Major labels

apéritif
Château La Mascaronne 2022, Grande Réserve
Provence, France

This pale, delicate but structured rosé from entrepreneur Michel Reybier is a superb blend of grenache and mourvèdre grapes, pressed and vinified separately in small vats.
chateau-lamascaronne.com
Cost: €48

apéritif
Château d’Auvernier Neuchâtel Blanc AOC Non-Filtré 2022
Neuchâtel, Switzerland

This unfiltered chasselas from the historic Château d’Auvernier estate cleanses the palate like spring water. Dry and crisp, it can be enjoyed with tapas or antipasti. 
chateau-auvernier.ch
Cost: €15

Fabelhaft Alkoholfrei Drink & Drive
Mosel, Germany

Families Kettern (Germany) and Niepoort (Portugal) made this alcohol-free riesling with wine merchant Scherer & Bühler (Switzerland). The label is by US artist Bill Plympton.
fabelhaft-wine.ch
Cost: €13

white
Vino Gross Korže Haloze 2019
Štajerska, Slovenia

Central Europe is full of surprises, such as this Slovenian blend of sauvignon blanc and furmint vinified by Austria’s Gross family. A salty, spicy white from Korže’s limestone and marl terraces.
vinogross.at
Cost: €35

Château Grand Village Blanc 2021
Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux’s whites deserve to be trumpeted – especially this crisp blend of sauvignon blanc and sémillon. Expect lean and racy aromatics of green apple and a delicately salty aftertaste. 
chateaulafleur.fr
Cost: €22

white
M Chapoutier Chasselas 2021, Combe Pilate
Tain-l’Hermitage, France

A lovely chasselas from Maison M Chapoutier. Aged in steel vats, it’s a crisp, mineral and precise white with hints of lime blossom and wild honey. An ideal wine with fish or cheese.
chapoutier.com
Costs: €15

white
Domaine Alexandre Bonnet Blanc Les Riceys 2020
Champagne, France

This blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and blanc vrai is clean with limey notes – more like a creamy, fatty oyster than a chablis. Its freshness gives way to reveal a touch of oregano.
alexandrebonnet.com
Cost: €51

white
Riesling Kalk Trocken 2022, K Wechsler
Rheinhessen, Germany

German riesling is what you always want in your cellar – especially when it’s dry and minerally, like this discovery from talented winemaker Katharina Wechsler.
weingut-wechsler.de
Cost: €18

sparkling wine
Vaux Erbacher Marcobrunn 2018
Rheingau, Germany

German sparkling wines have never been better. This riesling from Vaux has notes of apricots, ripe plums and hints of passionfruit. A colourful bubbly for antipasti or seafood.
schloss-vaux.de
Cost: €42

sparkling wine
Lambrusco Vecchia Modena Premium 2022, Chiarli
Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The rich Po Valley has always been the spiritual home of this sparkling wine – a dark red that hisses refreshingly through the palate. It’s perfect with heavy dishes.
chiarli.it
Cost: €10

orange
Heinrich Graue Freyheit 2021
Burgenland, Austria

This solid orange wine is a good introduction to the wine style’s growing popularity. It’s made using spontaneous fermentation and matured on its own yeast in large oak barrels. 
heinrich.at
Cost: €30

red
Las Viñas de Eusebio 2018, Olivier Rivière
Rioja, Spain

An example of how a new generation of winemakers has rediscovered old values. This wine is from two sites that are unique due to their decomposed sandstone and limestone soils.
europeancellars.com
Cost: €50

red
Cecchi La Mora 2022
Tuscany, Italy

The Cecchi family has been making wine for more than 130 years. This bottle – a blend of sangiovese and merlot, is pure easy drinking with a Mediterranean soul. It’s perhaps the perfect pizza and pasta wine.
cecchi.net
Cost: €10

red
Montebuoni 2018, Castello di Ama Chianti Classico DOCG
Tuscany, Italy

Castello di Ama is a gem of a Tuscan winery. Its new launch is an earthy and deep sangiovese that represents the historic soil of the area. 
castellodiama.com
Cost: €28

red
Fürst Spätburgunder Bürgstadter Berg Erste Lage 2021
Franconia, Germany

Because of climate change, German pinot noirs ripen better than ever. Rudolf Fürst is a magician of finesse and this is a perfect red for poultry.
weingut-rudolf-fuerst.de
Cost: €43

red
Schiefer Blaufränkisch Ried Szapary 2018
Burgenland, Austria

Blaufränkisch is Uwe Schiefer’s signature grape. Aged in large wooden barrels for at least three years, it has notes of sour cherries and forest floor. This is a wine for festive dishes.
weinbau-schiefer.at
Cost: €39

red
Mesquida Mora Sòtil Negre 2021
Mallorca, Spain

From biodynamic project Mesquida Mora, this pure callet aged for 12 months in 500-litre barrels has a juicy aroma of plums, blackberries, red flowers, thyme and dark chocolate.
mesquidamora.com
Cost: €34

red
Yamanashi de Grace 2019
Yamanashi, Japan

A special discovery from Japan’s Grace winery that’s based on the muscat bailey A grape, which is cultivated in the Hosaka district. The wine has generous aromas of plums and blueberries.
grace-wine.com
Cost: €19

red
Nathan K Cabernet Franc 2020
Finger Lakes, USA

This is Nathan Kendall’s first cabernet franc and is bottled without any additives. The result is an earthy and flowery red of medium body with a deep tannic structure.
nkendallwines.com
Cost: €28

dessert wine
Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2021, Daniele Pelassa
Piedmont, Italy

This muscat wine is colourful, aromatic and upbeat. There are notes of roses, nutmeg, honey, white peach and some mint. The mousse is delicate and the alcohol content very low. 
pelassa.com
Cost: €12