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.
Price Range: £5-£10
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 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.
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.
2022 Tesco Finest Steep Slopes Mosel Riesling, Mosel Valley
( £7.25, 11%, Tesco )On hot summer days – we’re due a run of them soon, surely – there’s almost nothing I enjoy more than a glass of chilled Mosel Riesling. This own-label bottling from Peter Mertes is something of a bargain: crisp, perfumed and refreshing with a hint of sweetness, flavours of lime, peach and fresh grapes and a stony, mouth-watering finish. Appealingly light-bodied.
2022 Taste the Difference Côtes du Rhône White, Rhône Valley
( £9, 12.5%, Sainbury's )Who needs to age a white wine in oak when it has as much flavour as this southern Rhône blend of Grenache Blanc, 20% Viognier, 12% Roussanne and 10% Marsanne? Honeysuckle, jasmine and ginger aromas segue into a palate that’s light, zesty and refreshing, with peach, lemongrass and wild mountain herb flavours and a bright, appealingly tangy finish.
2021 M&S Found Saperavi, Kakheti
( £10, 13%, Marks & Spencer )If Saperavi were French, it would be one of the world’s most famous red grapes. Instead, Georgia’s premium variety remains something of a secret to most UK wine drinkers. This tasty, toothsome example, sold under Marks & Spencer’s very good Found range, comes from the premium region of Kakheti, where the limestone soils always seem to give the wines a chalky frisson. Plum and damson fruit flavours are supported by protein-friendly tannins and racy acidity.
NV Taste the Difference Cava, Catalonia
( £7.50 until May 14, 11.5%, Sainsbury's )Just the thing if you’re looking for a party fizz – especially at the reduced price until May 14th – this is a Cava made from traditional local grapes, rather than interlopers like Chardonnay. Blending 40% Xarel-lo with 30% each of Macabeo and Parellada, this is a bargain bubbly from Castillo de Perelada, with lots of zip, notes of cream and petrichor, citrus and yellow apple flavours and a hint of sweetness.
2022 Casa Ferreirinha Planalto White Reserva, Douro Valley
( £8.99, 12.5%, Majestic )The Douro Valley may be better known for Port and red table wines, but its whites can offer tremendous quality and value for money too. This brilliant, unoaked blend is a cuvée of seven different local grapes – Arinto, Codega, Godello, Malvasía Fina, Moscatel, Rabigato and Viosinho – from cooler, higher altitude sites. Spicy, pithy and intense, it’s a bright, tangy, seafood friendly number with citrus, lime, white pepper and fennel flavours and a lingering finish. Outstanding value.
2022 The Society's Chinon, The Loire Valley
( £9.99, 13%, The Wine Society )Partly inspired by a line in Peter Pharos’ latest column, I’ve decided to feature a Chinon as my wine of the week. The Loire Valley is one of those under-rated French regions that consistently delivers great value for money, especially for Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc lovers. This is a gloriously scented, leafy, unwooded example of the former grape from Famille Bougrier, with crunchy acidity, raspberry and black cherry flavours and top notes of graphite and green herbs. Appealingly juicy.
2020 Tesco Finest Peumo Carmenère, Peumo, Cachapoal Valley
( £8.50, 14%, Tesco )Something of a bargain within the Tesco range, this is a plush, engagingly scented Carmenère from Peumo, considered one of the best regions for the grape in Chile. Judiciously blend with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s appealingly unwooded, with flavours of rocket, dark chocolate and green pepper, supple tannins and enough acidity to freshen the finish.
2021 Pepe Mendoza Mares de Luz Monastrell/Giró, Alicante
( £9.95, 14%, The Wine Society )Pepe Mendoza is Alicante’s most celebrated winemaker, well known for the quality of his reds and whites as well as their outstanding value for money. This lightly wooded cuvée marries equal amounts of Monastrell and the rare Giró grape and is a charming, enticing delight. Aromas of rose petal and Turkish Delight segue into a palate that’s savoury and spicy, all white pepper, thyme and summer berries and a nip of tannin.