2004 Tortoiseshell Bay Semillon-Sauvignon, Australia, Somerfield, down 50p to £3.49 until July 5. Grab a few bottles of this lively, lean, aromatic 11 per cent alcohol Aussie white, whose lemon, lime and Granny Smith-spiked flavours make a refreshing summer glassful.
2004 Tortoiseshell Bay Mourvèdre-Shiraz, Australia, Somerfield, down 50p to £3.49 until July 5. This jolly, juicy Aussie red, partner to the white above, with lots of spicy berry fruit to the fore, makes an easy-swigging summer bottle, equally at home at barbecues or with simple indoor menus.
2003 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner, Thal, Austria, Oddbins fine wine, £10.99. Carefully crafted grüner veltliner wines, such as this rich, dry 2003, are worth the extra spend. With lots of intense apricot, apple blossom and white-pepper flavours, this is a welcome change to standard summer slurping.
2002 Morgon, Domaine des Souchons, France, Oddbins, £8.99. Beaujolais is tailor-made for the summer, and best served cool on hot days, just like the French do. So crack open this fine, crimson-purple red, whose verdant scent leads on to a seductive ripe, plum and cracked-pepper palate.
2003 Leaping Horse Shiraz, California, Waitrose, £4.99. About as good as you’ll get for a fiver right now from the Golden State, a wine region still renowned for its high prices. Never mind. Rejoice in this easy-going, but robust mouthful, with barbecue-suitable, ripe, spicy, oaky, herby flavours.
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2004 Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, Waitrose and majestic, £8.99. In any Kiwi sauvignon line-up, this one from the prime spot of Marlborough will always shine, with its thrilling, white currant, nettley style, and that distinctive, exotic, tropical fruit-charged finish.