Founded in 1940, Viñedos y Bodegas Muñoz started as a small plantation in the town of Noblejas, in the heart of La Mancha. Today, it farms 400 ha of gnarled old vines, with an average age of 40 years; and its winemaking facilities include 1,500 ageing barrels and a state-of-the-art bottling line that ensures clean, fruity wines.

Muñoz is ranked among the pioneers of La Mancha’s wine community, and has for many years championed improvements in the quality and longevity of the region’s wines. The third generation of the family currently lives on the estate, above the 17th-century cellar where the best of Muñoz wines enjoy a “calm, transcendental” period of maturation.

The bodega also produces a second brand, Artero, named after the street where the winery’s founder, Blas Muñoz García de la Rosa, was born and raised.

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DO La Mancha

Famous for windmills, saffron and Don Quixote, Spain’s La Mancha is also the world’s biggest single delimited wine region, encompassing a jaw-dropping 30,000km². Located on the meseta plateau (500-900m) 60km SE of Madrid, the extent of its DO-classified vineyards alone (which are only half the total) exceeds that of all of Australia’s combined!

The unforgiving climate sees little rain and summer temperatures of 45° Celsius and up. The Moors, themselves no strangers to hot places, christened the region ‘Manxa’, meaning ‘parched earth.’ Yields are tiny and the vines have to be spaced widely so as not to overtax the arid land, but the severe conditions make it impossible for pests to thrive and so the vines and grapes are unusually healthy.

La Mancha’s specialty used to be a pale but strong red wine that was actually made with white grape Airén tinted with red juice. But since the 1990s the trend has been to make ‘proper’ reds, mostly from Cencibel, the local name for Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. Drought-hardy Airén, Viura, Chardonnay and (surprisingly for so torrid a region) Sauvignon Blanc make up the light-skinned complement.

Of the 2 million hectolitres of wine made in La Mancha each year, a variable but significant proportion is distilled and used for the characterful Andalusian spirit, Brandy de Jerez.

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See all the NEW WINES HERE or click on the individual wines below for detailed information and tasting notes!

€10.49 Legado Muñoz Garnacha IGP Castilla 2011

€10.49 Legado Muñoz Tempranillo IGP Castilla 2012

€10.99 Artero Tempranillo DO La Mancha 2012

€12.49 Artero Crianza DO La Mancha 2010

€13.99 Artero Reserva DO La Mancha 2008

€14.99 Finca Muñoz Barrel Aged IGP Castilla 2008

€23.00 Finca Muñoz Cepas Viejas IGP Castilla 2009

Bienvenido Muñoz and Curious Mike at Bodegas Muñoz, April 2013.

Boutique producer Château de la Négly is located in La Clape, an illustrious subregion of the Côteaux du Languedoc appellation. Meaning “pile of stones” in the old Occitan tongue, La Clape is a World Heritage site that was until the Gallo-Roman period an island.

Since becoming Négly’s estate manager in 1992, Jean Paux-Rosset has been on a relentless crusade to raise quality to previously-unimaginable levels, in the process growing the reputation of the entire Languedoc region. One of the first things he did was pull out low-grade Aramon, Terret and Carignan Blanc vines and replace them with southern France’s “improver varieties”, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

A phenomenal amount of TLC is lavished on the grapes, with strict control of yields, crop thinning, an obsessive approach to fruit ripening, hand harvesting and meticulous sorting all important factors in the ultimate quality of these small-batch, artisinal wines.

“Plush, polished and heady, these wines make voluminous statements”, is how the Wine Buyer’s Guide enthusiastically describes Négly’s products, an estate that it rates as “Outstanding”.

The Wines …

Domaine Baptiste Boutes Merlot 2010 – INTRO PRICE €9.99 (RRP €11.99): Expect lush, jammy flavours of raspberry compote, spiced plum, blueberry and cocoa, with good weight, intensity of flavour and length.

Domaine Ferri Arnaud Blanc 2011 – INTRO PRICE €10.99 (RRP €12.99): Plump, broad style that shows appealing weight alongside succulent flavours of white peach, pear salad, briny minerals and fennel.

Domaine la Négly L’Oppidum Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – INTRO PRICE €10.99 (RRP €12.99): This stainless steel, cool fermented, 100% Sauvignon makes an absolutely glorious summer aperitif with its light body and exotic, fine nose of pink grapefruit, lychee and freshly-cut dill.

Domaine de Boede Le Pavillon 2012 – INTRO PRICE €10.99 (RRP €12.99): Boasting a striking deep-ruby colour with a glossy purple sheen, this sexy blend of four parts Cinsault to one part Syrah shows silky tannins and delectable flavours of liquorice, cracked pepper, cassis and cinnamon.

Château Rigaud Faugeres 2011 – INTRO PRICE €11.99 (RRP €13.99): Big stuff here as low yields, late harvesting and south-facing hills combine to give a wine of unusual power and ripeness!

