From crisp whites to sparkling rosé – the best wines to drink this summer (including a £5 fizzy gem)

Wine writer Rosamund Hall picks the perfect bottles for sunny days – with brilliant bubbles, pretty pinks, chillable reds and this year’s alternative to chablis, all for every budget

Cooling down with a glass of wine in the sunshine – is there anything more summery? (Getty/iStock)

Summer has arrived, and with it comes a multitude of opportunities to drink some wonderful wines. In this inspiring summer wine guide, I’ve concentrated on selecting budget-friendly options – half of them coming in at least £10 or under, with many from lesser-known regions that deliver the best value.

But, just because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy something more “serious” such as a declassified Brunello di Montalcino, a great Greek switch for white burgundy, or a stunning champagne with grapes from the best sites in the region. So whether you’re a fan of zesty whites, achingly pretty rosés, fresh, chillable reds, or are after something denser and richer, then there’s a perfect choice for you. Here’s to a long and very fruitful summer…

Raise a glass of fizz, from bargain cava to top-notch champagne (Rosamund Hall)

Sparkling wine

Silverhand Estate Sparkling Brut, England, NV

Available from Majestic, £13 (mixed six), £16 (single bottle), 12% ABV

Made using the charmat method (the same way that prosecco is produced), this is an affordable alternative to the more expensive “traditional method” English sparkling wine. A blend of predominantly chardonnay with some pinot noir and pinot meunier, this is a super-high-quality sparkler that’s bursting with summer brightness: bites of Golden Delicious apples, squeezes of lime juice and a hint of elderflower, all delivering glassfuls of fruit-forward fun.

Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, France, NV

Available from Waitrose, £41 , 12.5% ABV

Hands down one of the best value champagnes I’ve tasted in a long time. Champagne Le Mesnil sources chardonnay grapes from the grand cru vineyards around the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, an area famed for having the greatest terroir in Champagne. I mean, if it’s good enough for Krug…. It has a generous creamy mouthfeel with warmed baked croissant, soft poached apples, delicate white blossom and a long mineral finish.

Contevedo Cava Brut, Spain, NV

Available from Aldi, £5.79, 11.5% ABV

Cava as a sparkling category seems to go from strength to strength. I’ve tried this Aldi classic numerous times, and on every occasion, I’m stunned by the value. If you’re packing a picnic and want easy bubbles, then look no further. An equal part blend of the classic grapes of Cava: parellada, macabeu and xarel-lo, it’s made in the traditional method (the same way as champagne), and delivers simple flavours of fresh lemon, nectarines and spring flowers. It’s delicate, light and effortlessly uncomplicated.

Crémant de Loire, Bouvet Ladubay, Blanc de Blancs, France, 2022

Available from Majestic, £15 (mixed six), £17 (single bottle), 12.5% ABV

A perfect crowd-pleasing sparkler made by a good Loire producer from 100 per cent chardonnay. It has fine, persistent bubbles delivering flavours of autumnal orchard fruits of apples and pears, alongside zests of lemon and lime with a soft peach and honeysuckle-tinged edge.

Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé, Louis Couturier, France, NV

Available from Tesco, £10, 11.5% ABV

How is it that pink fizz just seems to lift any occasion? This is such a pretty sparkler, made in the traditional method from cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Expect aromas and flavours of punnets of fresh strawberries and cherries, with juicy pink grapefruit too.

Rosé wine

Pretty pinks perfect for picnics, garden parties and lazy afternoons (Rosamund Hall)

Thracian Valley Pinot Noir Rosé, Bulgaria, 2024

Available from Aldi, £8.99, 12% ABV

Provençal pink often misses the mark, so why not switch it up for this pinot noir rosé instead? Bulgaria delivers superb quality winemaking at wallet-friendly prices. Perfectly pale in the glass, it’s refreshingly dry with aromas of wild strawberries, red cherries, ripe golden peaches and apricots and is certain to impress the most precious of rosé drinkers.

