Cannonau might not sound all that familiar, but you’ll almost certainly have tasted it before – this is Spain’s Garnacha grape, but gone Italian. It especially thrives on the island of Sardinia, where influences from the surrounding sea help to cool the vineyards & prevent grapes from over-heating. The wine, which is crafted by a father & son team, is a winner twinned with Claire's lamb recipe. ...

Born in the Leyda Valley, one of Chile's up & coming regions for premium cool coastal varieties, this wonderful Chardonnay has won a raft of awards including Best Chilean Chardonnay at the 2017 Wines of Chile Awards. A fragrant nose with aromas of pineapple, peach, & citrus notes is followed by pineapple & peach on the palate, making this a brilliant wine to enjoy alongside white fish in a rich sauce or roast chicken. Roast chicken ...

Thought Chile ends at good value? Think again. If you do some digging, you can find refined reds on cool-climate sites. Like the Marea. It's made by Nicolas Bizzarri, who previously worked at the iconic Robert Mondavi winery in Napa Valley. Expect notes of blackberry, cherry, black olive & white pepper. Pair this with mushroom risotto. ...

Margarethenhof is a quality conscious, family producer that works with low yielding Riesling vines on the steep slopes above the village of Ayl on the river Saar. This is a Kabinett, on the lighter end of the spectrum in Germany, & low alcohol. An aromatic honeyed nose, with fantastically concentrated, ripe fruit & plenty of tangy acidity on the palate. Vibrant & lingering finish. Ideal served on its own, but an excellent match to Thai cuisine. ...

Brent Marris is the man behind our best-selling white wine. He's also the distant relative of one of King Henry the First's rumoured illegitimate children. The red-fruit notes in this Provence-style, 100% Pinot Noir rosé are rich, complex & fine
- it's a worthy tribute to a rightful legacy of royalty.
...

Do you find Beaujolais too light?, too sweet?, too confected?. Not this example from Moulin A Vent. Always the most grown up & savoury of the Beaujolais Cru & a great value alternative to its close neighbour Burgundy Fresh fruit flavours of cherry, redcurrant & stawberry are balanced out by lovely notes of sweet spice & herbs. Try this with cured meats & cheeses or with Coq au Vin. ...

For Markus, care & attention is at the heart of every wine he bottles. It’s no wonder his wines have received so much praise from renowned critics like Robert Parker. Up on the steep slate slopes of Mosel, everything in Markus’s vineyards is laboriously done by h&. His philosophy is to let the terroir speak for itself – so as little intervention as possible is key. This wine comes from a historic vineyard planted with ancient, ungrafted Riesling vines. Grapes are harvested later, meaning only tiny yields are handpicked – but only if each grape passes a close inspection. The result? An incredibly complex wine that’s spent almost a decade evolving in the bottle – with potential for even further ageing. It’s lusciously sweet, with aromatic notes of honey, roasted hazelnut, pear, pineapple, flinty notes & a refreshing acidity. Enjoy this with blue cheese or fruity desserts. ...

A great value Sauvignon Blanc from Giesen, a family winery still owned & run by the three brothers who founded it. This wine ...

The Marques de Murrieta began making wines in 1850, & his bodega remains one of Riojas most traditional, creating wines with a brooding Old World rusticity by extended cellaring in old American oak barrels. This 1994 Reserva is perhaps the epitome of the house style. ...

A perennial favourite at Majestic, Marques de Riscal consistently offers Rioja lovers a reserva wine with a robust, firmly structured & complex character. This 1994 example is now fully mature, providing a harmonious balance between mellow maturity & fleshy muscularity. ...