My house has reached sample overload over the past month. I'm used to living surrounded by cardboard boxes - I have measured out my life in DHL and Parcel Force deliveries - but this was ridiculous. At one point, there were more than 1,000 unopened bottles of wine in my hallway, kitchen and spare bedroom. I was seriously worried that the floor would give way upstairs and that I'd be buried under an avalanche of booze and broken bottles.
Why so many samples? The answer is that I wanted to come up with 36 ace wines for my OFM summer selection. Over the course of a week, breaking off to catch the odd glimpse of Wimbledon or the World Cup, I tasted a huge number of wines. As ever, there were some horrors on offer, with an Aussie Chardonnay called Little Penguin taking the DNPIM (Do Not Put In Mouth) award. But there were also some excellent wines. The rosés were particularly good, reflecting a significant leap in quality (and interest) over the past 12 months. I picked four in the end, but I could easily have chosen a dozen. No wonder pink wines are growing in popularity.
As ever, my aim was to assemble as diverse a line-up as possible. The 36 wines came from a dozen different countries: France (11 wines), Italy and Australia (four each), Portugal, Spain and New Zealand (three each), Argentina and Germany (two each) and South Africa, Chile, Austria and the United States (one each). As a committed Francophile, I make no apology for selecting so many wines from France. For all the country's political and economic malaise, it stands torso, head and shoulders above its rivals when it comes to wine.
In choosing the winners, I applied two criteria: value for money and quality. I didn't set out to find any under-£3 wines (in fact, I thought it unlikely) but I discovered two that should satisfy readers on a tight budget. Even harder was choosing wines between £6 and £10, the price range where there is a plethora of good bottles. Overall, the wines that made it through had to be exceptional - at least I think so.
After a week's tasting and writing, I've just recycled the last empty bottle. I gave my neighbours, the staff in the local Starbucks and anyone else I could think of at least two cases of opened samples each and still litres of wine went down the sink. I hope you don't feel the need to follow suit. But if you don't enjoy a particular recommendation, there are 35 others for you to try. Happy drinking!
Under £6
Rosé: 2005 Chateau Cavalier, £5.99, Oddbins
Pale, all too loitering Provencal rosés have slipped out of fashion in the last decade, but they can still be fantastic. This delicate, easy drinking pink wine, with flavours of rosehips and boiled sweets tastes fantastic chilled.
White: 2005 Nivole, Michele Chairlo, £5.59 per half, Oddbins
I'm cheating a little on the price here, given as it's only a half bottle, but this frothy, light-bodied wine has become a favourite summer tipple. Superior alcoholic lemonade, with flavours of orange peel.
White: 2005 Blason de Bourgogne, £5.99, Asda
One of a number of excellent white Burgundies under the Blason label, this is a mealy, unoaked Chardonnay with lovely balance and poise. This is the sort of wine that could give inexpensive French booze a good name.
White: 2005 Quinta de Azevedo, Vinho Verde £5.49, Majestic, 01923 298200
A brilliant follow up to the 2004, which I recommended last year. It's the lightness of touch that makes this fresh, lime-scented, lightly carbonated white such a delight. A great aperitif.
White: 2005 Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc, £5.99, Threshers
Cape Chenin Blanc is a much better bet than Chardonnay if you've only got a few quid in your pocket. Made by the King of Chenin, this is soft, ripe and easy to drink with notes of ripe pears, Cox's apples and pineapple chunks.
White: 2004 Co-op Soave, £2.99
There can't be many better value whites than this in the country. If so, I hope you'll get in touch, as this is a very drinkable white at the price, with perky acidity, pleasant weight and a citrus fruit tang. Just the job for a party.
Red: 2005 Casa Bonita, Mendoza, £2.99, Morrison's
The ideal red for a barbie, or asado if you want to sound like a native, this qua f able, smoky, plummy blend of Bonarda and Malbec is a tribute to the weakness of the local currency as well as good wine buying.
