Top 10 wines in the UK press

With summer on the horizon Olly Smith recommends a red with a “wondrous lift of freshness” while Hamish Anderson picks out “an invigorating wine made for sipping outside on a hot day”.

Although he picked a red wine as his “wine of the week”, Olly Smith also featured Champagne in his in the Mail on Sunday. His “guide to bubbly” asked: “How much do we really know about the big names in Champagne?”

He added: “In general, a top-notch champagne should always deliver a wealth of tiny bubbles that caress rather than prickle your palate.

“The bubbles occur thanks to a second fermentation inside each bottle, and as a result, delicacy should be the order of the day

“For richer styles, go for Blanc de Noirs, made from red grapes; for fresher lighter fizz, stick to Blanc de Blancs, made from only zesty white grapes.”

Click through the following pages to find out more about the wines recommended by Smith and other writers in the UK press this week.

Fattoria dei Barbi’s Brusco dei Barbi

In The Guardian, Fiona Beckett recommended this wine, writing: “Alongside Bolgheri, the coastal region that is home to Cabernet- and Merlot-based “supertuscans” such as Argentiera, Ornellaia, Sassicaia and, farther south, Brunello di Montalcino, there are vast swaths of more modest reds simply identified by the word ‘Toscana’.”

She added: “Some come from the same producers that make the most celebrated wines. Fattoria dei Barbi’s Brusco dei Barbi, for example, is effectively a cut-price Brunello at about a third of the price and ready to drink now. The fragrant, juicy 2010 is ideal with grilled lamb.”

2008 Givry 1er Cru à Vigne Rouge, Domaine François Lumpp

Jane MacQuitty, writing in The Times, picked out this wine as a “keeper”. She wrote: “Givry, the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise, makes some of Burgundy’s best-buy reds and the premiers crus from a top producer such as François Lumpp are worth paying extra for. Lumpp produces pure, vibrant, fruit-led burgundies that, for my money, set the standard in the region — not just their juicy, tender reds but stylish, steely whites as well.

“I loved this bright, gamey, zingy 2008 bursting with lots of ripe, glossy, plum and strawberry-charged fruit. Enjoy this tangy wine with rare roast beef or lamb now, or put it away until 2016 to allow some smoky, leather and truffle flavours to emerge.”

King Valley Vermentino

The Observer‘s David Williams recommended this wine to his readers, writing: “Trendy white Mediterranean grape variety du jour Vermentino, widely planted in Italy and Southern France (where it’s known as Rolle), has a happy knack of staying fresh and light even in the warmest of climates, which perhaps explains why it’s caught on in Australia, too.

“This Victorian example – made for Asda by a family firm, DeBortoli, with appropriately Italian roots – is bright, brisk, and zesty, with juicy pear and herbs.”

Lammershoek LAM White 2012

Williams also picked out this wine, writing: “Lammershoek is one of a number of exciting producers working in South Africa’s Swartland region that are not afraid to experiment, whether it’s with unusual grape varieties (they make a remarkable dry white from the Hungarian Hárslevelű usually only found in Tokaj sweet wines) or their winemaking methods.

“I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything I’ve tried of theirs, and this graceful, insinuating low-alcohol dry white blend is an accessibly priced way into their deliciously varied portfolio.”

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2012

In The Independent Terry Kirby likes to recommend different wines for different occasions and this is one he picked out to enjoy with a “midweek meal.”

Kirby wrote: “The Verdicchio grape, native of Italy’s Marche region, can sometimes be a little too lightweight, but here is full of rich summer-fruit flavours such as peaches, apples and pears, while remaining refreshing, with a good, dry finish. Drink with cod loin baked under a herb and caper crust.

2011 Spolverino Carpineto

And this is a wine that Kirby recommended for a “dinner party”, writing: “A succulent Chianti-style red from Tuscany with a tobacco-spicy Sangiovese-based sweet and sour cherry fruit and a veneer of smoky oak.”

Tesco Finest Touriga Nacional

This is Olly Smith’s “wine of the week” in the Mail on Sunday, he wrote: “Charged with fragrant fruit, dark, juicy flavours and a wondrous lift of freshness, this is spot on for a royal roast dinner.”

2012 Viñalba, Torrontés Selección, Mendoza

This wine was recommended by Matthew Jukes in the Daily Mail, he wrote: “Fairy light with pineapple chunk, pink grapefruit and moments of passion fruit, too, this is a hilariously perfumed wine with a desire to be matched to spicy food. I love it and you will too because it is modern, vital and ever so gluggable.”

Zibibbo 2012 Sicily

Susy Atkins picked out this wine in the Sunday Telegraph, writing: “The wonderfully named zibibbo grape mainly makes sweet wines, but here’s an unusual dry version, tangy like lemon squash, refreshing and green-grapey. Perfect with white fish and seafood.”

2012 Circumstance ‘Cape Coral’ Mourvèdre Rosé Waterkloof

And finally Hamish Anderson recommended this wine in the Daily Telegraph. He wrote: “Waterkloof makes some of my favourite wines from the Cape and its rosé does not disappoint. The colour hints at pink and the taste is similarly refined: fresh raspberry, dried herbs and mint. An invigorating glass made for sipping outside on a hot day.”