2006 Otra Vida Chardonnay, Argentina, Sainsbury’s, down £1 to £3.99 from Wednesday until March 4.
Don’t be sniffy about simple Argentinian slugs; this one oozes lots of ripe, appley, peachy New World fruit with a pleasingly nutty finish and all that, midweek, for just £3.99.
2006 Otra Vida Malbec, Argentina, Sainsbury’s, down £1 to £3.99 from Wednesday until March 4.
Otra Vida’s better half, made from Argentina’s finest red grape, this is a spicy, gentle, juicy malbec with lots of ripe fruit, cushioning its usually tannic palate.
2007 Viña Valdivieso, Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile, waitrose, down to £6.74 until February 19.
One of Waitrose’s new “in partnership with” range and precisely what you would expect from a posh Chilean sauvignon: gracefully rather than stridently verdant, with mouthwateringly zesty fruit.
2005 Viña Valdivieso, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, Maipo Valley, Chile, waitrose, down to £6.74 until February 19.
Reminiscent of the early Chilean cabernets that arrived here in the Seventies, this is bursting with ripe, sweet, elegant, creosote and cassis fruit, tailor-made for a juicy steak.
2003 Château La Prade, Côtes de Francs, Bordeaux, France, Bibendum (020-7449 4120), £17.99.
An old friend, made principally from the merlot grape, topped up with cabernet franc, and my kind of classy, perfumed, floral, drink-young claret that comes from the unsung Côtes de Francs.
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2006 Bourgogne Blanc, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot, Burgundy, France, Bibendum, £10.95.
Drink last week’s words with this deliciously forward, humble 2006 white burgundy whose gorgeous, ripe, hazelnutty palate delivers some of the swankiest Côte d’Or flavour for half the price.