Whites
Italiano Pinot Grigio Trebbiano
Abruzzo, Italy 2022 (£4.19, Tesco)
It shouldn’t be possible to produce a drinkable wine for under a fiver in this day and age; and it’s only going to get harder once the new duty regime kicks in in August. But, if you’re after a refreshingly crisp, unobtrusive dry white match for seafood, this does the job with surprising panache.
Extra Special Fiano
Terre Siciliane, Italy 2022 (£6, Asda)
Another excellent value Italian white, and a lovely expression of the southern grape variety fiano, which here shows off its succulent peach, ripe pear and melon-fleshy charms with an attractive summer-floral shimmer, some limey citrussy acidity and a soft downy feel.
Tesco Finest Côtes de Gascogne
France 2022 (£6.50, Tesco)
Made for Tesco by the supremely well-run south-western French co-operative Plaimont, this blend of colombard and gros manseng is a great alternative to sauvignon blanc, with pristine clarity and a real new-vintage ping of brightness to its fresh lemon-and-gooseberry fruit.
Marks & Spencer Found Moschofilero Roditis
Peloponnese, Greece 2022 (£8.50, Marks & Spencer)
Greek wine is finally having its moment in the UK, and its distinctive wines are now much easier to come by – great news for those of us enchanted by the evocative pine grove and muscat grape tones and gently incisive lemony acidity in effusively aromatic dry whites like this.
Star buy
Morandé Terrarum Patrimonial Semillon
Maule Valley, Chile 2022 (£9.99, Waitrose)
South American winemakers are getting fabulous results from the very old semillon vines that they had long scorned in favour of more fashionable varieties, with this combination of citrus tang, cut-grass, honey, waxy texture and cream being an exceptionally well-balanced and complex example.
Taste the Difference Discovery Collection South African Field Blend
Paarl, South Africa 2022 (£10, Sainsbury’s)
The old bush vine chenin blanc-based white blend is arguably South Africa’s greatest, and certainly its most distinctive, gift to the modern wine world, and here’s another fine example, with vivid ripe apple and tropical fruit flavours underpinned with livewire acidity.
Coto de Gomaríz The Flower and the Bee Treixadura
Ribeiro, Spain 2021 (£18, thesourcingtable.com)
From Ribeiro, a corner of Galicia in north-west Spain that has had rather less attention than Rías Baixas, the home of albariño, this glorious summer white offers a gentle floral nose and an explosion of vivacious tangy citrus fruit and juicy white stone fruit in wonderfully fluent style.
Domaine Villa Noria Amfora Coteaux De Bessilles Vin Orange
Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2021 (£23.50 or £21.50 as a mixed six, Noble Green Wines)
Made from white grape varieties but aged in an amphora for an extended period in contact with the skins, this unique wine comes across as a light red in the glass. However you define it, its delightful basil, red apple, cherry, rosehip and gentle tannic grip work beautifully with meaty fish.
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Reds and rosés
Castillo de Zalin Organic Monastrell
Jumilla, Spain 2021 (£7.95, The Co-op)
Made from monastrell (aka mourvèdre in France or mataro in Australia) in far south-eastern Spain, this is a vividly dark-berried, succulent red. It has guts and power (15% abv) but there’s a fresh-off-the-bush liveliness and keenness, too, to bring a refreshing edge for matching barbecue burgers.
Altos da Beira
Terras da Beira Portugal 2021 (£8.75, The Wine Society)
This nifty blend of tinta roriz (aka tempranillo, the main grape of rioja) and touriga nacional (Portugal’s most celebrated red grape) from high-altitude vines in central Portugal hits a real sweet spot of intensely fragrant ripe black and red fruit, vibrant freshness, and excellent value.
Château Oumsiyat Mijana Lebanese Red
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2019 (£8.99, Waitrose)
The obvious choice for any al-fresco lunch involving spiced barbecued lamb or smoky aubergine, this sumptuous red, a typical Lebanese blend of Rhône and Bordeaux grapes and influences, has a sweetly spicy cast to its dark berry fruit and suavely food-friendly tannins.
Les Terrasses St Nicolas de Bourgeuil
Loire, France 2022 (£9.50, Tesco)
Cabernet franc from the Loire is the quintessential French summer red, and this is a prime example of that very moreish and drinkable, light, subtly leafy, crunchy, sappy and raspberry-scented style. With its light tannins and crisp acidity, it’s at its best after an hour or so in the fridge.
Star buy
Trigudeina Jean-Luc Baldès Malbec du Clos
Cahors, France 2019 (£10.99, Waitrose)
Malbec is now synonymous with Argentina, but producers in its original home in Cahors in the charming Lot Valley in south-west France make some of my favourite examples of the red grape, with this example having delightfully pure violet-edged black fruit and beautifully judged fine tannins.
Guimaro Tinto Jovén
Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2021 (from £15.50, josephbarneswines.com; 2poundstreet.com)
From the spectacular sweeping valleys of Ribeira Sacra in inland Galicia, north-west Spain, the mencía grape variety produces wines of pinot noir-like silkiness and grace, with in this case, pure plump red cherry-berry fruit and racy acidity. Again, best served a little cool, with a tuna steak.
M&S Found Vinho Verde Rosé
Portugal 2021 (£7.50, Marks & Spencer)
From prosecco to sauvignon blanc, many white wine styles now have a sideline in ever-more popular pink thanks to the addition of a tiny splash of red grapes. Here the spritzy, off-dry, zesty tropical fruity northern Portuguese white Vinho Verde gets the pink treatment for a breezy spicy-seafood match.
Château Minuty M de Minuty Rosé
Côtes de Provence, France 2022 (from £16.99, or £12.99 as part of a mix six, majestic.co.uk; robersonwine.com)
You can find imitations of Provence’s patented pale, soft, pastel style of rosé all over the world now, but they rarely match the original’s creamy, gently incisive panache, as found in full stylish effect in Château de Minuty’s watercolour sketch of sweet citrus and stone fruit.
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Sparkling
Contevedo Cava Rosado
Spain NV (£5.95, Aldi)
Many cava producers would like to shrug off their reputation for being best at cheap fizz. But if it’s true cava gets seriously interesting at higher prices, it can’t be denied that the Spanish sparkling provides brilliant value such as this sweet-and-crunchy red-apple-scented bargain from Aldi.
Chandon Garden Spritz
Mendoza, Argentina NV (£16.99 at Waitrose until 1 August, or £19.99 as part of a mix six, Waitrose, Majestic)
A bit of Italo-Argentine fun from the Argentine offshoot of the Moët & Chandon (LVMH) empire, this gloriously summer-terrace-ready aperitivo seamlessly combines prosecco-like sparkling wine from Mendoza with a bitter-sweet liqueur of fresh and baked oranges and herbs.
Star buy
Les Pionniers Brut Champagne
France NV (£21, The Co-op)
The Coop’s own-label champagne has been one of the best value wines on the high street for as long as I can remember. Made by Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck, it’s on super form right now, comparable in classically toasty-citrussy quality to that brand’s own excellent releases.
Roebuck Estate Classic Cuvée
Sussex, England 2016 (£38, roebuckestates.co.uk)
From one of the stars of the constantly evolving and improving English sparkling wine scene, Roebuck Estate in West Sussex, this glorious blend of the classic champagne trio of grape varieties has a wonderful biscuity, orchard-fruited richness and tingling, scintillating acidity.
