SPECTATOR WINE CLUB T his week marks the launch of the

new super-duper, hi-octane, interactive, dazzling and delicious Spectator Wine Club. Of course it has never been a club of any kind, with secret passwords, or club ties, and nobody is quite clear why it got the name. You certainly don’t need to join anything. That may be why it has been so successful, from the days of Auberon Waugh onwards. Bron was no great wine expert, which is why his offers did well — people felt he was an enthusiastic lay drinker rather than a member of some sacred vinous priesthood. And he used language creatively — one claret which he said tasted like ‘the contents of an ashtray’ became a bestseller.

But now we are expanding. From now on nearly all our offers are going to come from one of our six new ‘partners’ — private merchants who have no interest in mass supermarket offers, or tankers full of plonk, but who scour the world looking for wines that bring real quality, variety and excitement to your table. Some people drink the same red and the same white every day; if you’re like that, read no further. But if you want new discoveries and good value as well as classic wines at nonclassic prices, I think you will be very pleased.

The plan is that our partners are going to offer lots of events related to the club: tastings, dinners, lunches, talks, wine appreciation classes — that kind of thing. The merchants are dotted around the areas where most Spectator readers live: the south-east, the west, the Midlands and East Anglia, though of course anyone will be welcome. At these events you’ll be able to try the wines in the current offer, at offer prices, plus others the merchant is trying to flog. One of the problems for companies selling by mail order is that people are reluctant to try new wines off the page. This way you will be exposed to the only advertising that really works — the taste of the wine itself. There will also be easy access to plenty of information on the web. So if you don’t trust my judgment, you can call up dozens of other views, including the information and tasting notes provided by the merchants themselves.

We are kicking off with this double-sized offer. All our partners came to lunch at the Spectator bringing four of the wines from their own list that they truly loved. We sampled 24 wines and discussed them all with huge enthusiasm. That helped me make the final selection, which is, I think, a pretty amazing set of wines. You can buy any of them by the dozen, or try the mixed case of one each. Then if you like any of the wines in particular (actually I hope and expect you’ll like them all), you can order whole cases at the offer price. To get the offer away to a flying start, all the merchants have offered a discount on their list price.

Our first partner is Yapp Bros, of Mere, Wiltshire. Yapp have always specialised in top-class wines from small-scale French growers. Take the Montlouis Sec 2006 (1) from the Loire. Montlouis is a breakaway appellation from Vouvray and, being no. 2, has to try harder. This is made from Chenin Blanc, and it’s luscious — full and rich, yet absolutely dry. Really a bargain at £8.50.

Yapp have also provided the Pic St Loup 2006 (11) made by Xavier Bruguière in the Languedoc. It’s a 50-50 blend of Syrah and Grenache, and it’s always been a favourite of mine. It is an earthy wine, but a sophisticated one too, bursting with gorgeous cherry fruit. Reduced to £8.79.

Wheeler Cellars are the mail-order branch of the famous Essex firm (the posh part of Essex, naturally), Lay & Wheeler. We selected two quite delectable white wines from their list. The Pinot Gris 2007 made by Lawson’s Dry Hills in Marlborough, New Zealand (2) is a revelation. Forget the dull, thin, flaccid stuff served in some Italian restaurants — this wine is chock full of flavour, yet has real finesse. Is there no grape the Kiwis can’t do brilliantly? Reduced to £9.49.

Albariño is rapidly becoming one of those cult grapes — loved by those who like to be ahead of the curve. It’s wildly fashionable in Spain, where they grow it to create a much more full-bodied wine than in Portugal, and this 2007, made by Fillaboa in the Rías Baixas region (3), is a fine example. It’s light, delicate, with peach and blossom flavours, perhaps like an extra-subtle Viognier. Reduced to £10.44.

FromVineyardsDirect.com is a company which has sold vast amounts to Spectator readers, thanks to their brilliance at locating modest quantities of terrific wines from the most popular regions. Their Sancerre 2007 (4) is made by Bernard Fleuriet and it shows the influence of New World Sauvignon Blancs, being juicier and less slatey than most Sancerres. A lovely wine, reduced to £10.12.

Their red is a sensational (and very nicely priced) Costières de Nîmes 2007 (7) from Mas (southern French for farmstead) Carlot. It’s a blend, but what a lovely, velvety, ripe, spicy blend it is. Southern France is racing away, making superb wines at astonishingly good prices, and everyone adored this. So will you. It is reduced to a mere £6.60.

Now a real classic from Corney & Barrow, a merchant whose house wine has more royal warrants on the label than, say, Rigby & Peller, or Fortnum & Mason. Their Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles 2006 (5) is made by Olivier Leflaive, one of the great winemakers of Burgundy, from grapes grown in Puligny and Meursault, the very heart of the region. This is a lustrous wine, and nicer than many with more famous names at much higher prices. Reduced to a terrific £9.53.

Corney’s red is a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bodega Ruca Malén (10) in Mendoza, Argentina. This is aged for a year in oak and a year in bottle, and the makers have cunningly attached a myth of the local inhabitants, involving a young girl, a handsome god, and divine nectar... You can guess the rest. But it is a tremendous Bordeaux-style wine for a very unBordeaux price of £7.83, a 5 per cent reduction.

Tanners is the great Shrewsbury merchants, famed throughout the Midlands for their list of great traditional wines and unexpected newcomers. Such as their Austrian Traminer, made by Polz, 2006 (6) which is an absolutely glorious wine. This grape is slightly less aromatic than its bet ter known twin, Gewürtztraminer, which makes it perfect for drinking with food. This is herby, spicy, sodden with flavour, and I would happily buy a dozen myself — do try it, and down to only £10.40.

Tanners’ red is the Cucao Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2006 (8) made by Alvaro Espinosa in the Rapel Valley of Chile. This is wonderful value — lots of people at our lunch said how very much they’d enjoyed it, even before they were completely, er, mellow. It is an almost European style of blend and I think you’ll like it as much as we did. A very modest £6.08.

Our final partner is a fairly new firm, with a burgeoning reputation — Private Cellar. They, too, have unearthed several goodies from France, though they also have a decent list from further afield. We selected two reds from their list. The Tempranillo 2007 (9) is quite an oddity, since it’s a Spanish grape, though in this case made in France in the Minervois. This has a style and grace and backbone which I think is greatly preferable to the most famous Tempranillo, Rioja. Reduced to £7.53.

Finally, for lovers of claret, the St Emilion 2004 from Château Cedre d’Arthus (12) is a nice, rounded, soft, cedary drop of wine. If you like really smooth red Bordeaux you’ll know exactly what to expect. Again, terrific value at £9.45.

Delivery, as always, is free, and there is a great sample case of all 12 wines.