£11.99, Waitrose and waitrosecellar.com
If you know that Xinomavro translates as 'acid black' you might be surprised to see the declaration 'smooth and fruity' on this label. You might also think that a wine with a description sounding more like a mass-market Merlot is not for you. Hold on! Atma means soul and the winemaker is Apostolos Thymiopoulos, a master of the Xinomavro grape and creator of the modern, approachable style – a style retaining the character of the grape variety and region but not the aggressive tendencies Xinomavro wine can have from the wrong site or the wrong hands. Atma is ruby red, fresh, rounded and humming with flavours of spice, coffee, roast meat, flowers, cherry, Marmite and pomegranate – an easygoing, dangerously drinkable combination of spicy, sweet and umami. The grapes, from young vines growing in red marble and schist soils in the Naoussa region of northwest Greece, are hand picked, fermented with indigenous yeasts and there's no oak. Serve it with the sort of dishes you might encounter among meze – meat, fish and vegetarian. For recipe inspiration, look at Great British Chefs.
Thymiopoulos Atma Xinomavro 2017, Macedonia, Greece
£11.99, Waitrose (76 stores) and waitrosecellar.com