Like parents with their children we don’t have favourites here at Gales we are constantly looking for new wines. So our favourites are our newest finds, something that has excited us at a wine tasting recently or something we haven’t tried in a while and has re-surprised us.

Our current favourites are:

Domaines Schumberger Grand Cru Saering Riesling £37.50
We have just got back from our trip to Alsace where Severine Schlumberger took us up the grand cru slopes by landcover to discover this sensational fresh mineral complex white wine we are in love with.

Peter Cruythoff Middelpas Pinotage £33.95
Wine tasting is a tough job that we have to do from time to time. It can all get a bit much but when you taste a good one you just know it. This is an elecgant smooth winner of a wine that stood out.

Similarly to red with a little more knowledge of your likes and dislikes I can make for a better recommendation but to stay safe our house selections cover most bases. You can ask for a little taste if your not sure.

Ca di Ponti Grillo £15.95
Fresh Dry and clean like a more interesting pinot grigio.

WATER Stop Chardonnay £18.95
Rich and goes great with food

Juan Gill Moscatel £19.95
For the more adventures there is this green apple wine tasting little wonder that tastes different every time you try it.

Everyone who likes these zingy, grassy Kiwi whites should love the following.

Prios Maximus Reuada Verdejo £24.95
This is the best swap, great value and tickles all the spots the finest Marlboroughs do.

Chateau Anniche White Bordeaux £24.95
White Bordeaux’s are largely forgotten as a go-to wine these days but there is no need to be shy, this wine is a safe and approachable easy drinking.

Sancerre £34.95
Sauvignon Blanc at its best, this wine is the biggest treat. More mineral and subtle than its new world counterparts but way more complex.

Don’t be fearful - riesling is a bit like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates “you never know what you’re going to get” but here we specialise in rich green-apple sour numbers that refresh at the same time as being complex. Pick the one that sounds the most like you.

Kloster trocken riesling £31.95
This 500 year old single site vineyard shows exactly what riesling can do in one mouthful. Just the smallest hint of richness quickly disappearing to Granny Smith-esque tartness that excites the mouth.

MESH £35.95
Top of the New World rieslings. Eden valley, high above the Barrossa, has the perfect climate to make the New World style of riesling. Always crazy acidic but with complexity added by the petrol rich undertones.

Fritz Willy riesling £22.95
If all this talk of dry rieslings is making you long for the off-dry wines you remember, this wine fits the bill. A great match for richer pate or spicy foods or just for a palate that wants something sweeter and simpler.

Fresh and clean there is a lot to like about a cold bottle of pinot grigio but we can do better. The following are great example of how you can upgrade your wine.

Muscadet £19.95
Great price, super fresh - a great straight swap for all Pinot Grigio fans

Picpolue de pinnet £19.95
Super trendy for good reason, consistently approachable and refreshing

Glad you’re here! You, like us, want to try something different - these will fit the bill. They are either a grape you many have never have tried before or a grape you have but with a twist.

riverly Estate Grüner Veltliner £29.95
Great grape! This is its time for the spotlight. Super zingy with a touch of sweetness that you would miss if you weren’t looking for it followed by searing acidity

cal pla White Priorat £25.95
Priorat is a red wine region in Catalonia. It doesn’t really make white, so this is rare. A big wine that has a mineral but big mouth feel. Excellent with food

Jasmine Aromatic wine £23.95
No grapes listed on the label but the label says every thing you need to know. This South African wonder is scented floral and is a great match for one of our grazing boards

What are you eating? It’s a tricky question but here are some wines that match in interesting ways, wines that change and lift the food or wines that let the food enhance them.

cave de turkheim Gewurztraminer £22.95
With spicy food, try this wine. Its richness makes it stand up to the food where most wouldn’t. You will find the wine changes to taste more delicate than it did before the dish.

Solas Viogner £21.95
With rich white meat dishes, try this wine. Viogner, although still refreshing, has a mouth feel that gets close to that of a light red. It is a great match for some of our more homely white meat dishes.