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Contesa, Italy, 2024

Available from The Wine Society, £9.95, 13% ABV

Don’t judge a wine by its colour. Abruzzo lies to the east of Rome, a landscape of beautiful hillside villages and the glistening Adriatic coastline. The deep cherry red wine of this region is always consistently high quality. This expression is made by a highly reputable producer from one 100 per cent montepulciano. This medium-bodied wine is a joyful juice-bomb packed with fresh redcurrants, squishy raspberries, jewelled pomegranate and a twist of cracked pepper on top.

La Petite Laurette du Midi Rosé, France, 2024

Available from The Co-op, £9.35, 12.5% ABV

If you want Provence without the price tag, then scoot a little further to the west and you’ll find yourself in Languedoc-Roussillon, a region producing some fantastic rosé. Made by a brilliant cooperative of growers in the Pinet region (Picpoul de Pinet anyone), laurette is an enticing blend of grenache, cinsault and carignan and is packed full of zingy raspberries, zests of lemon. A total summer-refreshing delight, it’s packaged beautifully too.

M&S La Balconne Organic Provence Rosé, France, 2024

Available from Ocado/M&S, £18, 12.5% ABV

If you want to imagine you’re summering in the Côte d’Azur, then why not pour yourself a glass of this elegant Provençal pink? A blend of organically grown grenache, cinsault, mourvèdre, carignan, caladoc, syrah, and rolle, it’s soft and supple – full of peaches and cream, tender strawberries, and an invigorating sea-mist freshness on the finish. Sshhh... whisper it, pound for pound, this is better than a certain angel wine.

Lentsch Zweigelt Rosé, Burgenland, Austria, 2024

Available from Waitrose, £9 (RRP £10, on offer until 1 July), 12.5% ABV

A vivid, energetic wine made from Austria’s indigenous varietal zweigelt. It has mouth-watering freshness, delivering abundant wild strawberries, delicate floral rose blossoms and squeezes of blood orange.

Oriel Mediterranean Rosé, France, 2024

Available from Tesco, £8.50, 11% ABV

I think I may have found the rosé of the summer for you; this is effortlessly easy-going Mediterranean charm in a glass. A delicate lift of fresh summer berries and cherries, with a fresh and reviving dry finish, that’s picky-bits picnic wine sorted.

White wine 1.0

Zesty, refreshing whites for easy summer sipping – most under a tenner (Rosamund Hall)

Baron Amarillo Verdejo, Rueda, Spain, 2024

Available from Aldi, £5.99, 13% ABV

Why not switch up your familiar pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc with verdejo this summer? In its youth, this grape is everything you want in a laidback, easy-breezy white from Rueda, Spain’s spiritual heartland for this variety. This example is light-bodied with a lemon citrus backbone supported by firm white peaches and fresh pineapple. Chill it and don’t overthink it.

Gemischter Satz, Familie Mantler, Austria, 2024

Available from The Wine Society, £8.75, 11.5% ABV

I feel like this is Austria’s tasty alternative to a slightly spritzy vinho verde. It’s a fun and enlivening “house wine” that always deserves to have a place in your fridge. A traditional field blend of grapes led by grüner veltliner and supported by müller-thurgau and muskateller, it delivers waves of grapefruit, bites of crisp green apple and sugar-dusted lemon rind.

Waitrose Blueprint Muscadet, France, 2024

Available from Waitrose, £7, 11% ABV

If you love your wines full of acidity and the tingling sensation of the sea on your tongue, then pour yourself a glass of this light-bodied muscadet. A textbook, good-value-for-the-price example of the western Loire’s freshest of whites, it’s all mouth-watering citrus and saline minerality.

