It would be entirely fair to say that the Gers department in south-west France is not one of the country’s most celebrated wine regions, but the Saint-Mont appellation is producing some remarkable whites from local grapes such as Petit Courbu and Petit and Gros Manseng. This delicious, judiciously aged blend is every bit as good as more expensive white Bordeaux, with lots of zip and acidity, flavours of pink grapefruit, quince and white peach and a touch of oak spice.
Food Match: Fish
2023 Domaine de la Tourmaline Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire Valley
( £9.99, 12.5%, Majestic )Is Muscadet, like Beaujolais Nouveau, experiencing a revival in fortunes? Sometimes considered a neutral grape variety, Melon de Bourgogne can achieve impressive things in the right hands. The Gadais family source this one from 30-year-old vines and the concentration is evident on the palate. Wet stone, pear, green apple and lemon butter flavours combine beautifully on the palate here, with some extra weight from eight months’ ageing on the wine’s post-fermentation lees.
2022 Luis Felipe Edwards Macerao Orange Wine, Itata Valley
( £6.74 until December 3, 12%, Waitrose )Orange wines have entered the mainstream in the last few years, which is good to see. This one from Luis Felipe Edwards comes from the Itata Valley in southern Chile, where dry farmed, bush-vine parcels of Moscatel de Alejandría are a local speciality. This spent three months on its skins during and after fermentation and has intriguing layers of quince, orange marmalade and dried apricot and a nip of tannic bitterness. Amazing value at the 25% off on six price.
2023 Benanti Etna Bianco, Sicily
( £22, 12.5%, The Wine Society )Etna in north-east Sicily is better known for its reds than whites, but the best examples of the latter, made from the local grape Carricante, can be spectacular, somewhere between a Burgundian Aligoté and a top Soave in style. This is totally unoaked, but draws richness from six months of lees’ ageing. Stony and intense, with notes of lime, fennel and lemon juice, steely, palate-cleansing acidity and a mineral tang. Best drunk with the Mediterranean sun on your face, but it’ll cheer you up in winter too.
2023 Vito Mameli Grillo, Sicily
( £8.99, 12.5%, Majestic )Co-operatives don’t come much bigger than the Cantina Europa in western Sicily, but this wine proves that, assuming the winemaking is up to snuff, size can work to your advantage, giving you access to grapes grown by 2,000 members, This is fresh, spicy and savoury with notes of sea breeze and wild flowers on the nose and a palate of citrus, quinine and fresh herbs.
2021 Manda Huevos Carramainas, Calatayud
( £15, 13.2%, The Wine Society )Norrel Robertson MW, known as the Escocés Volante (Flying Scotsman), is making some of the most distinctive wines in northern Spain right now. Manda Huevos – Spanish slang for “no way!” – is a remarkable, barrel-fermented cuvée of Macabeo and 5% Garnacha Blanca from an 85-year-old vineyard at 850 metres in Calatayud. Creamy, spicy and stylishly wooded, it has notes of beeswax and citrus zest, stony intensity and a hint of vanilla spice.
2023 Lyrarakis Orange Wine, Crete
( £11.99, 13%, Majestic )A wine to sip while you’re reading Peter Pharos’ article about Crete last week, this is my kind of orange wine. Made from a judicious cuvée of Assyrtiko and Vidiano, it has the freshness of its 500-metre site in Heraklion, subtle tangerine, quince and lemon zest flavours, a hint of quinine bitterness and a tapering finish. Appealingly versatile with food.
2021 Invincible Número Dois, Douro
( From £18.74, 12.5%, Dionysus Wines, Givino, Heritage Cellars, Majestic, Philglass & Swiggot )The Douro Valley is mostly red wine (and Port) territory, but its whites can be brilliant too, as long as the site is cooler and at altitude. That’s the case with Rita Marques’ brilliant assemblage of local varieties, dominated by Rabigato, Arinto and Códega de Larinho. Aromas of saffron, fennel and wet stones segue into a palate that has lovely granitic minerality, layers of citrus zest, lime and wild thyme and a mouth-watering finish.
2021 Santa Tresa Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily
( £11.50, 14%, The Wine Society )Cerasuolo di Vittoria often tastes as if its comes from a cooler place than the south-east corner of Sicily. This one from Santa Tresa is fuller bodied than some examples of the DOCG thanks to partial raisining on the vine, but retains the freshness and perfume that are so distinctive. Pairing Nero d’Avola and brighter, more charming Frappato, it has red cherry, plum and wild Meditteranean herb flavours, savoury tannins and a refreshing finish.
2023 Gérard Bertrand Le Chouchou, Vin de France, Vin de France
( £12.99, 11% , Waitrose )So pale it could almost be sold as a rosé, this is a perfect end-of-summer red from Gérard Bertrand, something to serve straight from the fridge. Made with an unoaked combination of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault from the Languedoc, but sold as more lowly Vin de France, this is juicy, floral and lipsmackingly fresh, with flavours of pomegranate, raspberry and red cherry, subtle tannins, plenty of acidity and a twist of clove spice. Lots of fun.
2020 Samartzis Dío Potámia Kontoura Barrique, Thiva
( £16.50, 12.5%, Tanners )A brilliant new find by one of the the UK’s best wine merchants, this is a pure Kontoura from vines in the Valley of the Muses north-west of Athens, made by ex-pharmacist Panos Samartzis. Surprisingly rich and textured for a wine with just 12.5% alcohol, it has aromas of beeswax and toast, lots of racy acidity, lemongrass and yellow apple flavours and a stony finish. The oak is especially well integrated. Outstanding value for money.
2023 M&S Expressions Marsanne, Voor Paardeberg
( £9, 13.5%, Marks & Spencer, Ocado )Outside the northern Rhône, Marsanne is rarely bottled as a stand alone grape. But it’s found an exciting new home in the Voor Paardeberg region of the Western Cape. This unwooded, lees-aged example is made by the talented Trizanne Barnard. Aromas of honeysuckle and anise guide you into palate of pear, peach and lemon zest complemented by plenty of zip and acidity.