I'M turning my attention to Chile again this week. The South American country couldn't have been designed better for wine production. It benefits from the perfect grape-growing climate and volcanic soil.

I've been sampling wines from Montes, the wine producer's Alpha range to be precise. These wines don't come cheap but the quality speaks for itself. All four are available at Majestic, with some examples also at York Wines in Sheriff Hutton, Oddbins, Waitrose and Morrison's.

Montes Alpha Merlot 2002 has an herbaceous nose and is full of ripe plum flavours. It's inky with a nice amount of oak, including the subsequent vanilla notes and vibrant, prickling tannins. A fine example of the variety at its damson-fuelled, magnificent best.

The only white in the bunch is no less flavoursome. Full and potent but not too weighty, Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2003 exhibits a peachy, grapey nose with a slight effervescence. It's full of gooseberry flavours with fresh acidity and a hint of oak. Very quaffable but just remember it's 14 per cent by volume.

The most expensive of the bunch, by two pounds, is Montes Alpha Syrah 2002. Very full and rich and dry with beefy tannins, this wine is of the type to drink with food only. There's an abundance of dark fruit, with plenty of cracked black peppercorns to contrast. Also present in the lingering flavours are notes of liquorice and black treacle. In a blind taste test I could be fooled into thinking this was a French wine.

More New World in style, Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 is full and mellow with ripe berry fruit. There is a good measure of oak combined with velvety tannins, all making for nice slurping.

How to enter...

I've got a case of Montes Alpha Syrah to give away to one lucky Tipping's Tipples reader. The wine is now listed at York Wines in Sheriff Hutton. Just answer the following question and write your answer on a postcard. Send it to Tipping's Tipples/ Montes Alpha Competition, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN. Include your name, address and telephone number. Over 18s only please and the usual Evening Press competition rules apply. Entries must be received by September 18.

Question: what is the syrah grape known as in Australia? Is it a) shiraz, b) merlot or c) cabernet sauvignon?

Past winners...

On the subject of competitions, the three winners of Rioja Roadshow tickets were: Naomi Heaton of Wetherby Road, Rufforth; P Haigh of Oakdale Road, Clifton Without, York and Miss V Nicholls of Hempland Lane, York. They all correctly answered that the Rioja region is in Spain.

Montes Alpha Merlot 2002, £9.99 at Majestic ****

Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2003, £9.99 at Majestic and Morrison's ****

Montes Alpha Syrah 2002, £11.99 at York Wines, Majestic and Waitrose ****

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, £9.99 at Majestic and Oddbins ****

Updated: 09:07 Saturday, September 11, 2004