Pouilly fume £30.00
With fish, this wine will do the trick. Sancerre’s poorer sister, for us it always shows up over-performing. Delivering all the great, light melody of flavours that Sancerres possess at a more reasonable price.

Of course we have something for you. We have a few Shiraz from entry level to superstar. Here are a couple of choices plus a wild card option to make your selection just a little more difficult.

Four Buckets £27.95
A shiraz blend using the Touriga grape usually found in Port makes for a smooth alternative and interesting upgrade from our house shiraz.

YangarrA Shiraz £39.95
This is an excellent shiraz that, believe it or not, offers great value. It knocks the socks off other wines 3 times its price - a real biodynamic show stopper

Rijks pinotage Reserve £50.00
Veering off the shiraz band wagon we have this gem of a wine. Searching for a pinotage for my list, I ended up finding this- a wine that behaves like a top end silky shiraz. Not what I was looking for but easily one of the best wines on the list.

Oooooh, we have so many great wines for you to try. These will knock your socks off.

castell Fonterutoli £59.95
Grand selectione is a name established in 2014 to be awarded to only the greatest Chiantis made. This is an amazing example of what the sangiovese grape can do, right at the top of the pile giving Brunellio and super tuscans a run for their money.

Corimbo I £65.00
Awards seem to be given out willy nilly these days but there is only one Best in Show awarded each year by Decanter. Corimbo I is the big brother of the regular Corimbo and cousin of the Roda rioja. This is a monster wine.

To try something different, try one of these. Wines which may have come from an area you don’t expect or a grape you may be unfamiliar with but either way, these wines reward the more intrepid customer.

Cal Pla £29.95
You might well hear us harp on about Priorat. Largely unheard of in the UK it is a unique style and one that is easy to fall in love with. This small winery represents the area in true ambassador fashion by offering a wine that is indicative of the area but still affordable (they are often not affordable at all).

Hochar £29.95
Lebanese wines have been on our list from almost the beginning of Gales, with our love for Chateau Musar being almost boundless. Hochar is the easiest, most cost effective way to try the wine from the becka valley

Rioja now comes in two distinct styles, old and modern. The old style bases flavours around the ageing process both in the barrel and the bottle while the modern style works around giving a more youthful fruit characteristic. Both styles are excellent - you should have both.

Urbina selecion £29.95
All the Urbinas we sell have the old style bottle ageing that makes rioja special. All are excellent but our own money would go on the middle “seleccion” - it is close in style to the exceptional Gran Reserva for a fraction of the cost.

Roda 1 £75.00
Bold and fruit driven, all balanced out with a bitter dark chocolate finish, a truly modern expression of tempranillo.

You can’t fail, Malbec is remarkably consistent and a good choice to go with your steak. If want to upgrade or change your choice, try these.

Bressia £32.95
Pip did a bit of wine judging and after trying 21 Malbecs in a row, we can tell you that this wine is exceptional and one any Malbec fan should try out.

Juan Gil Monastrel silver £25.95
Monastrel is a bit of a passion grape at Gales. Known as Mourvèdre in France, it is used as the third grape in Chateau Neuf du Pape. Big, bold and not overly tannic but has a spice to it that would excite any Malbec lover

Corimbo £34.95
Ribero del duerro, Spain’s premium area makes incredible big, tannic, superstar wines that you don’t have a steak with - you have the steak with it.

If I want to pick a safe but great red for a mixed table of people I don’t know, I tend to pick a big wine that is not too tannic. Rhone inspired wines are the obvious choice with some great examples.

L’Apostrophe £22.95
Made by a top Chateau Neuf du Pape producer, this takes similar grapes from outside the appelation and creates a crowd pleasing smooth, drinker that is both pleasing on the palate as well as on the wallet.

Juan Gil gold £21.95
Mentioned before, these wines have all the pedigree at such great value. Big in dark fruit and rich alcohol flavours but still easy to drink - my go to no-brainer recommendation.

Arelle £28.95
Using the same technique as Amarone, where they dry Valpolicella grapes to make for intense, deep cherry notes but by only doing the process half way, the wine suddenly gets promoted into an easy recommendation for a serious wine with a less serious price tag.