The Ladbroke Arms

125ml

Roses are the very essence of summer, with their ripe, red berry fruit aromas, full, fruit flavours and crisp, balanced acidity. They do of course vary greatly in style. The ripe, red berry fruits of the languedoc is the personification of the mediterranean - whereas the provencale wine is typically pale and floral, poised and elegant. Sitting in the middle is the delicious cinsault from southern chile which is pale and balanced and almost provencal.

From bordeaux to the foothills of the pyrenees down the mediterranean coast france offers an amazing variety of exciting indigenous grape varieties from the peach and apricot aromatic charms of viognier to the dry, but wonderfully opulent and mouth-filling semillon in the cuvee de conti. The gros manseng of jurançon captures the coolness and freshness of the mountain climate, whilst the picpoul de pinet from vineyards adjacent to the sea has an almost salty-savouriness. Close your eyes and taste the toques et clochers chardonnay from limoux – you could well be in heart of burgundy.

The loire is home to the some of the world’s great examples of sauvignon (such as sancerre and pouilly fume). Alsace offers french interpretation of germanic grapes and this riesling is dry, crisp and fragrant. Burgundy is all about chardonnay - from the pure unoaked mineral examples from chablis in the north to the more opulent wood-aged wines from the cote d’or. The aligote grape, used in northern burgundy produces wines that are green-gold, nervous and racy. Petit bourgeois is enormous fun; it is a “petit sancerre”, all flowering currants and elderberry. The macon-fuisse is from a diligent estate who produce a very pure style of chardonnay with ripe buttery fruit evolving into a beautifully crisp palate with notes of almond-butter and citrus.

Italian whites from such grapes as pinot grigio tend to be very fresh and delicately aromatic. The white sicilan blend is wonderfully crisp with some tropical fruit. The suitably named tremendus is unoaked and offers an invigorating expression of the viura grape with it’s sherbert-lemon nuances. The pecorino from the adriatic coast is supple, silky and full flavoured. Alternatively, try the joyously zesty, citrus-laden albarino galicia which is spain’s noble white grape and the perfect match with all manner of fish and seafood.. loureiro is from the other side of the border in portugal. Again there are strong citric notes, but the wine is a bit rounder in the mouth. Finally, the white flower and white pepper gruner is simply a joy.

South africa, new zealand and south america

Of the best value wines come from south america and south africa. Here the focus is on the grape varietal and expression of clean fruit. Consider the unoaked good hope chardonnay from stellenbosch - nice ripe apple-and-pear fruit, clean-as-a-whistle on the finish. Casa azul shows that quality sauvignon doesn’t just grow in france and new zealand. With pungent elderflower notes dominating on the nose giving way to riper, more tropical melon, passionfruit and nectarine flavours in the mouth, this delivers great value. The vinum takes south african chenin blanc to a new level with intense smoky fruit, a touch of integrated oak and a lively finish. New zealand’s marlborough has become the southern hemisphere’s spiritual home of the sauvignon grape. The version from framingham is a super example: crunchy and minty with hints of passionfruit and white currants.

Burgundy, cru beaujolais and loire

The wines of the beaujolais (from the much under-rated gamay grape) are marvelously juicy and fruity. The fleurie is fresh and lively with engaging, slithery fruit texture, whilst the beaujolais villages is pure, lively berry fruit. The unusually labeled dyptique is a perfect expression of the joys of cabernet franc. Burgundy is the spiritual home of pinot noir that most seductive and eloquent of grape varieties, although it also grows in the eastern loire around sancerre, in alsace and small pockets of the languedoc. The sancerre baronnes is pleasingly fragrant with notes of wild roses and raspberries. Each of the burgundies is an eloquent testament to this wonderful grape, ranging from the simple, cherry-fruited bourgogne rouge to the earthy, beetrooty saint-aubin from miolane, to the richness and elegance of the savigny-les-beaunes

These are wines of ‘terroir’ and structure and should definitely be drunk with food. Ranging from the gutsy tea scented cahors (from a blend of malbec and merlot) to the cassis and cedar notes of the bergerac, to fruity, but structured tannat based lesc from the hills of gascony. The chateau deville has good bottle age and is perfect as a “house claret”, as has the toulouze with its more mineral notes. The saint-emilion has more structure than most; the vineyards are adjacent to pomerol and the wine always has an iron core to its fruit which makes it great with lamb or steak. The segla is the second wine of the famous and rather wonderful rausan-segla. Very bright and elegant red fruits in evidence, raspberry, cherry and liquorice, with a complex and very true gravel edge.

Warm and expansive, sun-baked and herbal the rhone wines contain a large proportion of grenache and

Syrah whilst those from the languedoc feature the earthy carignan grape in their blends. The corbieres yields ripe red fruits with a fair spattering of herbaceous ‘garrigue’ notes. The chapoton is darker and

Spanish wines tend to be juicy or rich and oaky the montesc manages to be a balanced blend of both with

Soft, red fruits and a silky roundness from some oak aging. There is also the bierzo from the wilds of galicia which has some brooding, dark fruit and is fantastic with any game. The organic primitivo is wonderfully alive; this unfiltered red has raisiny-ripe fruit and some gamey notes. Perfect with pork. The nero d’avola based piazzi from sicily has ripe, dark fruit flavours, but retains freshness and levity. The 2 tuscan offerings, both based on the sangiovese grape, have similarities in that they both share the cherry and almond fruit that the grape always offers, but whereas the ‘bellamarsilia’ is bright, vibrant and youthful, the rodano is more brooding with overtones of leather and cinnamon.

South africa, new zealand and south america

New zealand with its relatively cool maritime climate seems to one of the best countries or regions outside burgundy for growing pinot noir. The version from clos henri is delicately oaked and shows true pinot noir with notes of strawberries, plums and cherries and a hint of white pepper. Chile is a melting pot for so many grapes; this pinot offers immense drinkability with an alluring pale colour, cherry fruit and hints of vanilla. The malbec from mendoza (where else), which is farmed organically and is only lightly oaked demonstrates that not all malbec’s need to be big, heavy, alcoholic bruisers and has some ripe fig notes with gamey overtones. The granite ridge is an enjoyable burst of natural ripeness with blue and blackberry fruit, refreshing acidity and a lick of spice.