Those on the ball at the start of March would’ve seen the first line-up of Curious Picks, in addition to our regular special offers run across countries or individual ranges. The Picks are my personal selection of six wines every two months, chosen for their high price-to-quality ratio at their normal price, and reduced in price further to make them even more tempting for you to try!

So successful was the last selection that we ran out of the Montepulciano half way through, so move quickly to avoid disappointment in this month’s selections. (We’ve more Montepulciano on the way from Italy by the way!)

First up, three cracking whites:

‘V’ Transylvanian Sauvignon Blanc: this ‘wine with a bite’ has been sitting in the shadows of customer praise for the Pinot Noir from the same winery, as customers have been genuinely amazed by the elegance and quality from this legendary location. Full of gooseberry, capsicum and green fruit flavours. Now €8.99 when you buy two or more.

Lugana Tenuta Maiolo 2006: a star of our February tasting at the Hayfield Manor in Cork, this is Chablis-style and quality from the shores of Lake Garda. Beautifully distinctive citrus and mineral components with a slightly sappy finish. Save €2, try it for €12.99 per bottle.

Chablis Domaine de la Motte 2006: a star of last week’s tasting at the Ambassador Hotel, this is old vine Chablis from minimum 40 year-old vines. This is a personal favourite of mine, with notes of citrus, butterscotch and spice, and a smooth, buttery texture. Save €2, now only €14.99 per bottle.

And the reds:

La Revolution Grenache 2006: Another customer favourite from our mixed case selections, this is typically full and juicy from the south of France, with the trademark spice you’d expect from good Grenache. We’re virtually giving this away to get you to try it and see just how good it is – buy 2 save €2 at only €7.99 per bottle.

The Last Stand Shiraz 2005: I’d forgotten how good this was until I had it again recently. Lovely red fruit with hints of herbs and spices – lighter and more elegant than the blockbuster Shirazes Australia has become infamous for. Buy 2 save €2 and snap it up for €8.99.

Bilancia Pinot Noir 2006: Classy Pinot Noir from Hawkes Bay and not just for the Christmas turkey. This has classic raspberry and redcurrants, with just a touch of leather and spice complexes on the finish. Good Pinot Noir doesn’t come cheap but we reckon this is a steal – save €2, now only €14.99.

So get them while they’re hot – these offers are good until 30th June, but only while stocks last.

As economic doom continues to dominate every newsroom and staff canteen in the country – the only respite it seems being bulls in supermarkets and pig influenza – we’ve selected a few of our already top value wines to fight the gloom in our May and June special offers.

First up is Chile, surely top of the world wine league in terms of quality versus price for well over a decade. Our Santa Alicia and Sierra Grande ranges lead the way in delivering exceptional drinking under the €10 mark, while In Situ, Villard and Tabali show that if you’re happy to move up the price scale there’s commensurate quality to rival the likes of France and Australia in terroir-driven wines (our Tabali Special Reserve blend a prime example – 5 stars and a pick of Beverly Blanning’s Chilean Terroir Wines in Decanter’s May 2008 issue).

We’ve a recession-whopping 10% off all Chilean wines until 30th June.

Another country that continues to deliver better and better quality at everyday prices is South Africa, and our Long Neck range has been delighting Curious customers since we introduced it. From quintessential South African Pinotage and Chenin Blanc, to a more traditional Cabernet/Merlot blend and crisp, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc, there’s a giraffe for everyone, and we’ve knocked €3 off when you buy 2.

That’s €7.99 a bottle and we’ve even put together a Mixed Case for only €95 delivered to your door.

Finally, there’s only one real measure of success when sourcing great wine and that’s when customers come back for more. The lunar organic Domaine du Chateau d’Eau from Moillard is one of those wines that people buy a bottle to try then come back for a case. We’ve beefed up the range now to eight varietals and there’s €4 off when you buy 2 – that’s Burgundy quality and 100% organic for under a tenner a bottle. Trust us, you have to try some of this wine.

So as the days get longer and brighter, forget sick swine and bank swindles, and get some curiously good savings on seriously great wine.

It’s rare we blow our own trumpet but I have to confess I get a bit excited when it comes to deciding on the next round of promotions for Curious. As ever, I’m led by the heart, and I’ve picked a country, a region and a producer that should delight anyone partaking of these very real discounts (!!) in the coming two months.

In many ways our Spanish range typifies what Curious is all about. Almost 50 wines from a whopping 19 different regions and denominacions, from under €9 to just over €30, it’s about discovery, distinction and quality and value at every price point.

Some highlights include the Decanter medal-winning Albarinos from Valdamor and Orballo; the amazing wines of Telmo Rodriguez – check out the whites of Basa and Gaba do Xil, and the red Gagos of Toro as starting points; and the astonishing everyday drinking quality of the Legado Muñoz and Artiga ranges, now under a tenner with the 10% we’ve taken off the entire category.

In an irreverant swipe at the high-brow, high-price reputation of Bordeaux, we also wanted to highlight the incredible quality that can be enjoyed for well under the €20 mark in this most famous but bewildering of wine regions.

Chateau Bauduc fits the Curious philosophy in so many ways: no-nonsense wine-making, no-nonsense labelling (horror of horrors for a Bordeaux House, they put the grape variety on the front label!), and keen-as-mustard pricing. Blake Creedon, in February 21st’s Irish Examiner, picked out the Blanc Sec Sauvignon Blanc (Gordon Ramsay’s house wine in the UK) as his favourite in our recent Cork tasting, and the red Clos de Quinze is one of the most accomplished wines I’ve tasted under 20 quid.

We’ve knocked a silly 15% off our Bordeaux range for the simple purpose to tempt people to try these fabulous wines – I guarantee those who do will be back for more.

Finally, anyone that’s come into our warehouse looking for a “nice wine around the €10 mark” is always shown the Santa Alicia range from Chile’s Maipo Valley, the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s Trophy winner for best overall Chilean producer in 2007. We don’t believe there’s a better price-to-quality ratio in the country.

We opened the Reserva Sauvignon Blanc for an impromptu tasting with Lar Veale when he popped down a couple of weeks ago, and got the reaction we hoped for:

“Cracking value at only €9.99 and beats the pants off anything from your local supermarket.”

If you love concentrated, fruit-filled, well-rounded reds, try the Reserva Carmenere, Malbec and Merlot, and for an extra couple of quid the Gran Reservas stand up to wines at twice the price in the supermarkets. We’ve knocked off a euro a bottle when you buy two or more.

Happy exploring.