Terra Alta's BEST Garnacha Blanca, as awarded 2019. Fans of white Burgundy will find pleasures old and new in this rich and complex wine from the up-and-coming Terra Alta region, inland from Barcelona. Fruit laden and floral on the nose, with graphite notes. The natural acidity has been retained, enabling the wine to be fresh and moreish rather than cumbersome and tiring on the palate, as seen in other Garnacha Blancas. From the century-old farm Benufet, located in Serra Xalamera, on calcareous, clayey soils, which are poor in organic matter. Grapes are manually harvested and selected then fermented in concrete barrels. Batonnage of fine lees for 2 months brings texture, depth, and a slight smokey hints. A final 'rest' in large, old oak brings the recipe together. A very gastronomic wine, with volume and poise. 

Bright peach, pear and lemon flavours are supported by an elegant flinty backbone and just a touch of spice in this pure and charming Austrian white, made with minimal intervention and employing biodynamic methods at a small family winery. So clean, precise and rivetting. A new favourite.

100% Turbiana (aka Verdicchio) grown on the southern shores of Lake Garda in an organic vineyard. Some extended skin contact gives some wonderful texture to what is otherwise a delicate wine. Like Soave on steroids! Stainless steel fermented with 6 months on lees bringing some savoury notes. A real winner with seafood. Fans of Muscadet or Soave will find a lot to like here. 

The name Timorasso often crops up when wine lovers speculate about what Italy's future great white wines might be. Revived from near-extinction by a handful of producers, it still occupies only 20 or so hectares in it's native Piedmont. 

Summer-meadow scents unfold from the glass, with fresh apple, bitter lemon, and a touch of kerosene. This is a wine to spend time with - honeyed aromas come with aeration, along with warm cereal notes. Intense, long, persistent, floral, fruity, with a warming sensation on the palate. Soft, elegant, and complex. A mineral note very typical of Timorasso, with touches of chamomile, ripe yellow plums, and toasted almond in the finish. A wine that entices and leaves you wanting more.

Telmo Rodriguez is one of Spain’s pioneer winemakers, advocating native grape varietals tied to the climates and conditions of their sites, and making world-class wines from both lesser and well-known regions across Spain. Perhaps most impressively, whilst Telmo makes rare and limited wines of astonishing character and quality, his everyday wines have been equally praised and widely recognised for the tremendous value they offer.

This, his Godello, is a triumph of that vision; unoaked, gentle, restrained and precise. Dry yet soft, with a touch of godello's distinctive minerally citrus fruit, alongside green apple and savoury notes. Absolutely perfect with light sea food dishes. 

Vineyards are in the Hautes Côtes, at the top of the slopes just above Domaine de la Motte's Chablis classified plots and so achieve good ripeness. The soil is Portlandian, which is less chalky than Kimmeridgian, and typically produces wines which are less mineral and more fruity, well suited to earlier drinking. Having said that, Motte’s wine has real finesse with good fruit character – very much their house style. Cool-fermented in stainless steel, malolactic fermentation is also in stainless steel and the wine is unoaked.

Fairly restrained on the nose, savoury herbs and citrus on the palate. Well balanced with a suggestion of "hot stone" minerality. Old school, lean, and steely.

A harmonious blend of Chardonnay & Carricante from the slope of Mt Etna.

Chardonnay has adapted well to the Sicilian pedo-climate in areas with significant temperature variability and without excessive heat, such as the mid to high hills and the slopes of Etna. In these conditions it matures gradually, improving its complexity and enriching the variety of its aromas.

Carricante, a rare vine which is native to Etna, is widespread at the highest altitudes of the volcano, where it achieves otherwise unattainable freshness. As a late variety, if grown as a small tree and properly vinified, it produces white wines of great stature, with a fresh and complex nose of apple, yellow fruits, orange blossom and anise, as well as a typical acidity that gives it structure and longevity. Harmonic, refreshingly acidic, with a finish of anise and almond. Wonderful stuff.

Maias Branco Quinta das Maias, Organic, high altitude vineyard, Dao, Mavalsia, Encruzado, crisp, fresh, delightful. A fantastic little organic wine made in the lesser known Dao region of Portugal. The Dao is a hot continental climate but parts are covered by a high plateau and some of the vineyard sites are located here at a over 600 metres above sea level. Quinta das Maias is one of those estates. The 15 hectares of vines are in different parcels and all are organic. The high altitude gives lovely acidity to the wine. The white is crisp, yet soft, stone fruits of white peach dominate with a zesty finish. Very drinkable and approachable white wine for all occasions.

Intense nose of spices and ripe lemons. The palate is rich and creamy, but with fine bright acidity, waxy lemon and hints of lanolin and a long finish. A classic example of a modern white rioja.

A complex nose filled with aromas of yellow apples, fresh pineapple, honeysuckle and a touch of cinnamon. The integrated citrus-like acidity adds a vibrant freshness to the wine. The mid palate has a beautiful texture, filled with flavours of ripe peaches and apricots to compliment the oak. The finish is long with lingering flavours of white peach. 

