Wine: The Good and the Grape

But where did that decade go? The old Pink Floyd lyric, "And then one day you find ten years have got behind you," is starting to feel a little familiar.

Ten years ago, I was working for wine merchants Justerini & Brooks, selling mainly champagne as we counted down the days to the Millennium. Our biggest headache that winter wasn't getting hold of enough stock, but making sure the IT system we had just installed didn't fall prey to Y2K – remember that one? The Millennium bug was the concept that computers would be unable to cope with going from 1999 to year zero. Nothing happened, of course, and the cellars below didn't run out of the sparkling stuff either.

But if you had told me ten years ago that Oddbins would have been virtually brought to its knees by French owner Castel; Wine rack, Thresher and Victoria Wine would have disappeared from the high street and my mother, a virtual teetotaller, would start buying red wine from Asda, I would have told you that screwcaps are here to stay – and I would have been right. The decade has seen many changes, with the most significant being the rampant growth of wine-consumption. As one drinks magazine editor remarks, "Wine has become as popular as football. It is so established in our everyday lives that it will never go away."

The democratisation of wine is fabulous, but it has come at a cost. The other day I quizzed Norman, a West Country beer-drinker who has worked on my father's farm in Berkshire since I was a lad, about what pub he was using these days. "We don't tend to bother," he said in his distinctive drawl. "My Missus gets that old shiraz from the supermarket. A few bottles of that sees us right."

The days of stopping off for a pint on the way home from work have gone, and so have the pubs for that matter. Wine is the new beer – a trend I can't see stopping any time soon. But while the price of wine has dropped at the bottom end of the market, the decade has seen enormous rises in the price of fine wine. I can remember when you could pick up a case of first growth from Bordeaux for around 700, now it can set you back up to 700 a bottle. Like Edinburgh New Town property prices, their inflation has been nonsensical.

This year will all be about Bordeaux. The Bordelais have been making noises that the 2009 vintage, after a dry and warm season, is already comparing with the great 2005 – by far the best vintage of the decade. Of course, this will be the third "vintage of the century", and those familiar with Bordeaux will know that its growers are famed for hyping their vintages. But with the American economy battered by recession, I suspect the 2009 vintage will be a superb buy. I remember saying the same thing about the 2000 vintage, and in that sense nothing ever changes.

2006 Mosaic Viognier, Vermentino, Chardonnay, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 14 per cent, 7.99

A wonderfully original wine with an intoxicating nose and notes of pineapple, citrus and jasmine. The viognier really stands out, but the chardonnay caps it off with a searing, dry finish.

2007 Markus Molitor Riesling Trocken, Mosel, Germany, 11.5 per cent, 8.95

Riesling is a hopelessly unfashionable grape variety, which helps keep its price low. The nose is dominated by citrusy lemon and lime flavours, while the length has a pleasing, long acidity. The flavours are strong enough to enjoy a glass in a wild country garden.

2008 Pinotage, 6.99, Zalze, Western Cape, South Africa, 14 per cent

We should all drink more pinotage this year. This delicious number is bursting with ripe, red cherry and plum, with an unctuous creamy finish.

Stockists From Vineyards Direct (www.fromvineyardsdirect.com); Matthew Clark (www.matthewclark.co.uk); Raeburn Fine Wines (www.raeburnfinewines.com); Villeneuve Fine Wines (www.villeneuvewines.com); Waitrose (www.waitrose.com)

This article first appeared in Scotland on Sunday on 3 January, 2010