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- South AfricaPinotageA classic Cape Pinotage with velvety black fruit from a historic estate in prestigious Stellenbosch£14.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£18.99 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceMerlot-based blendOutstanding vintage, Gold-medal claret from the Laithwaite family's Castillon estate. Silky and rich£24.30 per bottle when you mix 6+£27.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- SpainGracianoSeven Golds and 95 Suckling points for this rare, pure Graciano Rioja from a leading boutique estate£25.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£32.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceGrenache-based blendRich, warming Rhône red from a century-old family estate. Velvety, ripe, with luscious black fruit£19.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£23.00 per bottleQty bottles:
- United StatesPinot NoirSlinky, seductive, fruit-filled Pinot Noir from a great cellar in Oregon's 5-star Willamette Valley£27.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£30.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceChenin BlancExceptional crisp, citrusy white from a top Chenin specialist and its finest Loire appellation£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£21.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceCabernet-based blendFrom a vintage vaunted as better even than 2018, this is a powerful, 93-94 point Saint-Estèphe£28.00 per bottleQty bottles:£336.001 case (12 bottles) - £28.00 per bottleQty cases:
- FranceMerlot-based blendFrom the same stable as Margaux's Rauzan Gassies, fine 12-year-old Haut-Médoc from a sleeper vintage£18.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£22.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FrancePinot Noir-based blend91-point Champagne from an historical jewel in the heart of Côte des Bar. Rich and elegant£24.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£34.99 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- SpainTempranilloTop-drawer, old-vine Gran Reserva from a family estate – beautifully mature, mellow and complex£18.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£22.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- South AfricaPinot NoirElegant, 93-point Pinot Noir from South Africa’s premium, cool-climate Elgin, a haven for this grape£27.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£29.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- United StatesChardonnayLuscious Chardonnay from the renowned Russian River Valley, made by a hush-hush premium producer£19.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£23.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- SpainTempranilloSeven Golds and 97 points for the latest Altos Pigeage from Jean-Marc’s superb, high-altitude Rioja£23.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£26.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- South AfricaChardonnayExceptional, cool-climate, oak-spiced Chardonnay from two-time winner of the Best SA Chardonnay£26.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£28.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceGrenache-based blendJean-Charles Duran’s tiny-production, dense, velvety red from his 100-year-old Maury Sec vines£18.90 per bottle when you mix 6+£21.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- SpainTempranilloRare, mellow and deliciously complex Crianza Rioja from the hand of Altos winemaker, Jean-Marc£16.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£18.99 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceMerlotDark fruit and cedar spice - a rich Merlot-dominant red from Right Bank’s rising-star Canon Fronsac£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:OR£215.88 £239.881 case (12 bottles) - £17.99 per bottleSave £24.00Qty cases:
- FrancePinot NoirAn irresistible Pinot Noir with fragrant fruit and subtle oak from a meticulous Burgundian producer£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- United KingdomPinot Noir-based blendGenerous floral fruit and freshness in this exceptional pink fizz from one of England's top estates£21.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£25.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceMerlotSuperb Right Bank claret from two Saint-Emilion luminaries, Hubert de Boüard and Dominique Hébrard£14.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£16.99 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceCabernet-based blendFine 92pt Margaux with rich, creamy berry fruit and silky tannins that will continue to cellar well£31.00 per bottleQty bottles:
- United KingdomPinot Noir-based blendA classy sparkler that outscores many Champagnes from an English producer with 26 Trophies to date!£31.50 per bottle when you mix 6+£35.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
- FranceSyrah-based blendVery rare opportunity to enjoy top Minervois with 16 year's age, and from a great family estate£19.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£22.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR
While there’s no official definition, fine wines are broadly speaking those that come from the best vineyards and are made with the highest degree of care and attention. As a result, these wines will have greater balance and more complex, nuanced flavours – and will often have the potential to age gracefully. They are usually made in limited quantities, and often have rarity value, too.