Sumptuous and refreshing and absolutely en-pointe for the coming months (cue; sunshine). Made from traditional Muscadet grape Melon de Bougogne, showing that trademark touch of salinity we know and love, enlivened with a touch of Sauvignon blanc for added ‘lift’ and aromatic quality. 

12% abv

Monte del Frà translates as ‘Hill of Monks’ and is in the heart of the Bianco di Custoza DOC. It now consists of over 65 hectares of vineyards is owned and run by brothers Eligio and Claudio Bonomo. It is one of the most progressive and dynamic producers in the region and has been particularly innovative in its adoption of modern viticultural techniques.

The Custoza Superiore "Cà del Magro" by Monte del Frà is a white wine with an extraordinary quality/price ratio. We are on the famous hill of Custoza above Lake Garda and just 15 km from the centre of Verona. Produced from a blend of local varieties (Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Cortese and Incrocio Manzoni), the wine is aged for 4 months in oak, giving its rich, opulent texture. It pairs well with fish, white meat, and Asian spice.

Sadly Soace managed to get itself a bad name. The Italians have always made top quality Soave Classico, but kept all of the good stuff for themselves. They exported bland Gargenega wine from the valley floors. Well, this is absolutely top notch Soave Classico, from a single vineyard, facing south on the side of the Scalette hill. Made from Gargenaga and Trebbiano grapes, hand harvested, and fermented in stainless steel. Ripe tropical flavours over lay a lithe minerality. Enjoy with risotto or fried fish, or just treat yourself to glass as an aperitif. A must try wine!

This late harvest Chenin Blanc from the Loire valley is a wonderful dessert wine and fantastic alternative to Sauternes. 

Located in the heart of Côteaux de Layon, Jean-Bernard Chauvin runs this family estate with his wife Catherine and son Denis. The vineyards have always been a priority and it is for this reason that Domaine de Clayou joined the ‘Terra Vitis’ network of vignerons who work their land in a sustainable and environmentally sensitive way.

This is a great wine to pair with blue cheese of fruit based desserts

Very taut and with real zing, this northern outlier reflects the more skeletal form of its native Chablis, as opposed to the more familiar, richer expressions further south. The commune of Préhy is the only one in Chablis where the "Bourgogne" appellation is permitted. The principle reason relates to the subsoil (Portlandian rather than Kimmeridgian). Despite its lean profile, full malo has given this skeleton a luxury cashmere sweater that softens and rounds out those angled edges.

Biodynamically farmed and 100% organic. A delicious blend of Sauvignon Blanc 57%, Chenin Blanc 39%, Semillon 4%. The Sauvignon Blanc aromas are prominent on the nose, with beautiful lime and prickly pear notes. Intense flavours, with great balance. A tight mineral core and creamy mid palate from the Chenin Blanc allows for great complexity and a persistent finish. The Sauvignon Blanc lends lovely, fresh acidity to the wine. The wine is made as naturally as possible with no added acids or enzymes. Quite frankly this is really outstanding value for a wine from low yieding vines, hand picked and transported to vinification on pack horses!

Proper white Côtes du Rhône; fresh, medium-bodied, vinous. The nose is pretty and delicate, with a
waft of fennel tops and hints of hedgerow flowers. The flavours are nuanced and refined rather than
overt. Careful use of oak adds texture and structure without masking the freshness of this very
drinkable white.

 From selected vineyards in the southern Rhône, Each parcel is picked separately in the cooler
early daylight hours for gentle pressing that same morning, and each is fermented at a low
temperature. To a base of Grenache Blanc, they blend Viognier along with co-fermented pairs of
Roussanne/Marsanne and Bourboulenc/Clairette. Over the years they have increased the proportion
vinified in stainless steel, with just under a third of the wine now vinified and matured for 6 months
French oak barrels (mostly 3rd fill but some new) to add complexity and creaminess.

This is a stunning Chardonnay. Bursting with Californian sunshine, this certainly doesn't hold back, in fact it reaches out and smothers you in a warm embrace! Wonderful ripe fruit flavours include orange, nectarine and ripe peach. There is a subtle spice and notes of hazlenut and honey. This will go really well with roast chicken and any butter cooked fish.

This fresh, dry white is a blend of varieties indigenous to Portugal’s Douro valley including Arinto (known to retain freshness even in hot conditions) and Gouveio (known as Godello in northern Spain). Made by  Bernardo Lencastre, this wonderful white has citrus aromas with delicate floral notes and hints of white peach. I love this wine – it’s a crisp with apple and lemon peel flavours, a juicy acidity, and a refreshing finish.

The chosen vineyard for Soalheiro Germinar is over 30 years old and is located in a small parcel that produces low quantities of Loureiro grapes. The grapes have a particular floral aroma, marked acidity, and a concentration of unique mineral flavours, making a very gastronomic wine. The wine has a bright lemon-yellow colour with floral and mineral aromas. The taste is dry and fresh, revealing the elegance of Loureiro, which always has a lasting, pointed acidity.

Bright, pale straw colour with delicate scents of wildflowers and fruit, especially Cape Honeysuckle, white peaches and pineapples with a delicate underlying minerality. The palate fully matches the nose with a creamy sensation and a texture that combines elegance and intensity and concentrated fruit flavours.