As I said in my Swiss Wines write up, last week I had a week ‘off’ wine. In fairness to myself I didn’t buy any wine, this bottle of The Ned was drunk a while ago. But I may have had a cheeky glass or two of Merlot on Friday night. Hunting always catches me out, hipflask in hand I swig away without a thought for abstinence, but there we are, I certainly had less than usual.

I thought I’d give you a quick review of this white and red that are both accessible and easy to order should you need some ideas on what do drink this week.

The Ned, Sauvignon Blanc 2016, New Zealand, 13%

You can buy this wine from most supermarkets, but it’s £7.99 at Majestic Wines.

The grapes for this wine are grown in Marlborough which is South Island side of New Zealand. They are really really good at Sauvignon Blanc in this region, you’ve probably heard of Cloudy Bay, Hunter’s, Villa Maria and Jackson Estate, well they’re all from here.

I had kept The Ned in the fridge, waiting for the urge to drink it which came when I had to pack for my little skiing jaunt. On first taste, straight out of the fridge, The Ned was quite sharp and acidic, full blast of citrus flavours hitting me like a lot of Sauvignon Blanc’s do. But as it heated up, there was a real depth in the flavour that is quite fruity, verging on peachy at times.

This wine was actually given to me by a lovely person called Nicola who has kept her naughty horse Trigger on our yard for years. It’s one of her favourite’s from Majestic Wines and with a little bit of research you’ll see that it was their biggest selling wine ‘thus far.’

Chief Executive of Majestic Wines told The Telegraph, “It’s almost become the default white wine of the British middle classes. The Ned for us is a bit like having bread or milk. If we don’t have it in stock customers don’t understand […] it’s my wife’s favourite wine. So we always have it in the fridge for her, then I can have something else.”

So if you haven’t tried it yet, you need to.

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After work on Friday I whizzed to the delightful Paper Mills in Wansford for a quick supper before babysitting. I opted for the Lemon Sole with a few small glasses of Merlot supplied by Amps wines. There was a really lovely atmosphere there as they’d lit all the fires and the team of bar staff and waiters all seemed to really know what each other was doing which makes a change. They’ve got a good menu, it’s classic pub food but a bit more exciting if that makes sense and it’s always tasty.

Villarrica Merlot, Chile, 2016, 12.5% and I’ve found it on Weeston’s for £8.95

For its price especially, this is a really good wine. I found it incredibly easy to drink and it struck me as quite rich so it’s amazing how well it goes down. There are notes of damson and blackcurrant, it’s really well-balanced. I recommend a trip to the pub…and this wine.