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CLICK HERE to see all our current offers on Château de la Négly, new and old.

Stellenbosch-based Kanu – whose name relates to the legendary African bird of bounteous harvests and not the gangly ex-Arsenal striker – dates from 1692 when German soldier Matthias Greef was gifted the farm by a local governor. At first he used it to raise sheep and grow medicinal herbs, before sensibly switching to grapes. Much later, during the Anglo-Boer war, the estate was used as a horse supply camp, rifle range and hospital.

Fast-forward to modern times and Kanu’s global reputation was cemented in the early part of this century by head winemaker and Chenin Blanc guru Teddy Hall. His successor, and current incumbent, Johan Grimbeek, has continued the tradition of excellence and has a string of awards to his name.

Kanu is a member of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, an alliance between South Africa’s conservation and wine sectors that helps to preserve such exotic creatures as the cape leopard and geometric tortoise. It devotes over a third of its land to native wildlife.

Johan and his team focus on South African specialty Chenin (known locally as Steen) and a selection of warm-climate grapes like Shiraz, Chardonnay and Viognier. Though based in swanky Stellenbosch and utilising a high proportion of fruit from that district, Kanu does source from other premium areas too, meaning that its wines bear the more expansive ‘Western Cape’ appellation.

Best buy: Kanu Shiraz 2006 (€13.99) Matured in luxurious new French and American oak, this single-vineyard Shiraz is powerful, polished and loaded with glossy flavours of black cherry, dark chocolate, pepper and mocha.

See the new range from Kanu here.

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p.s. To celebrate the arrival of our African friends we are offering Wine Club Members €2 PER BOTTLE OFF FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS. Offer applies online and in store but in both cases ends at 3pm Wednesday April 17th. Not a Wine Club member? CLICK HERE.

Vine tendrils enjoy the sunshine at Kanu Estate

Bordeaux is virtually guaranteed to throw up something new and interesting every year as there’s probably nowhere that vintage is more important, or unpredictable. After the exalted vintages of 2009 and 2010 – two of the best in decades with corresponding demand – 2011 and 2012 will provide much greater challenges in terms of good quality at an accessible price.

Snap up what you can of 2009 and 2010 but don’t dismiss 2011 just yet, we’ve been quick to grab some early bargains from this much more fickle vintage. These will become much rarer in the next couple of years as demand will inevitably supercede a sense of ‘good value’, driven by an insatiable appetite for this famed region from China and beyond.

Claret fans are already crossing their fingers for a good 2013, but let’s enjoy some great vintages while we have them.

Our picks:

Château Rivensan Bordeaux 2011 (Introductory price €9.59) A real bargain, rich and expressive showing wonderful juicy fruit, with mature, melt-in-the-mouth tannins and lashings of savoury, earthy flavours on a long, smooth finish.

Château Bellevue Gazin Blaye 2009 (Introductory price €11.19) Fresh and fruity with toasty notes underpinning ripe, concentrated fruit, this is exuberant and showy with complex and indulgent aromatics. Beautifully structured on the palate with full fruit and a long, savoury finish.

Château Cambon la Pelouse Haut-Médoc 2007 (Introductory price €18.99) From another challenging vintage, this gem of a find has just hit perfect drinking. Rich, full and expressive with mature, melt-in-the-mouth tannins and lashings of savoury, earthy flavours. Just let it decant for a while first.

See all our wines from Bordeaux here, with 20% off until 30th April.

Fans of our top-selling wine for the last two years, The Ned Sauvignon Blanc, might be interested in the latest addition to our New Zealand range. Named in the World’s Top 50 Most Desired Wine Brands by Drinks International last year, Wither Hills was founded by none other than The Ned’s Brent Marris.

Wither Hills’ Ben Glover (above centre) explains: “My father grew grapes for many wine companies and so I have been involved in wine all my life. I met Brent Marris during his Oyster Bay days and when he left to set up Wither Hills, he asked me to jump on for the ride, and oh what a ride! Brent left the business in 2007 and I became Chief Winemaker, carrying on what we had set up in place. In reality, nothing changed! The Wither Hills team had to step up to the challenge of continuing to build our reputation. Our winemakers bring together a combination of experience, passion and drive for excellence. The current team have a lot of fun bringing all of this to fruition… in a glass!”

Best buy: Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Introductory price €10.99) Fleshy tropical melon, guava, ripe gooseberry aromas leap from the glass followed by more elegant refined herbaceous ripe green smells of fresh fennel, tomato leaf, coriander and nettles, all bundled together with citrus lime.

See the new range from Wither Hills here.

Bodegas Valtravieso enjoys a privileged location at 900 metres above sea level in the heart of Ribera del Duero, surrounded by its vineyards in the fashion of a French chateau.

