Oaky whites have fallen out of fashion but these rich, savoury wines wines will change that

Stellenrust Manor Barrel-Fermented Chenin Blanc, South Africa 2020 (£15, Tesco ) Oaky white wine, once so popular when rich, toasty, buttery Aussie chardonnay was in its lurid pomp in the 1990s, is not the most fashionable of vinous genres. Indeed, when you speak to some winemakers, you get the impression they feel it’s almost a failure if their wines taste too obviously of barrels, and many will talk up their use of alternative, more discreet vessels: concrete, clay, stainless steel, or what’s known as ‘neutral oak’, which refers to barrels that have been used for so many vintages they no longer impart the flavours or tannins they did when they were new. I can understand why: ham-fistedly oak-aged whites are among the least attractive of mouthfuls, with any fruit smothered by a sensation of liquid sawdust. But we should be careful of a baby-bathwater scenario – with skill and quality raw materials, as in Stellenrust’s chenin, oaked whites can be luxuriously rich and creamy, nutty flavours dovetailing with the bright, ripe peach and apple fruit.

Morrisons The Best Marqués de los Rios Rioja Blanco Reserva Spain 2016 (£ 9 , Morrisons ) So long as they have that necessary balancing brightness of acidity, the more substantial, savoury character of many oaked whites makes them excellent like-for-like matches with weightier umami-rich foods, such as a classic garlicky roast chicken. There’s something deeply comforting about the mouthfilling feel of an oaked white, an association with indulgently fatty foods that is very welcome at this time of year. Some of my favourite oaky whites are made in Rioja, with Morrisons’ own-label, made for the supermarket by the reliable firm Vintae (which makes the good-value Lopéz de Haro brand), offering just the right combination of nutty savouriness, vanilla cream and tangy quince to wash down my current favourite late-autumn dish of baked rice laden with wild mushrooms and butternut squash.

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From racy, mineral numbers to rich, oaked bottles, it’s one of the world’s most popular winemaking grapes for a reason

Louis Latour Ardèche Chardonnay, Ardèche, France 2020 (from £1 4.50, Ocado , noblegreenwine.co.uk ; henningswine.co.uk ) I can understand why people have a problem with chardonnay. Originally from Burgundy in eastern France, during the latter part of the 20th and the early part of the 21st centuries it spread through the world’s vineyards, a Starbucks or Coca-Cola-like colonising force whose near-ubiquity came at the expense of dozens of local varieties. It didn’t help that in many cases it was made according to a pair of off-the-peg recipes that were inspired by, but seldom lived-up to, the Burgundian originals: a lean unoaked style based on chablis; and a richer, oaky style initially inspired by Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, and then by the super-charged, butterscotched wines of the big commercial Australian and California brands. But I could never join the ABC Anything But Chardonnay club. Like the Beatles in pop music, chardonnay’s ubiquity can be annoying, but it’s only happened because the wines made from it hit the spot so often, not least this consistently good-value, unoaked, fresh but stone-fruit fleshy bottling from Burgundy producer Louis Latour’s Ardèche outpost.

Domaine de la Morinière La Nouvelle Lune Chardonnay, Loire Valley, France 2021 ( £14.99, Adnams ) The Ardèche is just one region where chardonnay has set up a happy French home from home. Among the other places it seems to thrive is the Loire Valley, both in the zesty blend with sauvignon blanc perfected by producers in the Cheverny appellation, and, increasingly, on its own, in places such as the vineyards around the Loire estuary where muscadet is made. Two standout examples from muscadet country – one blend, one pure chardonnay – were on show at a recent tasting put on in London by the group of six top independent wine merchants known collectively as The Bunch. Domaine de la Morinière’s chardonnay is a brilliant (in all senses) combination of subtly spiced ripe apples and ocean-spray-saline freshness; Famille Lieubeau La Fruitière Vignes Blanches, Loire Valley 2022 (£13.30, or £11.80 as part of a case of 12 bottles, hhandc.co.uk ) is a 40/60 sauvignon/chardonnay blend that sings with freshly squeezed, seafood-matching citrus juice and zest.

