KATHRYN McWHIRTER ON SUMMER BARGAINS

Grapevine

A new operations director had taken over at Victoria Wine, and interviewed all the existing head-office staff. "What would you like to be doing if you were not working here in Woking?" was one of the questions he asked of Master of Wine Hugh Suter, a stalwart of the VW wine quality control labs and buying department of many years standing. "I'd like to be a winemaker," was the simple reply.

And that was how he came to do a week's work experience two years ago with an Australian flying wine maker in Puglia before heading out last vintage to California to get to grips with grapes. The results are delicious, by far the best under-pounds 5 wines I've tasted from California. There's a gentle, fruity 1995 California Sauvignon Blanc, Mohr-Fry Ranch (pounds 4.49), with lovely gooseberry and passion fruit flavour, and an equally delicious 1995 California Chardonnay, Ranch Series (pounds 4.99) with attractive oak and ripe fruit. Both are stoppered with "Supremecorqs", the best of the new plastic "corks".

For a really stunning red to partner those, you mustn't miss the way- underpriced 1993 Reds, California Red Table Wine (pounds 5.99 Wine Cellar and Berkeley Wines). This smells like classy young claret with a dash of Syrah, and has ripe, velvety fruit and a touch of tannin. "A wine for the people," it says on the cork. Its maker, Patrick Campbell, first went up into the backwood hills of the Sonoma Mountain to join a Zen Buddhist community back in the early 70s. He got the job of looking after the community's vineyard in the spaces between meditation. By the late 70s, married, he had bought his own vineyards nearby. His Lauren Glen Cabernet Sauvignon is regularly oneajestic Wine Warehouses have a lovely new clutch of easy-drinking reds ideal for glugging as you watch the barbecue smoulder. Wine writers are supposed to spit, but 1994 Domaine de la Baraniere, Cotes du Rhone (pounds 4.99) is one of those wines that accidentally slips down, it's so soft and easy, with lovely strawberry fruit. 1995 Guelbenzu Jardin, Navarra (pounds 4.99) is a lovely, simple Spanish red with raisiny and floral flavours and just a bit of tannin; 1994 Fitou Les Producteurs de Paziols (pounds 3.99) is dark, figgy and rich, with soft tannin. For something really different, try the intense and deliciously mature 1986 Notarpanaro, Taurino (pounds 4.99) from south-east Italy, with its characterful combination of sweet-sour, malty, savoury and raisiny flavours. Elsewhere for gutsy, easy-drinking barbecue reds, look out for Chilean 1995 Montes Malbec (pounds 4.99 Oddbins), a rich, smooth wine with seductive raspberry fruit; 1994 Old Triangle Shiraz-Ganache (pounds 4.29 selected Tesco), an ultra-smooth, minty spicy Australian; or the Chilean 1994 Valdivieso Barrel-Fermented Cabernet-Merlot (pounds 4.99 Waitrose), intensely flavoured, rich and soft.

A ouple of years ago, I stopped chilling summer white wines in the fridge. I even stopped burying panic bottles in the freezer for unexpected guests. I became lazily hooked on a new invention, the RapidIce, a silver plastic sleeve that slips from freezer on to bottle and chills it in a few minutes. The only snag is fizzy wines: wrestling the sleeve over the fatter bottles was not easy. Now I have a new piece of summer paraphernalia: Champagne RapidIce (pounds 8.99 Oddbins, Lakeland Plastics, Scotts of Stow mail order, Waitrose, Tesco, Safeway and John Lewis), a roomier version with a draw- string top to chill higher up the bottle.

And what to test it on? For value, it's hard to beat Moet et Chandon's deliciously savoury, yeasty Australian fizz, 1993 Green Point (around pounds 10.49 Tesco, Sainsbury's, Victoria Wine, Waitrose, Majestic, Oddbins). But for champagne, there's a bargain at Safeway this month: the excellent, rich Safeway Albert Etienne Champagne Brut (pounds 10.99 for June, normally pounds 12.99). Also on offer is the (still, not sparkling) 1995 River Duna Sauvignon Blanc (pounds 2.79 usually pounds 3.29), gooseberry-fruity and, though not as aromatic as some, excellent value at this price.