Wine to buy now

You might find that this lightly sparkling number becomes your best friend. It revives the palate like spring water with an added hit of fresh fruit. Very refreshing indeed.

Costs: €8

Swiss biodynamic fizz-maker and wine-maker Tom Litwan creates oenological highlights that are well worth discovering. This is a precise and delicate pinot noir.

Costs: €35

The Guerrieri Gonzaga family launched this charismatic riesling a few years ago. A noble, elegant alpine white with minerality, freshness and citrus notes.

Costs: €35

Spontaneously fermented and aged for up to 24 months in burgundy barrels, this Weisser Burgunder is pure pleasure. One of Austria’s great whites, it can be kept and aged for years.

Costs: €55

A collector’s item. Biodynamic with hints of jasmine, honeysuckle and green apple. The best sauvignon blanc from the former owners of California’s Araujo winery.

Costs: €55

Pure, mineral, rich chasselas from the Unesco-protected Lavaux region. Keeps for decades and spoils the palate (well) with notes of candied apricots and honey.

Costs: €40

Elisabetta Geppetti’s new limited-edition bottle. Pure petit manseng with notes of chamomile, white flowers and alpine herbs. A rich finish. Decant and serve in big glasses.

Costs: €89

This blend of sauvignon blanc, sémillon and muscadelle is a pure vin de soif (easy drinker). Serve very well chilled. You’ll find that a case empties in no time.

Costs: €12

I always surprise my guests with this tropical white from the UK. Very aromatic with lychee and peach aromatics. Named after the Roman god of hedonism and wine.

Costs: €30

Eben Sadie is a visionary wine-maker. He creates South African wines with unique profiles and characteristics. This blend of chenin blanc and palomino is vigorous with a salty, dry touch.

Costs: €45

The second vintage of the new Tuscan star of the Mazzei family. Worth the vertiginous price tag. Full-bodied and of great intensity, it’s rare, limited in production and as good as it gets.

Costs: €300

Top oenologist Carlo Ferrini creates lesser-known Tuscan gems. This pure sangiovese red is fragrant, fruity and charismatic.

Costs: €40

This new Tuscan brings out all the complexity of the sangiovese grape: you’ll taste gooseberries and black cherries.

Costs: €50

Blueberry and blackberry notes. A biodynamic blend of grenache and syrah from vines between 15 and 70 years old and about 650m above sea level.

Costs: €14

This pinot noir might even convert devoted lovers of burgundy to the delights of the Sancerre region. The wine is powerful, with notes of cherries, black tea, cloves and pepper.

Costs: €42

This is one of my favourite pinot noirs from California. It sings with understatement, finesse and fruitiness. For those who know it, this is California’s answer to Chambolle-Musigny.

Costs: €89

If you like barolo, cabernet franc or gamay, then it’s worth trying a trousseau. Decant and enjoy the floral and spicy bouquet. This historic estate is well worth a visit too.

Costs: €16

Elegant, dense with aromas of red cherries and chocolate. From the Fürstentum Grand Cru terroir, this is a good red to accompany poultry dishes or terrines.

Costs: €26

New-generation wine-maker Hannes Schuster created this ravishing, energetic red. Deep, spicy, ripe blackberries and juniper. Spontaneously fermented. My new house wine.

Costs: €14

A wine for whisky lovers – the grapes are aged for 18 months in whisky barrels. A flashy, extroverted treat with a concentrated fruity punch. Good for strong palates.

Costs: €25

The result of 24-month oak ageing, this is a punchy, volcanic red with notes of sour cherries, raspberries, wild herbs and mint chocolate. An oenological outsider but many will adore it.

Costs: €21

This fresh, young and expressive port is superbly quaffable and is a pleasure for long winter nights, and never becomes too sweet or cloying.

Costs: €10

An unusual sherry-style fortified white. Funky, complex and spicy with a saline finish. A blend of palomino and verdejo that’s perfect if the nights are cold and long.

Costs: €50