Offers from Corney & Barrow are always extremely popular with Spectator readers. They may be one of the poshest of all wine merchants — two very wealthy writers whose books you have seen piled high in Terminal 4 were tasting for their own cellars the day I popped in last month. Lunch in their airy new offices is superb (we had oysters, and wild salmon that had just been thrashing about in the River Tay).
I only tell you this to make you envious. But the thing is that C&B wines are not all that expensive. In fact, many are tremendous value. And here’s what makes this deal so remarkable: C&B’s Adam Brett-Smith has taken off 15 per cent from the list price of every one. What’s more, if you buy in quantity (two cases or more if you live inside the M25; three outside), the fabled Brett-Smith Indulgence kicks in, taking off a further £6 a case. This translates at the top end to a saving of £30 a dozen. All prices quoted are pre-Indulgence.
It’s worth laying in some of C&B’s house wines, perfect for everyday drinking. The white1 is crisp and elegant but full-flavoured too, so you can drink it with food or knock it back in the sun. The red5 is round and slightly smoky — again just right for sipping or glugging.
La Combe de Grinou 20042 from Bergerac is an old favourite of our readers. Basically made from the Sémillon grape, which goes into Sauternes, it is actually bone dry, but ever so slightly honeyed. A perfect summer wine, and great value at £5.39 — or under a fiver with the Indulgence.
When wine fans gather we often have the Cloudy Bay conversation, about how a perfectly respectable New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has managed to turn itself into one of the world’s most prestigious brands, selling in limited quantities at very high prices.
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