ice or mixed with soda as a spritz or a fantastic core mix for cocktails!
Château Pesquié Le Paradou Viognier, Ventoux 2022 – £15.50 £13.95 – Lovely elegant Chardonnay with delicious stone fruits and balanced acidity, followed through with a creamy lemon finish.
Romain Alaphilippe, Shop Manager
Château Saint-Robert Graves 2018 – £19.50 £17.55 – Wines from Graves are my brother’s favourite, and I understand why! An absolute triumph, a beautifully balanced claret, in both flavour and texture.
Madre Mezcal Ensamble – £78.00 £70.20 – A mezcal made by hand and from the earth, far away from the industrial process full of autoclaves, diffusers and stainless steel fermentation vessels. ¡Un mezcalito por favor!
Jordan ‘The Prospector’ Syrah, Stellenbosch 2021 – £21.75 £19.58 – A nod to the tin mining history in the Stellenbosch region, and an absolute delicious Syrah!
Lucy Harrison, Shop Manager
Château Haut Mouleyre Cadillac 50cl 2022 – £26.50 £23.85 – A cracking, affordable alternative to Sauternes! Rich notes of mango, pineapple, honey and vanilla. Wonderful with blue cheese!
Au Bon Climat Wild Boy Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County 2022 – £31.75 £28.58 – I always have a bottle of this in my fridge! A rich and creamy Chardonnay from Au Bon Climat. Bold flavours of brioche, vanilla, stone fruits but it still has a freshness. Perfect with roast chicken!
Bodegas Arrocal Selección Especial, Ribera Del Duero 2021 – £25.00 £22.50 – I tend to prefer wines from Ribera del Duero over Rioja- this has complex notes of dark cherries, blackberry, vanilla, herbs and dark chocolate. A perfect Autumn wine!