I am in a constant search for a good “house” wine. A wine that has the flavour and complexity to keep me interested, but doesn’t cost half my weekly shopping bill want a wine that would go equally well with smoked salmon as frozen quiche and pasta. A wine that is not a party plonk, or a special occasion wine, but one that is just drinkable after a hard day of work. I want all of this ideally £5 a bottle or under. I know this goes against all the wine protocol. Wine Makers, Masters, Vineyards and merchants are all shaking their heads. Critics and journalist are whispering to each other that this blonde just doesn’t get wine. No I do get wine. I also get that people are going to be spending a lot more money getting a mortgage. Between that and healthy, local eating, there aren’t many ways to cut back. In a drastic measure I could recommend that people drink better wine, just less of if. I’m not suggesting that during the week everyone turn to Lambrini or Blue Nunn and on the weekend splash out on the Bordeaux, but maybe just go for 3 bottles of £8, instead of 6 bottles of £3.99.

Maybe that is the solution. Appeal to the health officials . . . the NHS could take up the mantra. “Drink Less Wine, Better Quality.” That idea might actually save the country hundreds of thousands of pounds in health expenditures and emergency room visits. (I’ll just take a small percentage of the savings for commission of the idea; send it to Sauvignon Blonde at NQO.) Until I start getting paid for my ideas, the quest is ongoing.

I did find an interesting tipple the other Saturday trolling through my local Oddbins on Little Clarendon Street. They had a free tasting-- handy to those unsure about what to buy. On offer were two wines from Marlborough, a Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc both from Dr. Renwick, which is a wine as best as I can tell, from Isabel Vineyard, just relabelled for the store. To be fair, the Pinot Noir was undrinkable. I would rank it, equal or below most pub splosh. The Sauvignon Blanc, however, was . . . . decent. In fact it was extremely amiable. It made me smile and gave my mouth a bit of a challenge on hot day. The colour is a light lemon/green, but not pale. It has tropical fruit, and citrus aromas, with a hint of grass (if you inhale deeply and use your imagination.) On the palate it’s tart and fresh with the classic gooseberry, peach and fruit flavours. It’s a classic Sauvignon Blanc. There is nothing special about it, but it’s quite drinkable and at £5.99 on special, a complete bargain. I recommend this for an every day summer drink. Get it now while its on special and you might as well get a case and get the further discount that comes with it. Enjoy the summer!