2010 Marks & Spencer Margaret River Sémillon Sauvignon

This Western Australian take on the classic Graves-style blend is intensely herbal with equally juicy herbaceous fruit, a touch of sauvignon's gooseberry and citrusy acidity, finishing with a stylish crisp, dry flourish like a Bordeaux Graves yet a je ne sais quoi of extra opulence. £9.99, Marks & Spencer.

2009 Quinta de S.Francisco Branco, DOC Obidos, Companhia de Sanguinhal

Outside the crenellated city walls of Obidos in Portugal’s Estremedura lies a region sporting three native grape varieties: Fernão Pires, Vital, and Arinto. This local trio dovetail in an intriguing dry white whose concentrated peach-like flavours are delightfully etched by a refreshingly moreish juiciness. £9.95, or £8.96 bottle / case, Jeroboams shops.

2010 Iona Sauvignon Blanc, Elgin

Something wistfully Celtic in the name of this wonderful Cape sauvignon blanc reflects its remote vineyard location close to the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a perennial favourite for its restrained Pouilly Fumé-like herbaceous borders, green bean aroma and the substantial flavours of gooseberry, brought to life by the crisp, zesty freshness of its cool climate location. £12.49, or buy 2 = £9.99, Majestic; £10.99, Waitrose

2008 O’Leary Walker Polish Hill River Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia

A superb dry aromatic white from the Polish Hill vineyard in Australia’s most famous valley for riesling, South Australia’s picturesque Clare Valley, this displays undertones of grapefruit and lime zest and even some of the toast and honey characters associated with the variety as it matures. A wonderful summer patio sipper or for keeping shellfish company. £9.99, Waitrose

2010 La Guardiense Grecco Sannio, Janare, Campania, Italy

The Wine Society’s crack buying team gets to parts of the wine world that other buyers don’t reach. In this instance, it’s the land of Vesuvius, where the Greco grape, so named because it was thought to have been introduced by the Greeks, holds sway with a refreshing spritz, flavours of apple and pear and a lively bite of Italianate acidity. The Wine Society (01438 741177; thewinesociety.com).

Marks & Spencer Bluff Hill Sparkling Rosé, East Coast, New Zealand

Salmon pink in colour with a persistent bead of bubbles, this champagne-influenced blend of chardonnay and pinot noir is not only headily scented with redcurrant and raspberry but the flavours are carried on a carpet of creamy textured mousse, edged with toasty flavours of bottle age, exploding to tangy effect on the tongue. £9.99, Marks & Spencer

Ayala Brut Nature

The new trend for champagne production without the added ‘make-up’ of the usual dose of sugar can be done well or, if it’s too tart, less successfully. Ayala get the grapes ripe enough for the wine to speak for itself. Like a beautifully unadorned woman, this is a seriously good, bone dry champagne of full-flavoured complexity, and superbly refreshing. Around £25, Berry Bros. & Rudd (0800 280 2440), Whole Foods Market (020 7368 4555).

Hidalgo Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana Sherry

Love it or hate it, sherry, especially fino and manzanilla, is one of this year’s ‘in’ drinks (see next week’s piece on sherry in the Independent). This particular manzanilla, matured in the Atlantic town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda under a protective white veil of flor, is wonderfully fresh, yeasty, savoury, tangy and bone dry. Get in some roasted salted almonds and manzanilla olives. £11.99, Waitrose (20 branches) and Waitrose Wine Direct.

2006 Joffré Reserva Merlot, Mendoza

Most of the good red wine coming out of Mendoza in Argentina is malbec; but every so often a Bordeaux variety hits the spot, and here’s it’s merlot, a ringer for Right Bank Bordeaux if you close your eyes, only the fruit is plummier, and more sweetly opulent with a cherryish fleshiness reminiscent of a warm vintage Pomerol. £11.99, buy 2 = £9.99, Majestic

2007 Tinpot Hut Hawkes Bay Syrah, New Zealand

This typically elegant style of Hawkes Bay syrah from Fiona Turner’s Blind River vineyard is reminiscent of a good northern Rhône Crozes-Hermitage for its smoky, tarry, paprika-like scents and a spicy, mulberryish fruit quality that’s deliciously moreish thanks to its easy tannins and cool climate freshness. £13.49 - £15, Highbury Vintners (020 7226 1347), The Secret Cellar, Tunbridge Wells (01892 537 981), Villeneuve Wines, Edinburgh (0131 558 8441).

2008 Celler Espelt, Sauló, Emporda

A blend of garnatxa and cariñena as they spell grenache and carignan in this neck of the Catalan woods, this deep–hued red is ripe in cherry and blackberry fruit richness of flavour and concentration, with an attractively vivid and gently spicy character that bursts with honest red berry fruit and finishes with real succulence and freshness. One for pasta and barbecues. £13.75, or £12.37 bottle / case, Vagabond Wines, Fulham (020 7381 1717),

2008 Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River, Western Australia

With its fresh leafy nose and smooth, juicy blackcurranty fruit quality tinged with mint, this Western Australian blend of the two major Bordeaux varieties displays a textured smoothness with undertones of vanilla and mint; it may be expensive within the context of the Morrisons range, but it’s worth every cent. £10.99. Morrisons