Spring forward with a drop of something new
DO YOU stick to the same well-known wine varieties such as Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc?
There's nothing wrong with that, but if you do want to try something different – maybe from grapes and places you have not considered before – have a read of my selection below.
For whites, there is La Mia Strada Falanghina 2024 Campania, Italy 12.5% (Co-op £9.15) – grown round the Naples area and Mount Vesuvius, this is bright and zesty with notes of citrus, ripe apple and spice.
Alasia Roero Arneis 2019, Roero, Piedmont 12.5% ( £12.50 Lightfoots, Wentworth) has a nose of ripe pear and vanilla, soft peach and apricot palate.
Good as a starter and with fish.
One of my favourite whites is Assyrtico, Greece's most striking white grape at its best on the windy, volcanic Cycladese island of Santorini.
Some of its vines are more than 200 years old but land here is expensive because of tourism and prices of the wine have risen steeply, so more Assyrtico is now being grown in Northern Greece and Crete.
Assyrtico 2024, Stereo Ellada, Greece 12.5% (Lidl £7.75) – citrus and stone fruits, crisp and zesty.
Tesco Finest Greek Assyrtico 2024, Northern Florina, Producer Filos. 12.5% (£11.75) – grown at high altitude this is good value, fresh with a hint of peach, citrus and nectarine.
Now for some good reds from Europe.
Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano, Roggiana Riserva, Tuscany, Italy 14% (Waitrose £14) – a warm, ripe Sangiovese Riserva from Maremma's coastal hills with cherry, spice and a velvety finish.
Tanyamacksa Szekszardi Kekfrancos, Esterbauer 2024 12.5% (The Wine Society £9.95) – plenty of red berry, blueberry and strawberry and a nice fresh palate.
Muenzenrieder Zweigelt 2023, Austria 13% (Mitchells, Sheffield £12.49) – easy drinking, cherry and dark berry fruit, soft tannins.
M&S Found Saperavi 2023 Kakheti, Georgia 13% ( £11) – a full-bodied wine, with flavours of cherries and plums, some vanilla and spice. A good match for game and meat stews, or barbecues.
Domaine des Tourelles Cuvee Pierre Brun 2021, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 14.5% (Majestic £15, £13 mix six, The Wine Society £14.95) - Morello cherry and spicy nose, juicy red and blackberry palate and fine tannins.
Time for adventure!