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Pamper yourself with one of the new generation of super luxurious pink wines

Château d’Esclans Garrus, Côtes de Provence 2021 (£120.50, clos19.com ) The irresistible rise of cult rosé estate Château d’Eslcans is one of the more remarkable stories in wine in recent years. When the man behind it, Sacha Lichine, the French-American son of the Russian émigré wine writer and Bordeaux estate proprietor Alexis Lichine, set up shop in Provence in 2006, his plan to make “fine” rosé looked to many like an act of folie de grandeur. Pink wine, after all, was seen as something pleasantly refreshing but essentially simple for sipping on hot summer days, a style that no serious oenophile could possibly compare to the best examples of red or white. Lichine’s top wine Garrus was the startling challenge to this conventional wisdom. Made from a mix of old-vine red grenache and the white vermentino using techniques more akin to the top white wines of Burgundy (it’s fermented and aged in oak rather than the stainless steel of most pink wine), its resistible price tag makes you want to hate it. But the latest, luxuriously silky, spicy-toasty vintage has a kind of graceful power that is intensely alluring.

The Beach by Whispering Angel, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, France 2022 (from £16.50, Morrisons , Tesco , Waitrose , Majestic ) The audacious Garrus was the canny Lichine’s way of persuading wine critics to ditch their preconceptions about rosé and get them to talk about his nascent project. But the name which catapulted the estate to a level of fame that is exceptionally unusual for a wine brand was Whispering Angel. When I visited d’Esclans in September, its glitzy boutique was busy with impeccably dressed wealthy young things taking a break from their holidays on the nearby Côte d’Azur to make a pilgrimage to the home of Adele, Victoria Beckham and Malia Obama’s favourite wine. What is it about Whispering Angel that has made it such a rapid success, growing from about 130,000 bottles in its first vintage in 2006 to more than 1m 12-bottle cases today? A mix of astute marketing and good luck is part of the story; but tasting the latest 2022 vintage of both the main Whispering Angel (£20, widely available) and the, in my opinion, much better-value spin-off The Beach, I was struck by how effectively they deliver the soft-focus strawberry-and-cream, melon and gentle citrus freshness that is the hallmark of good Provence rosé.

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Fund aims to help struggling winemakers as they adjust to consumers’ changing habits

The French government has announced it is to set aside €200m to fund the destruction of surplus wine production in an attempt to support struggling producers and shore up prices.

Several major wine-producing regions in France, particularly the Bordeaux area, are struggling because of a cocktail of problems including changes in consumption habits, the cost of living crisis and the after-effects of Covid-19.

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With duties now related to alcoholic strength, good wines for less than a tenner may be scarce in future. Here are a few tips for rooting out cheaper tipples

A steady stream of emails has been arriving in my inbox announcing increases in prices due to the recent rise in UK duty , which, if you haven’t already clocked, has gone up 10.1% on an average 11.5-14.5% ABV bottle of wine (duty is now related to alcohol strength, but more of that later), which amounts to 44p a bottle, or 53p once you add 20% VAT.

If you buy a bottle that’s over 14.5%, the duty increase is even higher, which hits fortified wines such as port and sherry particularly hard. Sherry has been underpriced for years, of course, but I’m sure fellow fans would rather see the price increase go to producers than to the Treasury.

For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com

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Crisp, fragrant, Asian-spiced pork belly with a scotch bonnet apricot relish

It was in the Dordogne where my love for apricots began. I doubt I had ever tried one before (back then, we barely even knew what rocket was), but as I helped my exchange family’s grandmother make kilos of jam from the ripe, golden fruits, their sticky, sweet flesh and almond-scented kernels bewitched me. Apricots can be underwhelming in the UK, all dry and flavourless, so seek out a discerning greengrocer to get hold of the real deal. As much as I love apricots in puddings, they also lend a deeply fruity tang to savoury chutneys and relishes.

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