I've never been a beer or cider man, although I've been known to drink unwise quantities of cucumber-laden Pimm's. As you'd expect, a bottle of chilled, fermented grape juice is never far from my side.
Most of what I drink at this time of year is either crisp and white or, increasingly, pink. But that doesn't mean I won't touch reds. Chilled red wines - generally unoaked, and always of medium body - are my secret indulgence. The combination of sunshine, tannin and high alcohol is a hangover waiting to happen, but lighter reds can be a delight.
I've picked 25 of my favourite summer wines under £8 this month (to be followed by a selection over £8 in August). These are based on extensive tastings over the past three months and no little quaffing in the back garden. As ever, it's a cosmopolitan selection, with wines from eight different countries and a host of different regions. I've concentrated on whites and rosés, but there are also a couple of great fizzes and a handful of chillable reds. Cheers!
My best buy
White 2005 Tesco White Burgundy, Cave de Prisse pounds
£4.99, Tesco
You'd be hard pushed to find a better white Burgundy under £5, or a New World Chardonnay for that matter. This is crisp and unoaked with peachy fruit and crisp, palate-tingling acidity.
The best red wine from £2.83
Red 2006 Tesco Chilean Merlot, Central Valley
£2.83, Tesco
This has to be the best-value party red in the country at the moment, even if it tastes more like a Carmenere than a Merlot. It's soft, grassy, full-bodied red with sweet plummy fruit and just enough tannin for balance.
Red 2006 Nerello Mascalese, Cantina del Coppiere
£4.49, Marks & Spencer
This has to be my red wine discovery of the summer, especially at this price. It's got so much perfume that it resembles an aromatic white, but it's the soft tannins and the sheer juicy gluggability that make it so delicious.
Red 2005 Saumur Rouge, Les Nivieres
£4.99, Waitrose
The Loire Valley has had a very good run of recent vintages for its red wines, typified by this perfumed, grassy, delicately structured, unoaked Cabernet Franc from a vineyard on the edge of Saumur- Champigny.
Red 2005 Torre Beratxa Garnacha/Tempranillo, Navarra
£4.99, or £3.33 each for three, Threshers
There's a little more tannin in this wine than you'd expect from its aroma, but that's no bad thing. It's a deeply coloured, pleasantly rustic red with lots of blackcurrant- pastille fruit and a firmish finish.
Red 2005 Canaletto Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
£4.99, Sainsbury's
This has become my default tipple at home over the past month or so. It's just what Montepulciano should be all about: spicy, plummy and faintly raisiny with sweet tannins and masses of fruit flavour. Perfect for barbecues.
Red 2005 Brouilly, Domaine des Maison Neuves
£7.99, or £6.49 each for two, Majestic
Beaujolais is regarded as being terminally old-fashioned by some people, but chilled for half an hour or so, it's the perfect summer red. This is Gamay at its mouth-watering best, with lots of red fruit intensity and a hint of bubblegum.
The best rose wine from £3.99
Rose 2006 Champteloup Selection Rose d'Anjou
£3.99, Waitrose
If you prefer lighter-coloured roses to the Day-Glo shades that are colonising retailers' shelves, this classic off-dry Anjou style is for you, with its elegant rosehip perfume, refreshing acidity and sweetish wild strawberry fruit.
Rose 2006 Sainsbury's Cuvee Prestige Cotes du Rhone Rose
£4.99, Sainsbury's
You can really taste the Grenache in this full-bodied, full-throated dry rose from the southern Rhone Valley. The herby, fruit-packed, raspberry and bramble-like flavours are perfect with a summer picnic.
Rose 2006 Pinot Grigio Rose, Cantina Beato Bartolomeo di Breganza
£5.49, or £4.39 each for two, Majestic
Normally, pink Pinot Grigio would have me reaching for the nearest sick bag, but this dry, elegant, salmon-pink-coloured wine has subtle fruit flavours and a lovely crisp finish.
Rose 2006 Organic Grand Milord Rose, Vin de Pays du Gard
£5.99, Marks & Spencer
If you're looking for a pink wine with a difference, this blend of the new wave crossing Caladoc and Syrah should push the right buttons. It's quite a firm dry style with a nip of tannin to balance the attractive berry fruit.
