If you’re the kind of customer who flies Virgin Atlantic, borrows Virgin Money and signs up to Virgin Active because you’re a fan of Richard Branson and the Virgin brand, then Virgin Wines might not be for you. Not because there’s anything wrong with the brand, far from it. It was started by Branson in 2000, but subsumed in 2005 under the Direct Wines umbrella that also includes Laithwaites and Avery’s.

You could be forgiven for being confused because it adopts the Virgin logo and borrows Virgin-like terminology such as Rockstar Service while 41,000 customers sign up to its Discovery Wine Club on either a Standard or First Class option. On the face of its at least, virginwines.co.uk operates autonomously, with three-quarters of the 600-strong range, sourced by its youthful but experienced buyer Andrew Baker, exclusive to it or blended to its specification. The heart of its mail order business lies in its exclusive wine clubs, but it also holds regular wine tastings around the county, hosting 30 this year.

Among new releases showcased at its summer press tasting this month, the 2012 Les Terrasses de l’Argentier Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc, £9.99, is a bracingly refreshing and aromatic white Gascon blend with a lively grapefuity tang and kudos to Mr. Baker for snapping up the bracingly briny and bone dry La Gitana en Rama Manzanilla from Hidalgo, £12.99. Notable new release reds included a vibrant, modern smoky black cherry-filled 2007 Loculto Ribera del Duero Crianza, £13.99 and spicy and peppery, richly blackberryish 2010 Gigondas La Grille from the Perrin family stood out.

The Summer Discovery Club Selection (bottle price £9.99), gives you a case discount so wines such as the 2012 Les Arbousiers Reserve Grenache Vermentino, a refreshingly dry apple and peach white, works out at a reasonable £7.49, as does the a bright juicy gooseberryish and refreshingly tangy 2013 Billy Bosch Reserve Stellenbosch Semillon Sauvignon.

The same principle applies to the First Class Discovery Club Selection (case discount = £8.33 per bottle). Here I particularly liked the 2011 Transit of Venus Sauvignon Grenache from South Africa, a dry white with an appetising herbal fragrance and stonefruit richness infused with the herbal twist of the sauvignon grape. Equally good, the 2012 Domaine André Brunel Viognier, delivered the fragrance and peachy opulence of the condrieu grape in a well-proportioned framework.

Among Customer Favourites, the aromatic and intensely full-flavoured stonefruit richness of the 2010 Atalaya do Mar Godello, £10.99, is a terrific match for white fish. I also enjoyed the classic nettle and elderflower-scented 2011 Girard Sancerre Silex, a dry Loire white filled with gooseberry fool richness and etched with herbaceous borders. The star of this particular show though was the magnificent 2010 Ridgeview Fitzrovia Rosé, £26.95, an eat-your-heart-out-rosé-Champagne fizz with a complex raspberryish mousse and a delicate underpinning of toasty flavours.

Something For The Weekend

Something for the Weekend

NIGHT IN

2012 Porcupine Ridge Viognier Grenache Blanc

This white blend mingles the aromatic qualities of the viognier grape with the stony freshness of the grenache blanc. Majestic, £8.99, buy 2 = £6.99, Majestic

DINNER PARTY

2011 Côtes du Rhône, Romain Duvernay

Spicily perfumed with a dark-berry fruit middle, this is a delightful grenache, syrah, mourvèdre blend. £9.95, Roberson, Kensington (020-7381 7870)

SPLASH OUT

2009 Pago de los Capellanes, Ribera del Duero

Sumptuously pure tempranillo with sweet aromas of liquorice spice. Around £19.95, Berry Bros & Rudd, AG Wines (020-7266 4777), Exel Wines (01738 493535).