Natum Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Agriverde S.R.L Villa Caldari, Ortona, 2009: http://frenchwineguide.blogspot.com

Very deep beetroot colour, thick and viscous on the glass. Lighter than it looks and quite fruity. Soft and juicy, quite warming with notes of candy cigarettes, Ribena and pepper. Nice, juicy and went well with arabiata. 85/100

In defence of Old World wines http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd #frenchwine

In London I've never had much problem, but during a recent holiday in the North Wales outback, I found it almost impossible to buy French wine. Little shops and local supermarkets' wine shelves were stocked with plenty from the USA, Australia, South Africa and Chile, but nothing from the Old World at all, save the occasional bottle of Piat d'Or (which doesn't really count). Not that there's anything wrong with New World wines, except some more food miles, perhaps. It's just they're all so... well... New World. You know - a bit chewy, great with a Beef  & Guinness pie, but not all that subtle or delicate. Yet New World wines are so easy, aren't they? They have the grape name written on the bottle! If you know you like Shiraz, you can pick up a bottle of Shiraz.

But European wines are, in my opinion at least, so much nicer - more refined, more delicate, a wider range of flavours on the palate. They're just misunderstood. If you know you like Shiraz, you'd be a little lost on the French wine shelf in your off-licence, unless you knew that the French name for it was Syrah (in which case you'd find some Vins de Pays, usually lower-end wines), or, for high-quality wines, you'd need to know that Shiraz (or Syrah) is the grape used in Hermitage wines. On most grades of French wine (except in Alsace, where the rules are different), the law prohibits stating the grape name, so to find the grape you want, you need to know a lot about the French wine regions in order to be successful in your quest.

Except that Old World wines aren't like that. The grape is secondary to the region. You shouldn't be hunting for a grape, but you should be looking for the style and nuances of wines from a particular region. We've all heard of Bordeaux and most of us know what to expect in the glass. However, Bordeaux wines are a blend and different winemakers use slightly different blends, within the rules. So you're getting at least 2, up to 4 different grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot) in the blend depending on the producer and the vintage. This doesn't stop it tasting like Bordeaux, although it gives far greater variety to discover. Even in Alsace, where most wines are varietals and grape names are written on the bottle, tastes like... well... Alsace! Open a Riesling or a Muscat or a Pinot Gris (Griggio) and although you'll get the differences in grape flavours, they all have the unmistakable taste of minerals and flint which taste of Alsace. An Alsace Pinot Gris is completely different to an Italian Pinot Griggio, despite coming from the same grape.

So, next time you're buying some wine, put aside your grape varieties and try a region instead, from France, Germany, Spain, Italy - whichever takes your fancy. You'll find it a whole lot more interesting!