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Top 10 wines in the UK press

Jane MacQuitty recommends a sparkler with “a magnificent, crisp, taut palate”, while Olly Smith picks out a “fab summer sipping” white wine.

Summer is still firmly on the agenda for many UK wine writers, and the recommendations for wines to drink on warm days keep coming.

In the Daily Mail Matthew Jukes recommends a French wine, which he calls “a stunning and indulgent summer aperitif, and an English sparkler which he describes as a “refreshing and palate invigorating wine.”

Rose Murray in The Scotsman also picks out a wine that is “perfect for summer drinking” and in The Independent, Terry Kirby recommends a wine that is “bright, light and fresh.”

Click through the following pages to find out which wines these and other UK wine writers have recommended over the last week.

2012 Taste the Difference Pouilly-Fumé

This is one of the wines recommended by Matthew Jukes in the Daily Mail, he wrote: “Made by André and Edmond Figeat this is a fine, elegant, bone dry Sauvignon Blanc with classy, lime and green herb touches. Restrained and ethereal this is a stunning and indulgent summer aperitif for those of you who adore classically dimensioned wines.”

2011 Knightor, Madeline Angevine

Jukes also recommended this English wine, writing: “With taut citrus lines and flashes of nettle and crunchy pear, this is a linear, refreshing and palate invigorating wine. Expertly made and beautifully packaged this is a very impressive English wine.”

Tanners Douro Red

In The Independent, Terry Kirby picked out this wine as one to enjoy with a “midweek meal”. He wrote: “An own-label, excellent-value Portuguese red from one of the longest-established regional wine merchants. Made from mostly port grapes such as Touriga Nacional, this is really juicy and brambly, with hints of herbs and spices, extremely easy to drink and ideal for pasta or barbecue-grilled meats.”

Albarino Rias Baixas 2011

Kirby also recommended this as a “bargain basement” wine, writing: “Aldi’s Exquisite Collection is a fine source of real bargains such as this white from Galicia in north-western Spain. Bright, light and fresh, bone-dry and full of green-fruit flavours. Drink as an aperitif, with grilled goat’s cheese or with salads.”

Asda Extra Special Beaujolais Villages 2011

In The Scotsman, Rose Murray Brown wrote that the “Beaujolais’ red grape is perfect for summer drinking with its red fruit aromas, light body, natural acidity and soft tannins. Simple Beaujolais Villages or the lighter Beaujolais Crus like Fleurie or St Amour are perfect.”

In recommending this wine, she added: “A great value example with bubblegum and boiled sweet flavours, juicy raspberry fruit and good natural acidity.”

Picpoul de Pinet 2012 Villemarin

This is the wine picked out by Olly Smith, in the Daily Mail, as his “wine of the week”. He wrote: “On offer for £6.99 when you buy two bottles [from Majestic] this breezy, bright white packs oceans of refreshment into every glass. Fab summer sipping.”

Pol Roger Pure Extra Brut Champagne

In The Times, Jane MacQuitty recommends this Champagne as “a keeper”. She wrote: “Pol Roger was Winston Churchill’s favourite Champagne, and this celebrated house’s most exacting style is this no-dosage bubbly, made from equal portions of all three Champagne grapes — Chardonnay, Pinots Noir and Meunier — from three different regions.”

She added: “Without that comforting dosage dollop of sugar and reserve wine, Extra Brut has nowhere to hide and its very fine pinhead bubbles and creamy mousse lead on to a magnificent, crisp, taut palate with lots of elegant, chalky, minerally fruit to the fore and a fine, smoky, toasted almond finish. Pol Roger’s poise and bubbles are all down to its cellars, some of the deepest and coldest in Champagne.”

Tesco Cava Brut NV

This wine was picked out by Susy Atkins in the Sunday Telegraph. She wrote: “Made by Codorníu, this is an absolute steal, dry and lively with a good depth of yeasty flavour and hint of lemon. Beats the socks off many fancier high-street cavas.”

Valdo Marca Oro Extra Dry Prosecco NV

Atkins also recommended this wine, writing: “Well-known, reliable Prosecco currently on very good form, crisp and orange-scented with bright and breezy, mouthwatering flavours of kiwi and green grapes.”

The Liberator Episode 4 The Pie Chart

And finally this wine was recommended by David Williams in The Observer. He wrote: “British wine buyer Richard Kelly is the titular Liberator. The project sounds a little like marketing-led mutton dressing. But the wines are unfailingly delicious and good value, as this richly textured but star-bright Bordeaux-style blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, “liberated” from the excellent Tokara region, proves.”

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