Stockist/Retailer: Laithwaites

(2026) A blend of the indigenous, pink-skinned, Roditis Alepou variety with Syrah, this Greek rosé has a medium to pale colour tinged with orangey-bronze. Aromatically there is some pepper and a sense of vanilla, as well as some summer berry fruit. In the mouth the wine has a little too much sweetness for my palate that I find a touch cloying and butting heads with the wines acidity, though it is herby and fruity enough.

(2026) This is Pinotage from the inland Robertson area, a moderately pale orangey-pink, with bright, bubblegum and cherry lips aromas of very cold ferment and a hint of something peachy too. In the mouth there's just a touch of sweetness, but this drinks well, the orangey vibrancy of the acidity and pulpy summer fruits combing to a nice mouthful of undemanding and fruity-fresh wine.

(2026) A moderate alcohol wine at 9.5% that, unusually by European standards, blends Sauvignon Blanc with Malbec. Techniques to keep the alcohol level down include canopy management and site selection, developed largely by Dr John Forrest whose hand may well be behind this. Whoever makes it has done a good job. The Sauvignon character is there, with a bit of added red berry fruit, a trace of sweetness balanced by nice, fresh acidity. A decent lower alcohol wine this.

(2026) Bleasdale was the first winery in the Langhorne Creek back in 1850, and is still owned by the 5th generation of the Potts family. This Rhône blend is aged six months in large oak casks. What I like about the wine is that it has taken advantage of the ocean position to make a tempered wine that is not too 'blockbuster' in style. Herbal notes of sage and mint join red fruits on nose and palate, with good balancing tannin and acid to give a savoury and food-friendly edge. If you want a big-scaled Shiraz this is not for you, but if the style appeals the offer price of £12.99 at time of review makes it worthy of consideration. Watch the video for more information.

(2026) Described, accurately enough, as lying somewhere between Chardonnay and Muscadet, this is yet another 'PIWI' variety hitting UK shelves. Voltis is a fungus resistant hybrid needing little or no use of treatments against disease, which also means fewer tractor passes through the vineyard. This is grown near Beaujolais, but made by Chablis producer Domaine des Malandes, though of course is neither Beaujolais nor Chablis. It is crisp and flecked with green herbs aromatics over apple. In the mouth it has a moderately rich texture and hints of more ripe, exotic fruit, though the limey core of acidity persists with a succulent pear and apple juiciness. It is arguably not remarkable at the price, but it is very good and a fascinating glimpse of where viticulture may head in the face of climate change. Watch the video for more information.

(2025) From single vineyard owned by the Laithwaite family and planted on chalk and gravel, made from a blend of the three main Champagne grapes, with wines from a perpetual reserve started in 2013 as part of the blend. Bottled in May 2021, it was disgorged in October 2024. Pale gold in colour there is plenty of shortbread biscuit and toast on the nose, lightly bruised apple and citrus. On the palate there is some sweetness of the dosage, and ripe and juicy orchard fruit, then a nicely sour and savoury hit of lemon pith and grapefruit. Stylish and enjoyable.

(2025) Note that at time of review this wine, supplied to me as a £15.99 sample by Laithwaites, was priced down to just £8.99 when I checked their website. It is an unusual botrytis-affected Verdicchio from the rolling hills of Italy’s Marche region on the Adriatic. Unfortunately the reason the price cut was soon obvious: with it already having eight years in bottle, it is on the oxidised and Sherried side of mature - at least my bottle was. On a positive note, if you can imagine a fino Sherry but with a thwack of sweetness, that's what you will get, but not the Sauternes lookalike as suggested by Laithwaites description of "honey, candied apricot and orange." Price for 50cls.

(2025) From Barbara Laithwaite's two-hectare Oxfordshire estate this wine spent six years on the lees. It is a blend of 56% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier. The long ageing in bottle is apparent in aromas with plenty of biscuit and yeasty autolyitic aromas, bruised apple but also a fresher and juicier peach coming through. Well balanced and polished on the palate, it's a nicely mature style where fruit is still driving, but the toasty and mineral notes and excellent acidity push the finish.

(2025) I'm a big fan of the wines of Jurançon, an appellation focused on white wines, both dry and sweet. Clos de la Vierge is a tiny, three-hectare vineyard run by 70+ year old sisters, Anne-Marie and Christiane, who tend vines that are almost as old. It is 100% Gros Manseng, and opens with supple aromas of ripe stone fruits, rosy apples and a whiff of preserved lemon. The palate has a lively, unforced concentration and richness, again this is on peach and ripe, juicy Comice pear, a citrus and saline tang of acidity rippling through the rich texture. Watch the video for more information.

(2025) From a cooperative of 192 vine growers in Navarra, grapes come exclusively from high-altitude vineyards in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Most notably, this weighs in with just 10.5% alcohol which could be useful on occasions. Fresh, crisp with good fruit, this has the zip of a Sauvignon and the orchard and lemon fruit of a Pinot Grigio and is an elegant summer sipper.