Classic fine wine regions
Mention fine wine and most people probably think of well-established classics like and Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, Rioja and Priorat in Spain, or Piedmont in Italy. These have (for the most part) well-established classification systems – which makes it easier to tell when they fall into the fine wine category. In Bordeaux for example, a wine classified simply as Bordeaux AOC would be unlikely to be classed as fine wine. A Médoc AOC on the other hand (from a more limited region on Bordeaux’s Left Bank) is certainly approaching fine wine territory. Step up to Pauillac or Margaux (the top regions in the Médoc) and few would argue that we’re talking fine wine. And then you have the top wines of those regions – culminating in First Growths, or Premier Cru. These are among the finest wines in the world. You’ll find similar classification systems in many of the well-established classic wine regions throughout Europe – and in general, the finer wines, like Chianti Classico, come from the heart of the more generic wine regions. Other regions, like Rioja, classify their wines according to how long they are aged. Cult and iconic fine wine regions However, many fine wines come from regions that don’t have a clearly defined quality structure – especially those from the southern Hemisphere. Examples include the Barossa Valley in Australia, Stellenbosch in South Africa, and Napa Valley in the United States. Wines from these regions have to establish their own fine wine credentials. They are often known as iconic, or cult wines. Examples include Penfolds Grange, from Barossa, Australia, Cloudy Bay from Marlborough, New Zealand, and Stags’ Leap from Napa, USA. Discover a world of fine wine This is just a tiny snapshot of the amazing world of fine wine that is out there for you to discover. For red wine lovers there are hidden treasures like Priorat in northern Spain, or the graceful Pinot Noirs of New Zealand’s Central Otago region. White wine fans can look beyond Burgundy to Russian River Chardonnays (from the US) or the ultra-fine Rieslings of the Rheinhessen. And for dessert wines, look beyond Sauternes to the exquisite sweet wines of Tokaji in Hungary. There’s so much to explore.
The great news is that fine wines don’t have to cost the earth. Sure, a First Growth Bordeaux is beyond the budget of most – excepting rock stars and hedge-fund managers. But a well-cellared Cru Bourgeois from one of the Médoc’s sub regions – Saint-Estèphe say – will give you a very similar experience – and change from £50. And the same is true for most iconic fine wines. The RedHeads cellar, for example, produces Trophy-winning wines from South Australia’s top vineyard sites for a fraction of the cost of the big names like Penfolds and Henschke. Take a look at our fine wine selection above and you’ll be sure to find something that will seriously impress – without breaking the bank.
Wine certainly can be a good investment financially – but you need to be careful how you go about it. We’d certainly advise speaking to a specialist.
We prefer to see fine wine as an investment in taste. Lay down the right bottles for a few years and you’ll have a collection that will more than repay your patience – and a drinking experience like no other.
Ever wondered what is the most expensive wine ever sold? And was it worth it?
There’s no question that if you spend a little more on a bottle of wine, you’ll enjoy better quality. It makes sense when you think about it. You see, the cost of packaging, transport and duty stay the same whatever the price. So, when you spend a few more pounds on a bottle, more of your money goes into the wine – rather than on things you can’t taste.
But is there an upper limit to how much the quality improves? We can’t say for sure.
Here are some of the most expensive bottles ever sold:
Hallowed Burgundy
As far as we’re aware, the most expensive single bottle ever sold was a bottle of Domaine Romanée Conti 1945 – a top-flight Burgundy from a standout vintage that went for £486,642. Only 600 bottles were made – making this an extremely rare as well as sought-after wine.
Legendary Bordeaux
The 1947 Château Cheval Blanc is often cited as the most expensive wine ever sold. Confusingly, given the name (meaning Château of the White Horse) this a red Bordeaux, from Saint Emilion. In 2010, a single bottle was sold for £192,000.
Shipwrecked!
During WW1, a German submarine sank a ship containing 2,000 bottles of Heidsieck 1907 Vintage Champagne. The bottles were recovered in 1998 – and one of these later sold for an eye-watering £225,000. Still, it would have made a great talking point at the dinner table!
Were they worth it?
While it’s true that the more you spend on a bottle the more goes on the liquid, there are limits. We’ve no doubt these wines were sublime. But their price is partly due to collectors’ value as well as quality. Or in the case of the Heidsieck Champagne – an extraordinary story.
Our view? We certainly advocate spending a little more to get the best value. But in the words of one of our favourite Aussie winemakers, Andrew McPherson, “the best wine is the wine you like!”