Top 10 wines in the UK press

Gulfi Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG 2013, Sicily

Terry Kirby recommended this “sumptuous” Sicilian organic wine writing in The Independent. 

“An organic blend of Frappato and Nero d’Avola, it has aromatic, vibrant and intense dark fruits, with lovely clean acidity”, he said. “Goes with lighter meats such as veal or chicken, or even a fish stew.”

Price: £21.50 (when bought as part of six mixed bottles), libiamo.it

Rui Madeira Beyra Mencia 2012, Spain

Organic and unoaked, this Spanish red is a good match for pasta, paella or vegetable dishes, writes Kirby.

He said: “Usually known in Portugal as Jaén, the Mencia grape creates highly appealing wines that combine freshness on the palate with moreish, juicy, dark-fruit flavours.”

Price: £9.50, thewinesociety.com

Colet Vatua! NV, Spain

With Easter fast approaching David Williams, writing in The Guardian, recommended a selection of wine to enjoy over the long weekend, including this Spanish sparkler.

“For heathens like me, Easter is basically a more relaxed, less rabidly materialistic Christmas”, he said. “But it’s also a pretext for a feast, and all feasts should start with a bottle of bubbly, shouldn’t they?”

He added: “I loved Colet’s super-dry, precise, subtly floral, delicately fruity fizz from Cava country, which, unusually, but very successfully, includes a bit of aromatic Gewürztraminer and Muscat alongside the traditional Cava grape Parellada.”

Price: £14.40, Bottle Apostle, Roberson Wine

Contino Rioja Reserva 2006, Spain

For the main event, this 2006 Rioja got Williams’ vote, a wine he said was a “classic match” for slow-roasted meat.

He said: “Lamb is the centrepiece of most Easter feasts and the mature, mellow, savoury reds of Rioja are the classic match for the tender, slow-roasted meat. In the supermarkets, Asda’s Extra Special Gran Reserva Rioja 2004 lives up to its billing with its softly rendered layers of coconut, leather and blackberries in ultra-classical style at a very reasonable £9.97. Pound for pound it just pips Tesco’s Viña Mara Gran Reserva 2007 (£11.49), made by the same producer, Baron de Ley. Even better is Contino’s quite gorgeous reserva, which is seamlessly silky and deep with brothy umami, tobacco and the purest brambly fruit.”

Price: £24, Marks & Spencer

2013 Domaine Durieu Ventoux, Rhône, France

The Scotsman recommended this wine from the French Rhône as one of two “best buys”, declaring it to be “exactly what good Rhône reds should be but, because it is from a less-fashionable part, at a great price.”

“Its opening fruit aromas beckon invitingly towards the Grenache-led raspberry and ripe cherry fruit, and the nutty cinnamon and vanilla influences that underpin it”, it said. “The whole thing is masterfully balanced with fresh, lively acidity, yet a well-judged concluding tannic twist.”

Price: £8.95, Vineyards Direct

2013 Warwick The First Lady Unoaked Chardonnay, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The Scottish paper also recommended this “smooth and buttery” South African Chardonnay named after Canadian Norma Ratcliffe of the Warwick Estate – one of South Africa’s first female winemakers.

It said: “Without oak influences, freshness and crispness move centre stage to accentuate the wine’s citrus acidity, but there remains a smooth and buttery finish to complement the long, primary Seville marmalade flavours.”

Price: £8.95, Wine Society

Plaimont Producteurs Pujalet 2013, Côtes de Gascogne, France

Jamie Goode, writing in The Express, rounded up a healthy selection of white wines from Europe to the New World for spring.

“Colombard and Ugni Blanc are the tasty grape varieties here”, he said of this 2013 French white from Plaimont. “Normally used for brandy production, they have been effectively harnessed to make this amazingly aromatic, zippy, acidic white that’s just so refreshing and electric. It’s great value, too.”

Price: £5.49, Waitrose

Domaine du Colombier Chablis 2013, Burgundy

This “superb example of Chablis” was also recommended by Goode.

He said: “It’s such a bright and fruit-driven white, with a lovely stony undercurrent to the pear and citrus flavours.”

Price: £13.95, bbr.com

First Class Pinot Noir 2013 Aconcagua, Chile

Susy Atkins, writing for The Telegraph recommended a number of “lighter, fresher, fruitier” red wines for spring as the weather warms.

Of this Chilean Pinot Noir she said: “A light, moreish, juicy and easy-drinking party Pinot, fine on its own, for the Easter holidays.”

Price: Majestic, £8.99, or £6.74 when you buy two until 27 April)

Marks & Spencer Frappato 2013 Sicily, Italy

Finally, Atkins recommended this Sicilian red which she said tastes like “the best redcurrant jelly, but less sweet, with a raspberry tang lifting the finish”

“Refreshing stuff and a happily low 12%”, she added.

Price: £8, Marks and Spencer