Sales of Sauvignon Blanc as a stand-alone grape vastly outsell those of so-called white Bordeaux blends, but  combining it with Semillon (70% of the mix here) often adds layers of complexity. This unwooded example from the Xanadu winery in Margaret River is a refreshing, tangy delight, with flavours of lemongrass, cream soda and fresh green herbs and a racy, energetic finish.
Food Match: Pasta
2025 New Dawn White, Western Cape
( £10, 13.5%, Majestic )A wonderfully drinkable example of what’s known as a Cape White Blend in South Africa, this cuvée from talented young winemaker Rüdger van Wyk combines Chenin Blanc, 42% Roussanne and 4% Verdelho, using grapes from the Breedekloof and Stellenbosch regions. Fresh, tangy and perfumed, it marries flavours of pear, peach and yellow apple with racy acidity and a herbal twist. A great party white.
2024 M&S Collection Stepp Riesling *S*, Pfalz
( £14, 12%, Marks & Spencer )It’s often said that we wine writers love Riesling more than consumers do, but I defy anyone not to enjoy this wonderful example from two nearby vineyards in Gerd Stepp’s native Pfalz region – Kallstadter Saumagen and Herxheimer Goldberg. Deliciously toasty, tangy and focused, it has lime and wet stone characters and a long, mouth-watering finish. Refreshingly low in alcohol too.
2024 The Society's Exhibition Godello, Valdeorras
( £14.95, 13%, The Wine Society )Valdeorras in the eastern part of Galicia makes some of Spain’s most exciting white wines, using the local Godello grape. This was blended by Wine Society buyer Harriet Kinninmonth and star consultant Jorge Navascués of Virgen de Galir. Showing the structure and intensity that are typical of the variety, it has flavours of pear, quince and aniseed and a whisper of oak spices.
2023 M&S Qvevris Kisi, Kakheti
( £12, 12%, Marks & Spencer )Kisi is one of the best of Georgia’s unique line-up of indigenous grapes, so it’s great to see an example on a supermarket shelf in the UK. This is a traditional, orange style white that was fermented and matured in buried clay vessels called qveveris. It has intriguing layers of oolong tea, orange zest and juniper, some underlying tannic structure and a fresh, tangy finish. Something a little different.
2021 Palazzo Maffei Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore, Veneto
( £15.95, 14.5%, The Co-operative )A Veneto red that tastes as good as it looks, this is a stylish, modern blend of Corvina, 30% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella, with plenty of acidity, a touch of appealing sweetness from the ripasso technique, red cherry, plum and pomegranate flavours, savoury,  tea leaf-like tannins and a fresh, balanced, persistent finish.
2022 Thymiopoulos Vineyards Xinomavro, Naoussa
( £15.50, 13%, Majestic, Orlando's Wines )Something to buy now and drink when we shift into autumn perhaps, although I never need an excuse to drink a red from Apostolos Thymiopoulos at any time of the year. This is an intense, fruit-packed Xinomavro from Naoussa, the grape’s Greek heartland, with the spine of tannin that’s a feature of the variety, some clove spice from 25% whole- bunch fermentation, flavours of damson, redcurrant and black cherry and a dusting of Mediterranean herbs.
2024 Azienda Agricola Cortese Orange-utan, Bianco Terre Siciliane IGP
( £14.45-£15.50, 12.5%, Amps Wine Merchant, Appellation Wines, Connolly's, Davies Belle & McCraith, Gwin Dylanwad, Hedley Wright, Hoult's, Love Wine, ND John, Organica Wines, Reserve Wines, The Wright Wine Company, Villeneuve Wines )It’s good to see a producer having a bit of fun. This is a skin-macerated Sicilian blend of Inzolia and 20% Zibibbo from the Girelli family that has appealing grip, freshness and intensity, combining flavours of quince, tea leaf and citrus with a touch of sourdough bread and a twist of quinine-like bitterness.
2024 Pepe Mendoza Mares de Luz, Alicante
( £10.95, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Pepe Mendoza is one of the most exciting winemakers in Spain. He’d be much more famous if he were based in a more famous region than Alicante, which means that his wines are comparative bargains. This a superb blend of Giró, a rare local grape, and 30% Monastrell. It’s intensely Mediterranean, with aromas of thyme and rosemary, a savoury palate of plum, red berries and tobacco leaf  and sinewy, fine-grained tannins.
2023 Cape Point Fairtrade Sauvignon/Semillon, Western Cape
( £8.35, 12.5%, The Co-operative )It’s good to see a Cape Sauvignon Blanc, blended here with 30% Semillon, with a little bottle age rather than released and drunk within a few months of the vintage.  This is a tangy, very lightly wooded cuvée from the talented Riandri Visser at a very appealing price, with layers of gooseberry, gunflint and lime and an appealing herbal twist.
2024 Zwartwater Estate White, Paardeberg, Swartland
( £24, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Something of a coup for the Wine Society, where buyer Victoria Mason MW is doing exciting things with the retailer’s South African range, this is a new wine from a historic estate on the Paardeberg, now under new ownership as they say in the hotel trade. It’s a brilliant, layered, complex blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne and the Hungarian grape Hárslevelü, with aromas of honeysuckle, fennel and wet stone and a tangy, racy palate of orange zest, pear and pink grapefruit. A wine that looks every bit as good as it tastes.
2024 Winzer Krems Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal
( £9.50, 12.5%, Majestic )Winzer Krems is one of the best co-operatives in Europe, especially well known for its great-value Grüner Veltliners. This is a delicious summer white, best sipped by the Danube, but equally delicious wherever you choose to enjoy it. White pepper and bay leaf aromas are complemented by a palate of citrus and  pear and a bitter twist from 18 days of skin contact.