G & L Malagousia White, Kintonis, Greece, 2024

Available from The Wine Society, £9.50, 12.5% ABV

Sometimes it feels like the whole world is in Greece for their summer holidays. If, like me, you’re not, why not pour yourself a glass of this gorgeous Greek wonder instead? It’s full of fresh peach, ripe golden apples and a soft floral note that will leave you daydreaming about long lunches in the dappled shade under the vine-strewn verandas of a beachside taverna.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Monte Schiavo, Italy, 2024

Available from Majestic, £9 (mixed six), £9.50 (single bottle), 11.5% ABV

Verdicchio thrives on the perfect vineyard sites on the hillsides of the Le Marche region of Italy, nestled comfortably between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. I always suggest verdicchio is a good, affordable alternative to chablis (you can’t get chablis for under £10), thanks to its racy acidity and taught mineral edge. These organically grown grapes also offer a softness of juicy lemon, ripe peaches, slices of pineapple, and freshly cut summer grass.

White wine 2.0

Serious summer whites, from Greek gems to standout sancerre (Rosamund Hall)

Roseblood Blanc, Château d’Estoublon, France, 2023

Available from Majestic £14.50 (mixed six) £18 (single bottle), 12.5% ABV

I love that this is predominantly made of rolle, a wonderful Provençal grape variety that’s often used in rosé blends. There’s a generosity to this grape variety; think fresh mango, lemon zests, quince and grated ginger, all supported with bright, life-affirming acidity that delivers great freshness.

Le Manoir Sancerre, Alphonse Mellot, France, 2023

Available from Waitrose, £27, 13.5% ABV

Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean everything has to be park picnics and BBQs. If you’re feeling the need for something more refined, then this sancerre is just the pick. Made by one of Sancerre’s finest producers, using biodynamic techniques, this is a glorious combination of uplifting, bright citrus, grapefruit pith, and fresh green herbs. It has an elegant steeliness and a long, generous finish. Of course, there’s nothing to say you can’t drink this at a park picnic, you just might not want to share it.

Martín Códax Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain, 2023

Available from Majestic, £13 (mixed six), £16 (single bottle), 12% ABV

If you can’t make time for frolicking in the salty surf of the wild Atlantic this summer, enjoy a glass of albariño instead – it’s the definition of salty hair and mineral sand in your toes. There are charming aromas of sliced green apple, ripe pears, freshly squeezed lemon and grapefruit, brought together with a long mineral finish that is so synonymous with the characterful whites of Rías Baixas in northern Spain.

Dío Potámia Barrique, Samartzis, Kontoura, Greece, 2022

Available from Tanners Wines, £16.70, 12.5% ABV

Sometimes, all you want to drink is a white burgundy, but then you remember the price of most white burgundys, so why not reach for a glass of this instead? A beautifully textured and supple wine with notes of soft-set honey, beeswax, confit lemon, ripe pineapple and licks of vanilla cream thanks to a little time in oak barrique. It’s perfectly balanced, with a long and comforting finish. This is 100 per cent kontoura, grown to the northwest of Athens in the Valley of the Muses; it certainly feels like a highly inspirational wine.

Catarratto Di Meno Sicily, Italy, 2023

Available from Swig, £14.95, 12% ABV

Oh, cataratto, you Sicilian wonder. This is bursting with juicy tangerines, orange zest and jasmine flowers – it’s unfiltered, so slightly hazy in the glass like the soft late-afternoon light of a summer’s day. Made in Alcamo, western Sicily, by the Vesco family, who are pioneers of organic and sustainable viticulture.

Red wine 1.0

Chillable, juicy reds made for barbecues and warm evenings (Rosamund Hall)

Yarra Valley Syrah, Mac Forbes, Australia, 2023

Available from The Wine Society, £20, 12% ABV

A charming wine from one of Australia’s most charming winemakers, Mac Forbes. This is energetic and bursting with bright redcurrants, wild myrtle berries, and a sweet, leather-spicy edge that adds a charming layer of complexity. The cool climate of the Yarra Valley, near Melbourne, helps the wine to retain great freshness, banishing any ideas of big Aussie shiraz. This is endearing and completely elegant.

Querencia Corache Red Wine, Spain, 2023

Available from Tesco, £12, 14.5% ABV

If you enjoy upfront, unashamedly fruit-laden, juicy reds, then you’ll love this smooth-tannined grenache from Aragón. It’s like a glass of ripe berry-fruit smoothie – think bright cherries, plump blackberries, all topped off with a sprinkle of cinnamon spice.

