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.
Food Match: Pork
2024 Nepenthe Grüner Veltliner, Adelaide Hills
( £16, 12.5%, Tesco )It’s wonderful to see Grüner Veltliner, Austria’s greatest white grape, being grown in the cool climate of Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Racy, textured and complete,  this well-priced example  has citrus, cherimoya and white pepper flavours,  undertones of toast and lanolin and a pure, pithy, bone-dry finish. Perfect on a scorching-hot summer’s day.
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.
2025 Luna Beberide MencÃa, Bierzo
( £11.50, 13%, The Wine Society )Bierzo is arguably the Spanish region that is best qualified to call itself the “Burgundy of Spain”, assuming it feels the need to do so. The vineyards are often tiny, the wines produced in small quantities, the approach appealingly artisanal. The biggest difference is the price points, which is why I love wines like this unwooded MencÃa  from Luna Beberida. Crunchy, juicy and tangy, it has some stemmy grip, wonderful energy and focus, stony intensity and a core of pomegranate, plum and goji berry fruit. Lip-smackingly delicious.
2024 Domaine Sérol Éclat de Granite, Côte Roannaise
( £15.50, 12%, The Wine Society )It’s not from Beaujolais, the subject of my main piece this week, but it is made from Gamay (albeit the local Gamay Saint Romain clone). This is a stunning red from the little-known Loire Valley appellation of Côte Roannaise that saw me place an order within five minutes of tasting it at the Wine Society this week. Fermented and aged in concrete tanks with 20% whole bunches and not an oak barrel in sight, it’s tangy, refreshing and lightly grassy, with layers of plum, redcurrant and white pepper, granular tannins and a racy, lingering finish. One of the best-value reds I’ve had so far this year.
2024 Villard Le Pinot Noir Grand Vin, Casablanca Valley
( £19, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Given the price of red Burgundy these days, this Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir from Thierry and Charlie Villard  is a steal. Made with a 60/40 combination of the Valdivieso and 115 clones, it’s a graceful, scented, refined expression of the grape with succulent raspberry and goji berry flavours and a bright, energetic finish.
2023 Sogrape Grão Vasco Vinho Tinto, Dão
( £8.50, 13%, Tesco )Grão Vasco always reminds me of my late friend Salvador Guedes, who once ran Sogrape in Portugal, as we drank it together watching a third-division football match in the Dão region, where it comes from. Always a reliable quaffer – and a little bit more – it’s a smooth, full-flavoured blend of Touriga Nacional,  Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro and 10% other local grapes with bramble, raspberry and summer pudding flavours and a nip of chewy tannin.
2022 Wave Crest Mount Benson Shiraz, Limestone Coast
( £10, 14%, Majestic )Sourced from Australia’s evocatively named Limestone Coast, this is a wine for people who like a bit of zip and freshness in their Shiraz. Sappy, tangy and very lightly wooded, it has aromas of clove and Asian spices, a palate of plum and red berries, supple tannins and an appropriately chalky finish. A perfect pizza night red.
2021 Zulal Areni Red Classic, Vayots Dzor
( £16.50 until February 9; £19 thereafter, 14%, The Wine Society )The Wine Society is never afraid to buy wines from little-known countries, such as Armenia, which is one of the reasons I love their list. On offer until early next week, this is a welcome opportunity to try Areni Noir, thought to be one of the oldest grape varieties in the world. Sourced from high-altitude vineyards over 1,500 metres on volcanic soils, it’s an unoaked delight, showing impressive zip and freshness, racy plum, bramble and redcurrant fruit and textured, fine-grained tannins. Delicious.
2023 Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay, Margaret River
( £16, 13%, Sainsbury's )Aussie Chardonnays have undergone a transformation in the last decade or so, moving towards greater freshness and less obvious oak. This beauty comes from Vasse Felix, one of the leading producers in Margaret River, where Virginia Willcock is making some very impressive reds and whites. Tangy, bright and sappy, it has a sheen of subtle vanilla spice, flavours of lemon zest and cardamom and a racy, lingering finish.
2020 The Society's Exhibition Côtes du Jura, Jura
( £19.50, 13.5%, The Wine Society )It’s rare to find a Jura white of this quality under £20, which makes this equal blend of Savagnin and Chardonnay is the ideal introduction to a unique style made close to France’s border with Switzerland. Best drunk with the local Comté cheese, although it’s heavenly with onion soup or a plate of wild mushrooms, it’s textured, racy and appealingly salty, reflecting the three years it spent “sous voile” (under a film of the flor yeast). Not unlike an unfortified Sherry, albeit with Alpine acidity,  it  reveals layers of citrus, almond and liquorice and a tapering finish.
2023 Piedra Fluida Majec, Tenerife
( £14.95, 13%, The Wine Society )I’ve recommneded a white from Piedra Fluida in the past, but I also wanted to let you know about this red, now that it’s available in the UK. Made from a more or less equal co-fermentation of white Listán Blanco (aka Palomino) and the local Listán Negro grape, it’s an intriguing tinto from the volcanic soils of Tenerife, with lots of old vine concentration, spicy red berry flavours, a waft of wild mountain herbs and savoury, fine-grained tannins.