White wines
Finest Falanghina, Puglia, Italy 2012
(£6.99, Tesco)
One of the more welcome developments in the wine world over the last decade or so has been the rehabilitation of southern Italian white grape varieties such as falanghina. More commonly found on the Mediterranean side of southern Italy around Naples, here it's sourced further south in Puglia to make an orange-zesty, box-fresh white.
Star buy
The Society's Saar Riesling, Germany 2011
(£8.95, thewinesociety.com)
This German riesling from vineyards around the Saar tributary of the Mosel was made for wasting (but not wasted) afternoons in the garden. Low in alcohol (11%) but high in flavour, strong in acidity but soft as a ripe peach.
Domäne Wachau Terraces Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Austria 2012
(£9.99, Waitrose)
From a big but always interesting producer working in the steep, terraced vineyards of Austria's top region for whites, this lively dry white has a dash of celery salt and white pepper to complement its crisp pear fruit. A pristine match for leafy green salads with fish or chicken.
Domaine de Majas Blanc, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, France 2011
(from £11.72, winebear.com; noblegreenwines.co.uk)
Vineyards in the wild hills of the Fenouillèdes region of Roussillon produce some of France's most unusual whites. With its combination of minerals, herbs, citrus and stone fruits, this biodynamic example is taut, complex and cool.
Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Cape Point, South Africa 2011
(from £15.95, Berry Bros & Rudd; Handfords; swig.co.uk)
From the eponymous peninsula at the southern tip of South Africa, Cape Point's majestic sauvignon blanc is worth the many plaudits and awards its received in the last couple of years. Deep and pure with the variety's classic verdant-meets-tropical sharpness.
Valdesil, Pezas de Portela Godello, Valdeorras, Spain 2010
(£25, Lay & Wheeler)
Made from a grape, godello, that deserves its current billing as the next big thing, this is Galicia's answer to top white burgundy, where the gorgeous ripe, slightly honeyed peach, pear and lemon are joined by white flowers and fennel-like herbs, the richness offset by mineral freshness.
Red wines
Marks & Spencer Vin de Pays de l'Ardèche Gamay, France 2012
(£4.99, Marks & Spencer)
A red wine happy to do the work of a white, this is a light (in colour, tannin and alcohol), brisk, red-fruited, faintly peppery cheapie. Made in the northern Rhône from a variety more associated with Beaujolais, it's one to stick in the fridge and serve up with salmon or a salad.
Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir, Central Valley, Chile 2011
(£7.49, Asda, The Co-operative, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco)
Pinot noir is the king of lighter red wines but it can be difficult to get right at this price. Cono Sur's trusty staple generally does the trick, and it's on particularly good form at the moment, supple and succulent with raspberries and a deftly applied lick of savoury oak.
Star buy
Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, Italy 2011
(£11.99, Marks & Spencer)
One of several bold, impressive new Italian wines at M&S, this pretty, perfumed red hails from the Marche region and uses the rare Lacrima di Morro variety to gorgeous effect, with a vividly floral, lavender-garden character, a cherry bakewell fruitiness, and textured tannin that suits pasta al fresco.
Domaine Roche Buissière Petit Jo, Vin de France
(£12.95, Roberson Wine)
A classic syrah-grenache Rhône blend, which the French call a vin de soif: a natural thirst-quencher with juicy black fruit and a streak of herbal savouriness that is as comfortable with charcuterie as it is grilled red meat.
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River, Western Australia 2010
(£16.24 or £12.99 if you buy two bottles of Australian wine, Majestic
From the same stable as New Zealand's Cloudy Bay, a sophisticated Western Australian take on the Bordeaux blend that is too polished and complex to be dismissed as simply a "barbecue wine", but which has the necessary power and intensity of spicy blackcurrant fruit to match smoky meat off the grill.
Vinha do Reino Douro, Portugal 2010
(£6.50, The Wine Society)
You could almost think of this Portuguese cheapie as port for the summer: it comes from the same region, and uses the same grape varieties, but it's lighter (it's not fortified like port) and perfumed with succulent, juicy fruits of the forest. It also has enough savoury substance and chew for the barbie, and it does it all at a remarkable price.
Rosé
Finest Navarra Rosé, Spain 2012
(£6.99, Tesco)
Spain is often a happy hunting ground if you prefer rosé with a bit of body and punch, marked more by exuberant fruit than elegance, the kind of thing that's robust enough to serve at barbecues. This example is full of properly ripe strawberries, given drinkability by a tangy, cranberry-like acidity.
Viña Mayu Syrah Carmenère Rosé, Elqui Valley, Chile 2012
(£7, Asda)
Another richer, deeper, barbecue-ready rosé (with alcohol heading towards 14%), this time from an Italian-run producer in the far north of Chile. Mayu's pink has a forceful whack of candied strawberry that would be a little too much were it not for the bright acidity and snappy dry finish.
Commanderie de Peyrassol Côtes de Provence Rosé, France 2012
(£10.99, or £9.99 if you buy two bottles, Majestic)
The opposite end of the rosé spectrum from the Navarra, this typically pale Provençal pink is gentle rather than insistent, with crisp, almost citrussy acidity, and a winning coolness to its watermelon and redcurrant and subtle spice. Goes well with grilled fish.
Star buy
Domaine Pieretti Rosé Coteaux du Cap Corse, Corsica, France 2012
(£13.25, Yapp Bros)
A dry rosé with personality that blends the local speciality, nielluccio, with the more widely grown syrah and alicante to produce vivid red cherry flavours with whispers of thyme, minerals and spice. Crisp and zesty, it's perfect with herb-encrusted salami.
Sparkling wines & champagne
Corte Alta Prosecco, Italy NV
(£6.99, Majestic)
A typically fun, uncomplicated prosecco, this has a classic explosive sherbet-fountain frothiness and sweet pear and apple fruit, plus a cleansing sweep of citrus. It's not madly complex, but then nor is it meant to be: ideal as an inexpensive summer-evening post-work pick-me-up.
Taste the Difference Vintage Rosé Cava, Spain 2011
(£9.99, Sainsbury's)
A cava made by one of the style's two Catalan giants, Codorníu, with an eye very much on champagne – it uses chardonnay and pinot noir rather than the usual local suspects – this pink fizz is consistently good value for its light zesty lemon and red fruit refreshment, especially when on one of its frequent discounts.
Vincent Carême Vouvray Brut L'Ancestrale, Loire, France 2010
(£20.50, Berry Bros & Rudd)
This unusual Loire fizz sings with tarte-tatin flavours and light bubbles. Made from chenin blanc using the "ancestral" method, where the fizz-giving second fermentation takes place in the bottle without yeast or sugar being added to the still wine as it is in Champagne.
Star buy
The Co-operative Les Pionniers Vintage Champagne 2004
(£26.99, The Co-operative)
The pair of wines made by Champagne house Charles Heidsieck's chief winemaker Régis Camus for the Co-op are consistently among the best sparklers on the high street. I'd be happy with the non-vintage Les Pionniers on offer at £16.99, but the latest vintage cuvée, with its extra levels of patisserie richness, is even better value.