The first vines were planted on the ‘La Revilla’ estate in 1985 but it was a full decade later before the first vintage of Valtravieso was produced, the 1994 Crianza, released to market in 1996.

The new venture continued with very small production until 2002 when the winery was acquired by the Gonzalez Beteré family who recognised the quality and potential of the estate. With a vision and philosophy of combining traditional production methods with modern technology, a new state-of-the-art winery was completed in 2007.

The Valtravieso estate now comprises 73 hectares of vineyards in four distinct sub-terrains, and produces four levels of wines under Ribera del Duero DO regulations, from Joven (young) to Reserva (aged for a minimum of 3 years, with at least 12 months in oak).

Best buy: Valtravieso Oak Aged 2010 (€13.99) From an acclaimed 2010 vintage, 6 months in oak has produced a powerful and fruit driven wine with a persistent, dark fruit & chocolate richness to the finish.

See the new range from Bodegas Valtravieso here.

In our view, and that of many much more expert in the area, Rioja Alavesa is the pick of the three Rioja communes. Protected from the north by the Sierra de Cantabria and the fertile Ebro Valley to the south, its limestone-based soil is particularly poor. That’s a good thing for vines. It means they must work harder and dig deeper for nutrients, and with judicious planting – low vine density and wide-spacing between rows – higher quality and better varietal expression.

In the heart of Rioja Alavesa, in the village of Elvillar de Álava, Fernando Meruelo and Félix Revuelta have created Lar de Paula, bringing the best of traditional practices in line with modern equipment, facilities and winemaking techniques.

The winery itself has been built with a single purpose in mind: transforming the finest grapes into great wine through a process in which excellence is the primary concern. Temperature controls, stainless steel tanks, exhaustive monitoring at every stage – everything is geared towards the optimum evolution of their wines.

Parker’s just rated them too, check out those scores!

Best buy: Lar de Paula Crianza 2008 (€13.99) 100% Tempranillo aged in American and French oak for 12 months, this is an intense mix of black fruit, aromatic spices and toasty new wood.

See the new range from Lar de Paula here.

Family-owned for six generations, Domaine Christophe Camu occupies 8 hectares around the village of Chablis, covering four appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru.

80% of production is still sold at cellar door to private customers. Using only natural, wild yeasts and slow, cooled fermentation, the wines show wonderful purity of fruit underpinned with refreshing crispness and minerality.

Best buy: Christophe Camu Chablis 2011 (€15.99) Aromas of flint and citrus, and rich layers of flavour with sweet melon, Granny Smith apple, butterscotch and a long, flinty finish.

See the new range from Domaine Christophe Camu here.

Owned by Kilkenny man Gay McGuinness, with winemaking duties undertaken by Dubliner Ciaran Rooney, Provence winery Domaine des Anges is probably as close as you’ll get to world class ‘Irish’ wines.

The estate is situated on a hillside facing Mont Ventoux, ‘The Giant of Provence’, which rises to almost 2,000m in altitude. The mountain has a profound influence on the climate of the vineyards with cool evening breezes refreshing the vines in summer after the day’s intense heat, and so enabling the vines to maintain high natural acids and elegant tannins. For fans of the Rhône, these wines are a must-try.

Best buy: Domaine des Anges Ventoux White 2011 (€13.49) A delicious blend of Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc, full, rich and creamy with notes of pears and pineapples leading to a long, lively finish.

See the new range from Domaine des Anges here.

‘La Clape’ is the bit to look out for on the label. It’s a World Heritage site, meaning ‘pile of stones’ in Occitan and was an island up until the Gallo-Roman period, and before the Aude’s river sediment deposits became part of the mainland. The geological history is important – its soil is a sandy limestone originating from very porous, calcareous rock slides, which allows the soil to retain rainwater. Additionally, the sea’s proximity and influence regulate the impact of harsh weather, both intense heat from the sun and the dry, powerful northern Tramontane winds. It’s what the word ‘terroir’ was invented for.

The Château de la Négly is located 20 km from Narbonne in the heart of the La Clape mountains. In 1992, Jean Paux-Rosset took over the 18th century château and immediately set about some significant changes in the way wine was produced on the estate. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre vines replaced Aramon, Terret and Carignan Blanc. Machine harvesters were traded for hand shears and wood crates, sustainable agriculture became a focus and nothing was left to chance: leaf-thinning, debudding, hand-harvesting, twice table hand-sorting berries, low and controlled yields.

With keenly-priced Coteaux de Languedoc through to super cuvées produced in miniscule quantities, we think we’ve discovered another absolute gem.

Best buy: Domaine Ferri Arnaud La Clape 2010 (€11.99) Mike’s Wine of the Year for 2012. Dark, savoury, silky minerals, complex and beautifully balanced, it’s simply sensational for the price.

See the new range from Château de la Négly here.