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A crisp, refreshing wine from Southwest France

The huge diversity of grape varieties and wine styles in Southwest France makes it an interesting wine region to explore. Tucked away between the Pyrénées and the Massif Central, with Bordeaux to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, it enjoys a warm, sunny climate with short, mild winters.

Here, you will find, for example, the ‘black wines’ of Cahors, the Gaillac blends of local grape varieties, the deep-coloured reds of Madiran, and the sweet and dry wines of Jurançon. You will also find the Côtes de Gascogne IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) wines. The IGP designation provides growers with a geographical indication for their wines but with less-rigid winemaking requirements than those required for the Appellation d’origine controllé designation.

These are predominantly white wines, produced from local grape varieties such as Gros Manseng, Colombard and Arrufiac, and often blended with Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Plaimont Côtes de Gascogne Colombard Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a very good example.

A crisp, refreshing wine with pleasantly perfumed aromas, this is a classic Gascony blend of Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc. Pale lemon in colour, it has apple, honeysuckle and pineapple on the nose, and lemon, lime, melon and peach on the palate. With medium acidity and a lengthy finish, it is a well-balanced wine offering very good value for money.

You can enjoy this as an aperitif, or pair it with fish, or goat’s cheese.

Available from Sainsbury’s (£8)

If you like a Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc, why not try a Menetou-Salon wine?

Domaine Olivier Foucher Menetou-Salon 2019/20, Loire

Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc has been a firm favourite of mine since I first tried it sur place as a student many years ago. The refreshing acidity, the aromas of gooseberry, citrus and grass, and the flavours of apple and citrus fruits, with a hint of minerality, tick all the boxes for me.

Just a short distance away to the south-west of Sancerre is the small appellation of Menetou-Salon. Though not as well-known as its neighbour, Menetou-Salon is rapidly establishing a reputation for crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc wines that offer very good value for money.

This wine from Domaine Olivier Foucher, a small 12-hectare estate in Morogues, is a very good example of a quality Menetou-Salon wine. Light in colour, the wine has aromas of blossom with apple and lime on the nose, and flavours of peach and pear on the palate. The grapes are harvested at night to retain freshness, resulting in a lively acidity. This is a well-balanced, multi-layered wine with a lingering, flinty finish.

A perfect wine for a seafood dish – we had it with pan-fried salmon. Or try it with goat’s cheese.

Available from Majestic £16.99 (Mix Six £12.99)

Château de Pizay, Morgon 2020 – a fruity and robust wine, with a pleasant, lingering finish

Beaujolais, home of the Gamay grape, lies between Mâcon and Lyon. There are 10 Beaujolais crus, each with its own distinct personality based on climate, soil, altitude and aspect.

The four key crus are Brouilly, Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent. The first two produce lighter, more perfumed wines, and the last two produce more structured wines that generally age well.

This Château de Pizay, Morgon 2020 is a smooth, dry wine, with medium acidity and medium tannins. It has a perfumed nose of blossom, plum and blackcurrant, leading to flavours of plum, black cherry, and vanilla, with a hint of cloves and smokiness, on the palate. A fruity and robust wine, with a pleasant, lingering finish, this is a perfect match for duck.

Available from Majestic £12.99 (Mix Six £10.99)

An orange Grüner Veltliner – an unusual wine that’s definitely worth trying!

Winzer Krems, Orange Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria 2020

Grüner Veltliner is the most widely-planted native grape variety grown in Austria, particularly in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) and Burgenland. It is believed to be a crossing between Traminer and St Georgen, an unidentified grape variety discovered in St Georgen in 2000.

Typically a Grüner Veltliner wine has naturally high acidity, with citrus and stone fruit flavours, and hints of white pepper and sometimes vegetal notes.

This Orange Grüner Veltliner wine is a little unusual in that it spent some time on the grape skins during the fermentation process, giving it a rich golden colour tinged with an orange hue, a creamy mouthfeel and a slightly tannic edge.

It has aromas of apple, orange peel and lemon, and flavours of honey, peach and nectarine, with a hint of spiciness. It is a fresh, lively wine with a lengthy finish.

A wine to enjoy by itself but which also pairs well with slightly spicy Asian dishes.

Available from Majestic £10.99, (Mix Six £8.99)

Crossword clue: Deliverers of fine sprays and wines … Answer : Roses

As the weather improves and the days become longer, do you find yourself hankering after something lighter and more refreshing to drink? If so, then why not try a rosé wine?

Although we might automatically think of France when we think of rosé, there are plenty of regions in both the old and the new wine worlds producing some fine examples. Including this Ancre Hill Estates Rosé 2018 from Wales.

The Ancre Hill vineyards in Monmouthshire are located on the south facing slopes close to the Wye Valley. The estate uses traditional biodynamic and organic viticultural practices, with no external intervention or manipulation in the winemaking process.

