Why you should be drinking Mediterranean wine

If you follow the curve of the Mediterranean coastline north and east and into France, just before you reach Montpellier, you will come to the Bassin de Thau – a saltwater lagoon famous as a beautiful spot for summer holidays as well as for its oysters. Close by, there are vineyards, and in those vineyards grows a grape called picpoul de pinet, which makes a crisp, dry white wine with a faintly salty tang. Look for one that’s as fresh as possible. As I write, the 2018 bottles are on shelves, but you’ll want a freshly minted 2019. One specific southern French white that really impressed me is Domaine Mandeville Viognier Pays d’Oc 2019 (£7.50, M&S). It’s an almost perfectly summery wine. Viognier has a faint aroma of honeysuckle. It can sometimes feel a bit oily in the mouth – but not this one. This is a lilting dance of a white that comes with a heady waft of scented flowers.

Keep going and you reach Provence, the global capital of pale rosé. Try Mirabeau en Provence Classic Rosé 2019 (£12, Waitrose). Rosé goes well with nearly every Mediterranean dish you can throw at it – stuffed tomatoes, garlicky lamb, you name it. And if you’re after a cheaper pink you probably need to double back to the Languedoc to find something like Maison Sur Littoral Rosé 2019 Pays d’Oc (£5.99, Aldi). I’m not sure about the royal blue bottle, but I do like the wine inside it.

We need to move on. I’ll pick two wines from Italy, both from the island of Sicily. One is a light but juicy red called Rupe Secca Nero d’Avola 2018 (£8.90, Frazires Wine Merchants) that is fantastic with oily fish or with pasta in an aubergine sauce. The other is Castellore Italian Fiano 2019 (£5.49, Aldi), a white that tastes faintly of oranges and orange blossom. Wines from Greece are a new discovery for many wine drinkers. I particularly like the wines from Domaine Lyrarakis on Crete, which you can find at Berry Bros & Rudd. Check out wine made from the dafni grape; the word means laurel, and the wines do taste of bay.

This month I’m drinking...

Coates & Seely Brut Reserve NV Hampshire, England (Lea & Sandeman, £29.95; £31.95, coatesandseely.com)
Toast a summer evening with a refreshing glass of homegrown sparkling wine. Made from pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier – the three champagne grapes – this is a thing of beauty.