Whites

2008 Waitrose Cuvée Pêcheur, IGP Comté Tolosan

£3.99, waitrosewine.com

Waitrose's very good house white aperitif packs in a lot of flavour for the money. An aromatic mix of Ugni Blanc and Colombard from south-west France, it's a worthy cut-price Sauvignon Blanc alternative.

2009 Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde, Portugal

£5.49 if you buy two at Majestic; majestic.co.uk

Few wine styles are more invigorating than well-made vinho verde. Light in alcohol (just 10.5% in this case), with racy acidity and a tongue-tingling spritz, the appley Azevedo would be an ideal companion for lightly spicy Asian food.

2009 AA Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc, Swartland, South Africa

£8.99, Handfords; handford.net; 020 7589 6113

Astonishingly rich, with layer upon layer of honey and cream, this terrific, carefully crafted white from one of South Africa's most impressive new producers is crying out for a roast chicken salad.

2007 Riesling Qba, Willi Schaefer, Mosel Valley

£9.99, Adnams Cellar & Kitchen; cellarandkitchen.adnams.co.uk; 01502 727 222

German riesling remains resolutely unfashionable, and the label for this wine certainly won't help that. But the wine itself – delicate and off-dry with searing acidity and peachy fruit – deserves much better.

2009 Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Gavi, Italy

£6.99; sainsburys.co.uk

Generally speaking, Sainsbury's does a fine job with its Taste the Difference line-up, and this pristine northern Italian number, with its refreshing, lemon-and-herb character, is no exception.

2009 Ponte Pietra Trebbiano/Garganega, Veneto, Italy

£6.60, Green & Blue Wines; greenandbluewines.com; 020 8693 9250

A minor modern Italian classic, made by a New Zealand winemaker in the north-east of the country. There's nothing especially complicated here, just a graceful white wine full of green apples and white flowers.

2009 Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Grigio, East Coast, New Zealand

£8.49, Waitrose, waitrosewine.com

Another Kiwi/Italian co-production, this time featuring an Italian grape variety made by one of New Zealand's best producers. Stylistically, it's miles apart from stereotypically neutral pinot grigio: abundantly, exotically fruity but fresh.

2009 Tesco Finest Darling Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa

£6.99,Tesco; tesco.com/wine

The South Africans would have much more chance of winning a sauvignon blanc World Cup than they have in the football, as this bottle proves: better value than its equivalents from New Zealand and the Loire, it is perched comfortably betwixt the two in style, mixing the green and the lean with tropical notes.

2007 Nord Sud Viognier, Laurent Miquel, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France

£8.99, Tesco; tesco.com/wine

An affordable interpretation of a pricey Rhône grape variety, this gorgeous viognier has a musky nose of almost overripe apricots that calls to mind a warm late-summer evening in the garden.

Reds

2008 Spanish Garnacha/Shiraz

£3.59, Marks & Spencer; marksandspencer.com

A plonk, yes, but a very superior one. From Cariñena in the north of Spain, this juicy, but spicy glugger is just about as good as it gets for under four quid. A perfect barbecue or summer party red.

2008 Costero Syrah, Viña Leyda, Chile

£6.99 when you buy two bottles, Majestic; majestic.co.uk

Viña Leyda were pioneers of Chile's cool-climate Leyda valley and this syrah carries on the good work. Made in a northern Rhône style, it has pepper, raspberries and delightfully refreshing acidity.

2008 Secano Estate Pinot Noir, Chile

£6.99, Marks & Spencer; marksandspencer.com

Chile is pretty much the only country in the world that makes decent pinot noir for under a tenner. This wine, though not exactly complex, does a thoroughly good job of conjuring up the silken texture and red fruits of much more expensive red burgundy.

2007 Saumur Rouge, Les Vignerons de Saumur, Loire, France

£8.25, Yapp Brothers; yapp.co.uk; 01747 860 423)

There's something very moreish about well-made cabernet franc such as this: stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours to enjoy its succulent blackcurrant, faintly leafy qualities to the full.

2007 Regnie, Maison des Bulliats, Beaujolais, France

£8.60, Nick Dobson Wines; nickdobsonwines.co.uk; 0118 9771545

Beaujolais is still somewhat tainted by all the "Nouveau est arrivé" shenanigans each November. That's a shame when its more serious wines, such as this superbly supple, fresh, mid-weight red, are so perfect (after a little time in the fridge) for summer drinking.

2009 Pulenta La Flor Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

£9.95, Berry Bros & Rudd; bbr.com; 0800 280 2440.. £9.49, Noel Young Wines, nywines.com; 01223 566 744

If, by some miracle, it turns out to be a barbecue summer, it's worth having a few bottles of this powerful, juicy malbec from the spiritual home of alfresco meat-burning to hand.

Rosé

2008 Rioja Rosado CVNE, Spain

down to £5.99 from £7.99 until 30 August, Majestic; majestic.co.uk

The rather grand rioja producer CVNE makes a number of excellent red wines, but it is also responsible for one of my favourite rosés. This is everything you'd want from the style: masses of fresh strawberries, but in no way cloying.

2009 Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap Rosé, South Africa

£6.99, Oddbins; oddbins.com

Boekenhoutskloof's Marc Kent is one of South Africa's best red winemakers, and in this fun, robust pink blend of syrah, cinsault and grenache, he's fashioned an answer to one of life's more intractable dilemmas: what to give a red wine drinker when it's too hot for red wine.

Sparkling

Prosecco Ca' Rosa NV, Italy

£8.99, Oddbins; oddbins.com

Prosecco is often regarded, somewhat sneeringly, as a budget alternative to Champagne. But this example, with its fine, lemon-sherbet bubbles and refreshingly dry finish, has a frivolous style all its own.

2009 Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Elio Perrone, Italy

£6.50, The Wine Society; thewinesociety.com; 01438 741 177

Champagne and strawberries? Pah! This sweet, light (just 5.5% alcohol), gently fizzy, Italian white is a far better match, and, with its pure muscat grape flavours, is lovely on its own, too.

Sherry

Marks & Spencer Manzanilla

£5.99; marksandspencer.com

A wonderfully bracing, salty/savoury blast of Spain, this lithe but super-concentrated sherry from the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda is possibly the best-value wine in this list, and will go down happily with pretty much any food you wish to throw at it.