The result is a unique style of wine, well-balanced, with lots of flavour and a lively acidity. Pale pink with a tinge of yellow in colour, the Rosé 2018 has aromas of strawberry, bramble, apple and grapefruit on the nose, and flavours of strawberry, rhubarb, cream soda and grapefruit on the palate.

This is a crisp, fresh wine with low alcohol which is perfect by itself and goes well with canapés or fish, particularly oily fish.

Available from Grape Britannia (£15.99)

A little gem from Suffolk

For something from a vineyard a little closer to home, this St Edmundsbury Pinot Noir 2020 is from Giffords Hall near Long Melford in Suffolk. The vineyard was planted on the site of an ancient glacial riverbed about 30 years ago and several grape varieties, including Madeleine Angevine, Bacchus, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc flourish in the sandy, clay soil here. This Pinot Noir 2020 is a little gem.

With aromas of bramble and blackberry on the nose, and flavours of plum, strawberry and rhubarb on the palate, this is a smooth, well-balanced wine with medium tannins and a lengthy finish.

An attractive and appealing wine that pairs well with duck or a Sunday roast.

Available from Grape Britannia (£15.99)

A mountain wine from Savoie

North, south, east or west, wherever you are in France, you are never too far from a wine-producing area. Even in the Alpine region of Savoie (Savoy), where the fresh, light, aromatic white wines made from the Jacquère grape are well-worth seeking out.

Vineyards in the region are often planted on mountain slopes between 250m and 550m, where they benefit from a warm microclimate and the moderating effects of nearby rivers and lakes. Although the Savoie region produces a mere 0.5% of French wines, it certainly punches above its size.

The Domaine Jean Perrier and Fils ‘Altus’ 2020, Savoie has aromas of blossom, apple and pear on the nose, and flavours of pear, apricot and honey on the palate. This is a crisp, refreshing wine with high acidity and a hint of minerality in the finish, and you can feel the freshness of the mountain air as you taste the wine.

A perfect match for fondue, goat’s cheese or a seafood dish.

Available from Majestic £13.99 (Mix Six £10.99)

A fresh, zippy Albariño to brighten up your day!

Paco & Lola, Albariño 2020 (Spain)

Though Spain is best known for its red wines, it is quietly making a name for itself as a key white wine producer, with lots of interesting indigenous whites to discover. One of the best known is Albariño from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in north-west Spain. Albariño is one of my favourite wines and this Paco & Lola 2020 is a fine example of what this grape variety is capable of.

With its Atlantic climate, moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and above-average rainfall, the Rías Baixas region is more reminiscent of Ireland than the sun-drenched beaches of holiday-destination Spain. But despite the dampness, the area is also blessed with many hours of warm sunshine, enabling the Albariño grapes to ripen and produce wines that are naturally high in acidity, with floral aromas, and citrus and stone-fruit flavours.

This wine from Paco & Lola is a fresh, lively wine, with zippy acidity and a lovely long finish. It has aromas of apricot and peach on the nose, and flavours of lime, lemon, peach and a hint of minerality on the palate. It’s a well-balanced wine which makes for an ideal aperitif but is also a perfect partner for seafood.

Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s (£12-£14)

An elegant, slightly quirky wine from Portugal

Adega de Pegões Colheita Seleccionada 2020 (Portugal)

Portugal has many indigenous grape varieties which distinguish its wine from other Mediterranean wine-producing countries and make it an interesting area to explore. There are five main Protected Designations of Origin (Denominações de Origem Controladas /DOCs), as well as a number of regional wine designations (Vinho Regional). One of these is the Peninsula de Setúbal, directly to the south of Lisbon.

Best known for its sweet, fortified wines made from Moscatel grapes, Moscatel de Setúbal, the area also produces a range of regional wines, both red and white. And for a wine to be classified as a Vinho Regional Peninsula de Setúbal, it must be produced with particular grape varieties.

For white wine the blend must contain at least 50% of Arinto, Chardonnay, Fernão Pires, Malvasia Fina, Muscat of Alexandria and Roupeiro. The other 50% can be made up with Antão Vaz, Esgana Cão, Sauvignon Blanc, Rabo de Ovelha, Trincadeira das Pratas, Verdejo or Ugni Blanc.

This Adega de Pegões Colheita Seleccionada 2020 is a selected harvest wine. An elegant wine, a little quirky, yet full of character and very good value. A blend of Arinto, Chardonnay, Verdejo and Fernão Pires, it has pronounced aromas of peach and lime, with a touch of oak-derived vanilla, and refreshing flavours of citrus and stone fruits. There is also a noticeable burst of Chardonnay shining through with buttery notes. This is a smooth, deliciously crisp, original white wine which is a perfect match for a seafood dish.

Available from Majestic Wine £9.99 (Mix Six £7.99)