From £15 to £35, avoiding the obvious . . .
White:
Weissenkirchner Achleiten Riesling Smaragd, Freie Weingartner Wachau, 1997 (Searsons Monkstown, £15.95). Boy, what a mouthful, every way! Austrian whites are revered, Riesling is the darling of obsessives everywhere, and this one is divine. Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg, Cuvee Sainte Catherine No 1, Domaine Weinbach, 1996 (Terroirs Donnybrook, £18.90). Now an exceptional Alsace Riesling - still very young but already showing all the thoroughbred elements. Already enjoyable, in fact!
Red
Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos des Myglands, Faiveley, 1997 (Deveneys Dundrum, Jus de Vine Portmarnock and a few other outlets, about £18.95 ). Good red Burgundy for under £20? Tricky. But Faiveley is famous for this Mercurey, which opens up beautifully in the glass. Hard to imagine anybody turning up their nose at it - except to inhale those aromas. Alion, Ribero del Duero, Bodegas y Vinedos 1995 (Mitchells Kildare St & Glasthule, £19.95). If you can't afford the Spanish legend, Vega Sicilia (who can? Unico prices now start around £75), this is the next best thing - an amazingly concentrated, richly spicy rendering of Tempranillo from the same stable. Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz, Barossa Valley, 1992 (Deveneys Dundrum, Higgins Clonskeagh, McCabes Blackrock, Cooneys Harold's Cross, Jus de Vine Portmarnock, O'Donovans Cork, special price of around £29.50 until end of year). From the man they call the Baron of the Barossa - the giant who saved Shiraz from ruin - comes one of Australia's great classic wines. A long keeper, for those who can resist. Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir 1995 (Superquinn Blackrock, Mitchells Kildare St & Glasthule, Lord Mayor's Swords, Jus de Vine Portmarnock and some other outlets, usually £29.95). However fashionable it may, New World Pinot Noir still rarely knocks a fussy wino's socks off. But this one can. Outstanding. Maybe the Burgundian connection helps?
Next week: Stockingfillers for wine lovers