Rose 2006 Brampton Rose, Coastal Region
£5.99, selected branches of The Co-op
Only the eccentric Adi Badenhorst would think of combining no fewer than six red varieties in a single pink wine, but this deeply coloured, rosehip and cherry-like rose is one of the best I've had from the New World.
Rose 2006 Blackwing Cabernet/Sangiovese Rose, Langhorne Creek
£7.99, or £5.33 each for three, Threshers
You couldn't accuse Thresher of making a conventional choice here. There's not a whole heap of Sangiovese Down Under and what there is doesn't tend to be blended with Cabernet in pink form. But this is a stonker.
The best whites & sparkling from £3.99
White 2006 Portal Da Aguia White, Ribatejo
£4.89, Oddbins
Portugal is an underrated source of great-value white wines, and this weighty blend of Arinto and Fernao Pires shows you why. It's honeyed and spicy with masses of heady, peachy fruit and a hint of orange peel.
White 2006 Dreaming Tree Verdejo, Bodegas Cerrosol, Rueda
£4.99, Morrisons
Verdejo is one of Spain's up-and-coming white varieties, making easy-drinking whites with notes of pears and smoky minerality. This white-pepper-scented number is blended with a little Viura for extra acidity and zip.
White 2006 Santa Julia Viognier, Mendoza
£5.99, or pounds 3.99 each for three, Threshers
Santa Julia is one of the best sources of value-for-money wines in Argentina, producing a well-crafted and diverse range. This creamy, vanilla-oaky Viognier is a really good summer drink.
White 2006 Ken Forrester Handmade Chenin Blanc, Western Cape
£5.99, or pounds 3.99 each for three, Threshers
Ken Forrester's Chenin Blancs are some of my favourite Cape whites. This is attractively ripe and rich with notes of honey and greengage and enough appley acidity to keep the wine fresh and alert.
White 2006 Domaine des Eyssards Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Bergerac Sec
£5.99, Waitrose
The Bergerac region is enjoying a rich vein of form at the moment, and that goes for its whites as well as its reds. This complex, creamy, unoaked blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is an unbelievable wine at the price.
White 2005 Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Gruner Veltliner
£6.99, Sainsbury's
Austria's Gruner Veltliner deserves to be much better known than it is outside its country of origin. This has the variety's classic white-pepper aroma, backed up by youthful pear and apple fruit. A delicious aperitif.
White 2006 Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling, Clare Valley
£7.99, or £5.99 each for two, Majestic
If you've been put off Riesling because of its residual sweetness in the past, this Aussie example from the Clare Valley should see you right. It's rich and almost oily with zesty acidity and lovely lime-zest fruit.
White 2005 Pazo Serantellos Albarino, Rias Baixas
£6.99, Tesco
The seafood-friendly whites of the Rias Baixas are perfect summer whites, showing moderate alcohol and a crisp, almost salty tang. This perfumed Albarino from Condes de Albarei is a great introduction to the grape.
White 2006 Arneis, Araldica
£6.99, Marks & Spencer
Made from the comparatively rare Arneis grape, which is rarely seen outside the north-west of Italy, this is Piemonte's answer to white Burgundy, with crisp, minerally fruit, good concentration and well integrated oak.
White 2005 La Grille Classic Loire Chenin Blanc, Chateau La Roulerie
£7.99, Waitrose
It might seem excessive to pay nearly pounds 8 for a Loire Chenin Blanc but, believe me, this lightly oaked example from Philippe Germain is about as good as it gets. It's a rich, densely textured white with gooseberry and apple fruit.
Sparkling Vineyard X Cava, Catalunya
£4.99, or £3.99 each for three, Threshers
Made from the classic Cava grapes (Parellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo), this is the perfect party fizz if you're on a restrained budget. It's creamy and fresh with fine bubbles and a touch of complexity.
Sparkling Lindauer Brut
£7.99, Tesco
There are cheaper New World fizzes on the market than Lindauer, but this New Zealand classic still stands out from its competitors. It's pinkish in colour, with lots of malty, strawberryish flavours and attractive weight on the palate.
