Wine Box: Specialist treats

It's Saturday. The supermarket throbs with meandering, trolley-stuffing souls. Amid the mayhem, do you squeeze in your wine-buying between grabbing a loaf and speeding into the short queue at checkout 32?

Depressing and lemming-like, isn't it? We Brits buy far more wine in supermarkets than anywhere else. Yes, it's easy and sometimes rewarding - but patience, calm reflection and relaxed wine-buying are the happiest bedfellows. Why not take a bold stride away from the aisle orgy, cast aside that security trolley and spend longer in wine shops and independent wine sellers?

Time and effort spent choosing bottles will boost your drinking pleasure immeasurably - and you can make leisurely selections without fear of personal injury from someone else's wobbly-wheeled trolley. Sod the big brands, get idiosyncratic: enjoy cult wines, oddball producers and offbeat flavours - it's fun.

It's not that supermarkets fail to buy good wine; the range on offer here is impressive. But bulk sales of any product means bulk buying. A brilliant winemaker who makes only a few thousand cases a year is often of little value to the high-street big boys. Supermarkets need a consistent supply of recognisable bottles. The specialist retailer, on the other hand, can dive headlong into the eclectic world of wine and come up with hidden treats, like these...

Domaine du Tauch Fitou 1999 (Majestic, £5.49). Straight from the heart of the Fitou appellation in Languedoc, this well-made red is a mix of Carignan and Grenache with 20 per cent oak-aged Syrah added. The result is a full-bodied, rich, red-fruited wine - with an unusual herb-and-mineral quirkiness. Very drinkable; very offbeat.

Castello La Leccia, Chianti Classico 1999 (Oddbins, £8.49). Wafts of rich blackcurrant and oak give way to a balanced, subtle sweetness on the palate. Plenty of vanilla characteristics and firm tannins give a terrific structure to this modern-style Chianti. Sip lovingly alongside one very large chunk of Parmesan.

Bodegas Alejandro Fern?ndez, Pesquera, Reserva Ribera del Duero DO 1997 (Berry Bros and Rudd, £21.95). Twenty-two quid! For a Spanish red! Outrageous! OK, slow down. This is different; this is Spain's most prestigious wine-growing region and, inevitably, some prices are steep (take Vega Sicilia Unico 1990, for example, also at Berry Bros for £178 a bottle). But this Reserva is a blockbuster with huge depth of fruit and flavour, a velvety texture and intense plum flavours. Impressive and well worth it, even at this price.