YALI WINEMAKER'S SELECTION WETLAND SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009

Vina Ventisquero's Yali Winemaker's Selection Wetland Sauvignon 2009 is currently on special offer at Majestic (buy 2 or more for £4.49) until 1st February and then at Tesco (down from £6.49 to £4.49 from 2nd-23rd February). It is not as aromatic or gooseberry-laden as its more expensive New Zealand counterparts; it is, nevertheless, fresh and fruity with decent acidity and added depth from lees ageing. It is a bargain at this reduced price. The Yali range is named after the El Yali Wetland Zone, an important wetland ecosystem in central Chile, close to the Vina Ventisquero winery. The wines come in one of the new, lightweight bottles. Carbon emissions from its transportation, although reduced owing to this bottle, are being offset by a programme with ClimateCare. The winery has also joined forces with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. A donation is made to the Trust for every case of Yali wine sold in the UK.

VINTAGE ROOTS SPECIAL OFFER

To celebrate their move exactly a year ago - to a farm in Heckfield, near Hook - Vintage Roots, one of the best organic wine specialists, are offering FREE DELIVERY to customers until NEXT TUESDAY 26TH JANUARY on all orders of a dozen or more bottles. They have also frozen all their prices at pre-VAT increase levels.

 If you need more information, call Vintage Roots free on 0800 980 4992, or email info@vintageroots.co.uk. Otherwise, just order from the website: www.vintageroots.co.uk and enter the code VRFD26 on the checkout page.

GLENGOYNE AND MONACHYLE MHOR BREAKS

Two well-known, family-owned Scottish names, Glengoyne Distillery and the Monachyle Mhor hotel, have got together to offer two culinary breaks, perfect for food and whisky lovers. The packages on offer are a one-night Whisky Food and Mhor break from £280 per couple or a two-night Master Class with fine food and rare whisky - including The Glengoyne 40 year old, at over £200 per dram - from £684 per couple. The Master Class breaks include two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at Monachyle Mhor , a welcome dram of Glengoyne 21 Years Old, served with a traditional Scottish delicacy, a seasonal cooking demonstration and lunch at the Mhor Fish cafe in Callander, a Master Blender Session at Glengoyne, considered one of Scotland’s most beautiful distilleries, a tour of the Trossachs with a ‘mobile tutored whisky nosing session’ and an evening meal at Monachyle Mhor pairing the best local ingredients with Glengoyne whiskies and Glen Guin wines.

The two-night Master Classes take place four times per year on 6 March, 16 June, 8 September and 10 November. 
The one-night Whisky, Food and Mhor break is available all year.

Both Glengoyne and Mhor are set in the spectacular scenery of the Trossachs, within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

For further information or to book please visit: www.glengoyne.com or www.mhor.net.

YAPP BROTHERS CASE OFFERS & SALE

Yapp Brothers have just announced a new range of mixed case offers for the New Year. Their 'Rhône Rush' sale also continues throughout January (or until stocks last) in which they are offering a 22.5% discount on unsplit cases (of 12 bottles) on selected Rhône and Rhône-related wines. These include Jasmin Cote Rotie and Clape Cornas. Despite the VAT increase, their 2009 prices will remain unchanged until their 2010 list comes out at the end of February.

LE PETIT COMPTOIR, NARBONNE

Some friends suggested we meet for Sunday lunch last week at this restaurant in Narbonne, run by Camille and Patrick Pastoret. We were on our way back to Roussillon from a stay at fellow MW, Rosemary George's house near Beziers (have a look at her excellent Blogspot blog - Taste Languedoc). The exterior of Le Petit Comptoir is unassuming, even off-putting. Inside was an empty bar area with a promising, well-stocked effort at a wine bar to one side. We were led down a corridor to the back of the building, with windows giving onto the road behind, where we found a small, crowded restaurant with Art Nouveau style lights, mirrors and panelling. The set menu offered two options for 26 euros: the chef's choice of small starter, with your choice of main course and dessert or your choice of starter and main plus the chef"s choice of small dessert. We all plumped for the latter. A generous amuse-bouche of creamed lentils with mushrooms and a hint of truffle was delicious and well-seasoned. I then opted for Coquilles Saint-Jacques with a cress sauce. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the sauce was just tart enough. Several of us then chose magret d'oie (goose breast) which was cooked pink, as requested, succulent and tasty. Under it were delicious Catalan-style braised leeks. We drank Pinot Noir Camas 2008 from Anne de Joyeuse, which cut through the richness of the goose well. The pudding was announced as 'glace" (ice cream) but turned out to be a slice of creamy, not-too-sweet, caramel bavarois. Petits fours then appeared with our excellent coffee and tisanes. The service was attentive but discreet. There are other cheaper options on the menu, but we all still felt we had had good value for money and will definitely be going back. Le Petit Comptoir, 4 Bd Marechal Joffre, 11100 Narbonne (tel: +33 4 68 42 30 35/68 41 52 71, web: www.petitcomptoir.com).

TORRES' LOW ALCOHOL 'NATUREO'

Just in time for the New Year resolutions, Torres has launched a de-alcoholised wine, which they claim to be "low on alchohol but not on flavour". I tasted it with more than a dose scepticism, remembering that all the competition, if one can call it that, had been consigned rather rapidly to the kitchen sink. Natureo has 0.5% alcohol, so legally it cannot be called wine and it certainly does not taste like wine either, but it is not altogether unpleasant. The nose is grapey, with notes of pineapple, of the tinned variety. The palate is akin to a cheap Moscato d'Asti, but the sweetness is not overwhelming. It has some decent acidity too and a surprisingly long, if slightly artificial finish. At 15-20 calories a glass, as opposed to around 90 for a glass of wine, it could certainly help anyone on a diet who hates to give up their daily tipple. And it certainly is the best of its kind on the market.

So how does Torres make it? Firstly, Moscatel grapes are turned into wine in the normal way, with a cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks to retain aroma and freshness. Then most of the alcohol is separated out and extracted, using a technique known as "rotating cone column". This technique retains the aromas and anti-oxidants of the original wine.

Natureo 2008 is currently available from Soho Wine Suppliers (tel: 020 7636 8490, web: www.sohowine.co.uk) at £5.99 a bottle.

VILLA PONCIAGO FOR FELLS

Fells have been appointed sole UK agents for Villa Ponciago. The 48 ha Cru Beaujolais domaine - formerly Chateau de Poncie - is now owned by the Henriot family, who aim to produce "the very finest Fleurie". The first wine will be released in April. Let's hope that the Henriots manage to do something to improve the lacklustre image of the Beaujolais Crus. They are already giving support to a long-term project that aims to map out the terroir of the 10 Beaujolais Crus with a view to creating a superior Premier Cru within the next decade.

LAY & WHEELER JANUARY SALE

I have just received details of the Lay & Wheeler January sale. As well as a good selection of wines from Bordeaux & Burgundy, there are some interesting offerings from Alsace eg half bottles of older Pinot Gris from the renowned Albert Mann. The Chardonnays from Clayvin Vineyards are worth considering too.
For more information, visit: www.laywheeler.com.