The south of France in a glass
2007 Cairanne Blanc, Réserve des Seigneurs, Domaine de l'Oratoire St. Martin, Southern Rhône, France (£9.99, Vine Trail, 0117-921 1770, Vinetrail.co.uk).
I seem to be having almost weekly wine epiphanies at the moment and long may this last.
My latest revelation was this bargain-priced white Rhône. I know that a tenner is not strictly speaking bargain territory, but there is so much class and breeding in this wine that it could conceivably cost twice or even three times as much, hence my use of this term.
The wine is made from roussanne, clairette and viognier, and brothers Frédéric and François Alary use the cooler, eastern-facing slopes on their property to grow these grapes. The Alary family has farmed the estate since 1692 so it is no surprise that they have nailed these grapes and this wine in every possible respect.
From the other-worldly nose to the effortless grace and charm on the palate, this is a wine that will change your perception of just how sensitive and complicated your very own olfactory system is.
I can still taste and smell it now. It is a stroll through a wild, summer orchard in the south of France in a glass. I drank it with a homemade prawn, chilli and pasta dish – and the earth moved.
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year.