Rosé: 2005 Tagus Creek, £4.99, Booths, 01772 799022
The sort of wine that should make Mateus Rosé go a deeper shade of pink, this is a stunning, dry, full-bodied Portuguese rosé, with ripe strawberry and red cherry fruit, good acidity and tannins that stand up to robust food.
Red: 2005 Beaujolais Villages,Domaine des Cotes de la Moliere, £5.99, Booths
Two years after the stellar 2003 vintage, Beaujolais has been blessed with another great harvest. You can't help glugging this bright, juicy red with its sweet core of wild strawberry fruit.
Red: 2005 Casillero del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon, £5.99, Threshers
This is textbook Chilean Cabernet with notes of mint and blackcurrant and firm but harmonious tannins. The price has increased in recent months but no matter, it was ludicrously cheap before.
Red: 2004 La Riada, Old Vines Garnacha, £5.99, Threshers
This great value red wine of the year winner, from one of Spain's most exciting regions, is an unoaked delight with soft, grainy tannins and perfermed, black cherry and liquorice fruit.
Red: 2005 St Hallett Gamekeeper's Reserve, £5.99, Threshers
I've always been a fan of this Barossa Valley blend, but the 2005 is better than ever, an increased Shiraz component adds smoky, blackberry fruit to the blend. The best under- £6 Aussie red on the market.
From £6 - £10
White: 2004 Bird Label Riesling, Lingenfelder, £6.09, Oddbins
Lingenfelder is a one man promotional machine for German wine, making great value wines that are easy to drink and to pronounce. This is floral and aromatic with a touch of residual sweetness.
White: 2005 Friendly Gruner Veltliner, Laurenz V, £7.90, Bibendum, 020 7722 5577
I'm not sure about the friendly tag but this is a classic example of Austria's near-native variety, with a typical white pepper fragrance and crisp, citrus fruit flavours.
White: 2003 Montagny Premier Cru,Louis Latour £7.99, Majestic
A Montagny that tastes as good as many Meursaults, this is a rich, buttery white Burgundy. It's nutty and complex with more acidity than many 2003s and a finish that dances across the palate.
White: 2005 Villa Maria, Pinot Gris, £8.49, Waitrose
If you're bored of insipid Italian Pinot Grigio, then this Kiwi white will cheer you up. It has much more in common with Alsace than it does with Trentino, showing rich flavours of apricots, peaches and ginger spice.
White: 2004 Tim Adams Semillon, Clare Valley, £8.99, Tesco
Tim Adams has a deserved reputation as one of the best value producers in Australia. The quality of his wines, both white and red, never falters and this perfumed, herbal Semillon is well up to scratch.
White: 2005 Cairnbrae Sauvignon Blanc, £9.95, H&H Bancroft, 020 7232 5450
A brilliant Kiwi white that exemplifies the best of Marlborough Sauvignon, this is perfumed and gooseberry fruity with a yeasty undertone and a reassuringly dry finish.
Rosé 2005 Valle Real Cerasuolo, Vigne Nuove, £6.95, Ten Acre Wines, 020 8450 1337
Now this is what I call a pink wine for grown ups. Well on the way to being a red, this is a vibrant, cherry and raspberry fruity rosato with a nip of tannic bite.
Rosé 2004 Carm Rosé, Douro, £8.50, Raymond Reynolds, 01663 742230
The Douro's pinks don't have the same renown as its serious reds, but this is every bit as good as a top vinho tinto. Spicy and peppery with good acidity and gusty tannins.
Red: 2003 St Chinian Roches Noires, £6.99, Tesco
The carbonic maceration technique that is widely used in Beaujolais has worked wonders in this liquorice-perfumed, blackberryish, unoaked Languedoc blend of. A classic barbecue red.
