I HAD three themes in mind for this week’s Tipples, but I couldn’t decide on one topic alone. So here goes...

As it is Malbec World Day on Thursday, it would be remiss of me not to recommend something appropriate to mark the day.

One of the best value and most enjoyable examples of the malbec grape I’ve tasted recently, comes not from Argentina but from the other side of the Andes in Chile. It is from the Viu Manent winery, which was the first in the country to produce a single variety malbec in 1993.

Strictly speaking, Secret de Viu Manent Malbec 2012 is only 85 per cent malbec. The grapes used in the remaining 15 per cent of the blend are a secret, hence the name.

There is a nice freshness to the wine as the breezes from the Pacific and the Andes keep things cooler in Chile. It has flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant and violets, with liquorice, mineral notes and some chewy tannins.

It is of course Easter next weekend. Personally I don’t like to pair wine with chocolate, but I can be convinced to make an exception for the sweet reds of the Maury appellation in the Roussillon wine region of France.

Château Saint Roch Le Maury Rouge 2011 is a lovely example, available from online merchant Slurp. Made entirely with grenache, it is sweet, spicy, bold and intense: a very berry fruit bomb. For the record, it works brilliantly with chocolate brownies.

Then it is St George’s Day (April 23). Mark the occasion by being suitably patriotic and choosing an English wine to celebrate with.

Chapel Down Pinot Blanc 2011 would be a reasonable choice, as an aperitif but especially if you are eating seafood. It is a new release for the Kent based winery. Fresh and dry it suggests flavours of stonefruit and citrus, with some mineral notes too.

Secret de Viu Manent Malbec 2012, Colchagua, £9.99 from Bon Coeur Fine Wines (bcfw.co.uk) 19/20

Château Saint Roch Le Maury Rouge 2011, Maury, (50cl) £13.90 from Slurp.co.uk 18/20

Chapel Down Pinot Blanc 2011, around £13.99 from Majestic Wines, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and chapeldown.com 16/20