A Taste of Summer Mixed Case

A German original, with deep-violet colour and a bright, ripe forthright fruitiness. This is full and ripe with little tannin and is the perfect sausage-and-mash red. Siblings Gerd, Ralf, Eva and Ruth Anselman oversee the family business together with their mother Inge, managing one of the largest wine estates in Germany from the town of Edesheim, south-west of Heidelberg.

From Quincié, considered one of the finest of the Beaujolais villages, this has a bouquet of crushed raspberries, a burst of ripe fruit on the palate and a bright, clean finish.

The 2020 is the best vintage of Château de la Grave Caractère that we`ve tasted. The wine has deep colour and a fragrant bouquet of plums, tar and vanilla, with a layered, juicy texture on the palate. A blend of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet sauvignon the wine was aged for 12 months in two and three-year-old barrels from one of Pauillac`s most famous châteaux. This is concentrated, but well balanced, with grainy, ripe tannins on the finish. A remarkable wine for the price, this is already drinking beautifully, but has ample capacity to age. As winners of our 2024 Climate & Nature fund, de la Grave will use our funds to help diversify and move away from a monoculture. One project involves planting fruit, olive and truffle trees, establishing pre-orchards which will combine fruiting trees with meadows for grazing and breeding their sheep and horses.

Popular Cape White Blend with chenin's tropical and fresh stone-fruit flavour lifted by a little aromatic viognier.

Produced for us from nero d'Avola grapes grown in the Ragusa and Agrigento regions of Sicily. Here the Mediterranean climate, tempered by a cooling coastal breeze, produces full-bodied red wines. Partly aged in French-oak barrels, this juicy raspberry and cherry-scented wine has a rounded mocha finish.

This aromatic dry white has notes of nectarine, pear and peach. The grillo is grown in coastal vineyards in Western Sicily, and here has just a small addition (20%) of zibibbo that adds vibrancy and orange-blossom aromas.

This Chilean carmenère is a good entry-level example of this variety, with its black-pepper nose and ripe, juicy and succulent palate.

A fresh and aromatic Spanish combination of vibrant, dry moscatel bursting with aromas of lime and peach, and a dash of sauvignon blanc to add precision and crispness.

Looking for a special, great-value pinot grigio for this 150th anniversary-celebrating slot was a quite tricky until we spoke to the historic co-operative of Gambellara, where Alberto Marchisio really got behind the challenge. He has made a wine with weight and salinity that is particularly appealing. With additional yeast lees ageing to develop texture, this pear, apricot and lemon-scented wine has a savoury, food-friendly touch to the palate, with a briny lemon-rind note on the finish. Perfect by the glass, or with a wide range of food, though locally it is often enjoyed with rich polenta. For a video message from the winemaker, and for more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

Chéreau-Carré's classy, complex first cru Muscadet is a pioneer of the long yeast-lees-aged style, and one of the best examples of it. Aged for 30 months on fine lees, this offers smoky richness and a fresh Atlantic twist. Château L'Oiselinière sits at a high point at the confluence of the Sèvre and Maine rivers, which both divide and define the region.

The freshness and zip of a classic Vinho Verde makes for perfect summer drinking. This delicately fragrant example blends the floral perfume of loureiro with the crisp, invigorating support of arinto.

This popular Veneto red's opulent rich style is achieved by partial natural air-drying of the grapes (a mix of merlot and corvina) to add richness. Black cherry and leather on the nose, with more spice developing on the palate and finish.