Red: 2004 Montana Reserve Pinot Noir, £9.99, Waitrose
Montana's under-£10 Pinot Noirs have made remarkable progress in the last five years. This supple, violet-perfumed, wild strawberry-like red is a great alternative to Bourgogne Rouge.
Red: 2002 Bethany Shiraz, Barossa Valley, £9.99, Majestic
In my view, this is the best inexpensive Aussie Shiraz on the market at the moment. It's ripe, but not over-ripe, with textured, oak-influenced flavours of mint, chocolate, blackberries and vanilla spice.
Sparkling: Anna de Codorniu Cava, £7.99, Noel Young Wines, 01223 844744
One of the best non-Champagne sparklers on the market. The fact that it's Chardonnay dominated is what gives the wine its nutty, brioche-scented class.
Over £10
White: 2004 L'Ecole N°41, Columbia Valley, £12.49, Noel Young Wines
The childish label hides a very grown up wine here. This is a rich, toasty, barrel-fermented Semillon from one of the best producers in Washington State, with the potential to age further in bottle.
White: 2005 Vire Clesse, Christophe Cordier, £15.99, Majestic
Christophe Cordier has been one of my most exciting discoveries, producing some exceptional white Burgundies. This is creamy, toasty and elegant with considerable style and finesse.
White: 1987 Vina Tondonia Reserva, Rioja £17.50, Great Western Wine, 01225 322800
This mature, honeyed, almost Sherry-like white is one of Spain's great treasures, produced in one of the country's most traditional wineries.
White: 2004 Leitz Riesling Rudesheimer Bichofsberg Auslese, £11.99, 50cl, Waitrose
A stunningly modern white from one of Germany's best producers, showing crunchy acidity, balanced sweetness and flavours of peach, honey and tropical fruit.
White: 2004 Condrieu, Phillipe Faury £19.99, Majestic
When Condrieu is great, it's hard to think of anything that beats it for sheer hedonism. There's not much of this around though. It's creamy, spicy, elegant and brimming with orchard-fresh flavours.
Red: 2004 Clos de los Siete, £10.99, Majestic
This exemplary, stylishly packaged Mendoza red made by French consultant Michel Rolland just gets better. This is a lush, chocolatey, Malbec-based blend with smooth tannins and ripe, sumptuous fruit flavours.
Red: 2001 Tesco Finest Barolo, Ascheri, £12.99
Ascheri are doing great things to make Barolo affordable. This is a complex, traditional Barolo with characteristically austere tannins balanced by floral, textured, almost gamey fruit flavours. A wine to make you dream of Piedmont.
Red: 2004 De Bortoli Shiraz, £13.99, Oddbins
More and more Aussies are 'doing a Cote Rotie' and blending Shiraz with a little white Viognier for additional perfume. This cool climate Yarra Valley red is spicy and elegant with an undertone of dried apricots.
Red: 2003 Beaune du Chateau Premier Cru, £15.99, Booths
It's not easy to find affordable Premier Cru red Burgundy that doesn't threaten your tooth enamel, but this one is a total delight, showing bright raspberry fruit and a touch of vanilla oak.
Red: 2002 Chateau Moulin St Georges Grand Cru, Saint Emilion £19.14, Berry Brothers & Rudd, 0870 900 4300
This is everything that a young Merlot-based Saint Emilion should be. It's fleshy and quite forward with silky tannin and supple flavours of fruit cake and milk chocolate.
Sparkling: 2001 Champagne NV Extra Brut, Dumangin Fils, £19.50, Yapp Brothers, 01747 860423
Dumangin deserves to be better known. This very dry Champagne is elegant and yeasty with a lovely mousse and a fine, tapering finish. Hard to beat under £20
Sparkling: 1996 Champagne Brut, Orpale, £29.99, Marks & Spencer
Made from Grand Cru Chardonnay vineyards, this vintage Champagne underlines M&S's reputation for own-label bubbly. It's rich, mature and toasty with a core of citrus fruit finesse.