Winemaker's Red Blend, Armenia Wine Co, Yerevan, Armenia, 2023

Available from Tanners Wines, £12.60, 13% ABV

Have you ever tried an Armenian wine? It’s one of the world’s oldest wine-producing regions, but it’s not something we see much of in the UK. From vines grown at over 1,000 metres in altitude, it’s a blend of the noble grape areni, which is said to be like a cross between pinot noir and zinfandel, with some karmrahyut in the final blend too. It’s a gorgeous medium-bodied, great value wine packed with crushed cranberries, sweet cherry, dark plum, blackcurrant with a lift of rose petal and sweet baking spices. A superb wine to have waiting in the wings at any BBQ or gathering of friends.

Fresco Di Masi Rosso, Masi, Italy, 2024

Available nationwide, including Golden Acre Wine, £17.99, 11.5% ABV

A northern Italian blend of organically grown corvina and merlot, this light-bodied wine is made to be chilled. It’s like a bowlful of ripe red cherries, sweet, mouth-popping pomegranates and bright redcurrants – such juicy, bright summer-sipping.

Pinot noir, Sainsbury's Taste the Difference, Rheinhessen, Germany, 2024

Available from Sainsbury’s, £8.75, 12.5% ABV

Superb value German pinot noir with enticing aromas of bright blueberries, tangy raspberries, and hints of soft vanilla spice, along with a dusting of nutmeg. This is a perfect, light-bodied summery red that would be delicious plunged in the ice bucket.

Red wine 2.0

Richer reds for when you want something a bit bolder in the sunshine (Rosamund Hall)

Care Garnacha Nativa, Spain, 2022

Available from Tesco, £12, 14.5% ABV

Made by a family winery in the heart of Carinena, where the sun beats strong but the altitude provides respite for grapes in this fuller-bodied, richer red. Care garnacha, also known as grenache, is enveloping with aromas of dark, ripe black cherries, generous plump blackberries, and a layer of sweet, mocha-chocolate notes.

The Sardine Submarine, Portugal, 2023

Available from Waitrose, £9, 12% ABV

When I’m asked where to look for the best value red wines in Europe, I always come back to one country: Portugal. Wines like this embody that value brilliantly; it’s an enticing, medium-bodied red that bursts with juicy, smooth red berry fruits, ripe plums, and velvety smooth tannins. If you’re looking for a generous, supple, yet not overpowering red, then this Portuguese blend from Tejo will tick your boxes.

Grangiovese Rosso, Sesti, Castello di Argiano, Italy, 2023

Available from Tanners Wines, £19.95, 14.5% ABV

Sesti is one of the finest producers of Brunello di Montalcino; the wines are so ethereal that you feel like there’s an element of magic in them. This reminds me of a declassified Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino, with deeply generous fruited aromas of ripe cherry, blackberry and raspberries alongside sweet cinnamon spice, woodsmoke and forest floor all tied up with fine, elegant tannins. Grangiovese is a play on words for “the great sangiovese”; it seems entirely appropriate for a wine that feels far superior to its price point.

Wanderwyld Primitivo, North Macedonia

Available from Waitrose, £9.25, 13% ABV

You might think of Puglia when you see primitivo on a label, but before it headed across the Adriatic, it settled in North Macedonia in the 16th century, where it’s more commonly known as Kratosija. This is a fresher style but still delivers generous mocha, blackcurrants, ripe cherries and smooth tannins. A super BBQ sipper alongside some roasted vegetables and herb-rubbed lamb.

Kin Pinot Noir, Te Kano, New Zealand, 2021

Available from Davy’s, £26.95, 14% ABV

A sumptuous pinot noir from Central Otago, it’s layered with ripe morello cherries, Madagascan vanilla bean and scents of wild herbs and alpine strawberries. You could serve this a little chilled to emphasise the brightness of the fruit.