Buyer's Bottles: March 2026

What Wine Director Peter Mitchell MW is drinking this month...

by Peter Mitchell MW

Published on 17th February 2026

I’m fortunate in my chosen career to taste many of the world’s greatest wines, although much of it sits well beyond my day-to-day budget. That keeps me constantly on the lookout for bottles that deliver real pleasure as the legends, but at a budget I can justify

Here are some of the best and most interesting wines I’ve enjoyed at the table over the past month that won’t break the bank. And with Mother’s Day coming up, I’ve also included a few that make a particularly good gift (or a bottle to open together).

N.V. Ligne de Mire Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Daniel Moreau

To my palate, well matured blanc de blancs is the greatest expression of champagne, carrying finesse and elegance, rich toasty notes and an uplifting freshness. Daniel Moreau is a small grower we began working with last year and with grower champagnes all the price ends up in the bottle - you are not funding global marketing campaigns or seasonal discounts –and the quality/price ratio can be astounding. Drinking this to celebrate a recent anniversary, I was once again struck by its purity and poise and, if it were a famous brand, the price tag would easily be half as much again. This has fast become a favourite at my table.

2024 Butussi Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli Colli Orientali DOC

Considering its popularity, sauvignon is not something that I regularly drink as I frequently find it a little one paced, but when it is as multi-dimensional, precise and textural as this, it certainly brings a smile to the face. For most consumers, Sauvignon means New Zealand, the Loire valley, or perhaps south Africa or Chile, yet the north-eastern corner of Italy is quietly making some of the most exceptional examples on the market today with deep fruit and piercing freshness and a textural richness so often lacking in lesser examples.

2023 Red Hill Chardonnay, Port Phillip Estate

An old favourite that never disappoints. I have hidden this in a line up of Puligny before without a single taster present noticing the ringer in the flight, which tells you everything about the style and quality of this cool climate wine. Powerful and smoky, with taut structure and elegance in spades, this personifies the new wave of Australian Chardonnay and is an absolute steal at under £30.

2022 Erial Tinto, Bodegas Epifanio Rivera

A proper winter warmer, this is benchmark Ribera, with dense black fruits, spices and hallmark freshness to balance the power. Served in the gloomy depths of winter with a daube which it complemented superbly and I would struggle to find a more perfect partner than this for a rich beef stew.

2023 Ferrione Barbera d’Alba, Diego Conterno

Whilst cheap Barbera is often a little lean and tart, top quality Barbera like this is one of my favourite wines at home, with the acidity making it perfect with so many Italian dishes and the warmth and generosity of fruit making it dangerously drinkable. Many Barolo producers are now treating their Barbera with the same reverence they do their Nebbiolo wines and this single vineyard example from a top estate exemplifies this approach.

20 Year Old Tawny Port, Kopke

It is a shame that port is seen as a Christmas drink here as, especially when Tawny, is highly versatile. This can be served cold from the fridge as an aperitif just as successfully as an after dinner treat and once open, a bottle will easily last a couple of weeks which means it can be savoured in small doses over several meals. With lingering sweet red fruits and a nutty, spicy complexity, I enjoyed this chilled with some Serrano, with a lovely aged Comté, as well as just on its own. To get a wine of this quality that someone else has aged for you for 2 decades for under £50 is just crackers – port is one of the most undervalued and misunderstood wines out there.