'Perfect for sunny days' - Christine Austin's top wines of the week

D’Arenberg Broken Fish Plates Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Adelaide Hills, Australia, 12.5%, Tesco, down from £12.50 to £11 until May 20 (Clubcard holders only_: Made by Chester Osborn, who gives silly names to his wines, but the taste is serious. Pure lemongrass and passionfruit with minerally crunch.

Louis Jadot Macon Villages 2022, France, 12.5%, Morrisons, down from £15 to £12 until May 19: Delicious white Burgundy with ripe pear fruit and nutty, toasty oat complexity. Team with salmon, roast chicken or a creamy risotto​.

Artesano Organic Fairtrade Malbec Rosé 2023, Argentina, 12.5%, Co-op, down from £9.50 to £9 until Tuesday: With a splash of Syrah rounding out the flavours, this has raspberry and cherry fruit in a crisp, refreshing style. Perfect for sunny days.

Taste the Difference Douro Red 2021, Portugal, 13.5%, Sainsbury’s, down from £11 to £9 until Tuesday: Hand-picked typical Portuguese grapes, from hillside vineyards, made into a chunky, bramble-filled wine with a thread of freshness. A partner for steak.

Bordeaux Bargains?

Jamie Goodhart and his team from Bon Coeur wines went through the Bordeaux en primeur tastings two weeks ago with characteristic dedication and efficiency. Last year I joined them and found the relentless schedule of touring the region, keeping appointments at various grand estates, tasting the new-release wines, making notes, then heading off to the next appointment totally exhausting.

This year, they managed the exercise again and covered the whole region, left and right banks, as well as Sauternes. The vintage in question is 2023, which is still in barrel and will not be finished and bottled for a couple of years. En Primeur means that you commit to buying now, pay up front and wait for your wine to arrive. It allows you to get the early release price, and you get the full choice of favourite chateaux wines.

Prices are still being declared but are edging a little lower than last year and may, for some properties be at pre-pandemic levels. The vintage was good, in some cases exceptional. Check the Bon Coeur website (www.bcfw.co.uk) to keep up with prices as they are declared.

Tasting in Ledston

I have long been a fan of the terrific range of wines stocked at Hic! in Ledston. Andy concentrates on wines with personality that generally don’t feature on supermarket shelves which makes the range well worth exploring. To help you discover new wines he offers tastings, which are themed and change each month. But there is a schedule, and you need to book.

So far, he is booked up until the end of this month and next month, with a theme of Eastern Europe is also busy. For July, the theme is Cape Crusaders with a focus on some of South Africa’s best winemakers. This is bound to be fascinating. Tickets cost £35 to include a few nibbles to accompany the wine. Ring Hic! on 01977 550047, Wednesday through Sunday.

Tasting in Boroughbridge

Last year Nick Chadwick, proprietor of Winearray in Boroughbridge offered regular weekend tastings on an alphabetical theme, going through the regions of the world from A to Z. Now he is doing the whole alphabet again, with the focus on river valleys, grapes and producers. It is impossible to predict in advance what he will choose to open, but the wines he shows are generally in the £10 to £20 range and are well worth a taste. There are usually three bottles open in the shop at the weekend and you can just call in and have a taste.