Chatting to Patrick Sandeman at The Bunch’s autumn press tasting, it was beyond anyone’s worst nightmare that this most genial, talented and popular of wine merchants would lose his life in a horrific skydiving accident just over a week later. A fixture of the London wine scene, Patrick, with his partner Charles Lea, transformed Lea & Sandeman’s single Fulham shop into one of London’s most impressive retailers, its wines selected for quality, flavour and personality.

Typically, Lea and Sandeman (leaandsandeman.co.uk) sourced unusual wines such as the 2011 Pulp Rouge Clos des Nines, £9.95, a spicily aromatic blend of syrah, carignan and alicante with a succulent blackberry moreishness. Italy became another speciality and Patrick did a brilliant job in introducing wines from lesser-known grapes such as the 2010 Dolcetto d’Alba, Bric del Salto, Sottimano, £11.95, a vibrant cherry and plum thirstquencher with classic sub-Alpine acidity.

Last year’s decision by the Bunch’s six independent merchants to show an under £10 selection was repeated this autumn to good effect. Adnams’ 2010 Selection White Burgundy, £9.99, was a model of a well-made, buttery chardonnay with a refreshingly dry nutty aftertaste. From Mathieu Cosse, the 2010 Château la Coste Pentes Douces Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, £14.99, was zestily grapefruity, with barrel fermentation adding a textured creaminess (adnams.co.uk).

At under £10, Berry Bros’ (bbr.com) 2011 Domaine La Salette, Côtes de Gascogne Blanc, £7.95, showed an exotic fragrance with a twist of citrusy fruitiness, while the 2009 Chianti Classico, Bibbiano, £14.50, displayed the classic sweet red berry and herb aromas and sour cherry fruit of the sangiovese grape with a muscular, youthful grip.

Corney & Barrow (corneyandbarow.com) might not be your first port of call at under a tenner, but it managed it well, not least for a creamy rich, herbal dry white in the 2009 Le G de Château Guiraud, £9.99, a classy white Bordeaux from a property better known for its Sauternes. For just £1 more, the excellent 2010 Côtes du Rhône Blanc Les Becs Fins from Tardieu-Laurent, £10.95, puffed out it chest in a ripe white Rhône blend whose peachy opulence was tinged with ginger spice.

Tanners of Shrewsbury (tanners-wines.co.uk) offered a vivid, plummy, autumnal Douro Valley blend of touriga nacional, touriga franc and tinta roriz in its 2010 Tanners Douro Red, £7.99, and a magnificent Rhône red in the powerfully rich, vigorous young raspberry spicy 2009 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, £42.30.

In the Under £10 category, Rhône and Loire specialists, Yapp Bros. (yapp.co.uk) came up with a vibrantly juicy southern French red in the garrigue-scented, sweetly raspberryish 2010 Minervois Domaine Le Cazal Tradition, £9.75, while the moreish sweet red berry and green pepper fruit of the 2010 Domaine Filliatreau Vieilles Vignes, Saumur Champigny, £15.10, came as a fitting conclusion to the proceedings.

Something For The Weekend

Something For the Weekend 13 October 2012

Night In

2011 Tesco Finest* Grenache / Marsanne, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

There’s plenty of juicy fresh peachy fruitiness to enjoy in this crowd-pleasing blend of the Mediterranean grape varieties grenache and marsanne, finishing, as a great match for fish and shellfish-based pasta, with a citrusy flourish. £7.49, Tesco.

Dinner Party

2009 Guigal Côtes du Rhône, France

The master of Côte Rôtie is back on form with his stalwart , syrah-based Rhône blend whose sweet pepper aromatics and spicy, pepper-infused blackberry fruitiness are enhanced by a generously ripe vintage in 2009. £10.99 - £11.95, Waitrose, slurpwine.co.uk.

Splash Out

2009 Edmeades Zinfandel Mendocino County, California

A powerful California zinfandel that carries it off thanks to an enticing smoky aroma and poised sweet raspberry and cherry fruit neatly framed by vanilla and supported by exuberant freshness. Around £17.99, Handford (02075896113), The Wine Library (02074810415), Harrods.