This is Loire Valley Cabernet Franc just as it should be, so hats off to the Bougrier family and winemaker Franck Chatelain of Caves de la Tourangelle, the producer of this Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. It's all the more of an achievement in a year like 2024 because growing seasons don’t come much more difficult.

Rosé may be a much less seasonal wine than it was, but we all need good rosés to drink in the summer. And what a summer this is turning out to be, not least for the weather, and the sport. Here, then, is round-up of rosés to enjoy whatever you are doing and whatever the weather.

You may be thinking anything but big reds in the current weather, but Shiraz doesn’t have to be a big beast. This isn’t. Medium-bodied, bright and polished, it’s a classic cool-climate Australian Shiraz and tastes brilliant lightly chilled. It also makes a great barbecue wine.

This red from the Douro is one of four Portuguese wines in the new Nós Somos (‘We Are’) regional range from Esporão, one of Portugal’s largest, most impressive producers and one of the world’s biggest organic growers. It's a true reflection of its region, very good value and versatile with meat and vegetable dishes

If you didn’t know, you might be hard-pushed to say where this Pinot Noir comes from – the upper Aude Valley is not the best known of wine regions – but you would be having a bad day if you didn’t recognise the grape variety. It’s Pinot Noir to a T, with glistening cherry fruit and silky palate.

Moschofilero Roditis 2024 is part of M&S’s Found range of wines made from lesser known grape varieties and regions. It's a wonderfully vibrant and fragrant dry white wine from Greece, with floral, lime and spice notes and a breezily refreshing, herbal, saline tang.

It doesn’t sound as if the Easter weekend is going to be the weather for flip-flops, sun shades and barely-there pale rosé, but Tavel rosé is an all-seasons rosé. It’s the only French wine AOP (aka appellation contrôlée) that's exclusively for rosé and it has never been afraid to be out on a limb. In a market that equates pale pink with sophistication and subtle flavour, Tavel is showy pink – sometimes copper-pink – well weighted and full of flavour

If you’re not completely sold on Sauvignon Blanc, or not at this time of year when it can feel a bit bracing, Vasse Felix Classic White could be the answer. It’s one third Sauvignon Blanc paired with Semillon in the classic white-grape blend of Australia's Margaret River region. You get the Sauvignon zing but with less bite and more roundness

This is a wonderfully welcoming, approachable red wine, but characterful and distinctive, too: dry, rich and mouth-filling with ripe cherry and dried-cherry fruit. And, along with everything else going for it, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, and especially Santa Tresa’s, is very food-friendly.

I know it's not spring yet but the aptly named Spring Vouvray is a welcome reminder that it's on its way. Made from Chenin Blanc, as all Vouvray must be, it's a mouthwatering dry white wine with flavours of citrus, quince, apricot and a tantalising undercurrent of honey.

A Viognier with a with a spring in its step from renowned Rhône producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné. This is just the thing if you want a dry white wine to lift your spirits on a wintery day. It has the classic floral and peach-cum-apricot flavours and hint of spice of the Viognier grape, but with zesty citrus fruit giving a fresher, zippier style than many Viogniers

This deliciously refreshing, dry Argentinian pet nat wine is a crowd pleaser that would appeal to Champagne, Prosecco, Crémant, Cava and traditional-method sparkling wines from England, South Africa, Australia et al

This Rioja Reserva has already featured in my Festive Red Wine Guide 2025, but it’s so good, so appropriate for Christmas and also relatively widely available that I’m revisiting it here

A round-up of 23 Champagne and sparkling wine top picks to suit every event, occasion and drinker in the 2025–2026 festive season

This Rhône-inspired Australian white is pale, bright and crisp, but also has some textural richness. It smells of apricots, freesias and lemons, layered with Russet apple, lime juice and a light touch of toasty oak.

There are currently some massively tempting supermarket offers on this white wine made from the Verdejo grape in Spain's Rueda region. It's an aromatic dry white with citrus, herb and meadow-flower aromas and a palate combining zippy lime with delicate almond, nutty richness.

Wines made from Cabernet Franc often feature as good reds for summer because they can be lightly chilled, but that doesn’t mean they have to be served from the fridge or only in the summer. Finca Lalande The Land Cabernet Franc is a delight when lightly chilled, but it’s a fuller bodied example than many and works well at this time of year and through the winter served at around 17ºC

This double-trophy winning New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a wine of flawless verve and harmonious flavors and is a great partner for fish and seafood, vegtables and Thai food

Rébus is a deep coloured, medium-bodied red Gaillac with crunchy hedgerow berry fruit, herbal and black pepper notes and appetising freshness. If you like Loire Cabernet Franc, you’ll like this wine – and it can be paired with seared salmon as well as meat

A round-up of rosé wines to blaze a trail into autumn, with some bargains along the way as retailers drop prices to make space for wintery reds.