The top 10 wines in the UK press

Find out which Vinho Verde Matthew Jukes says is in “a different league from the competition” and which Viognier he says “gets the pulse racing”.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Jukes picks out five new wines from Tuscany, Clare Valley, Portugal, France & Margaret River. He describes them as “five extremely classy wines, covering every flavour imaginable”.

Jukes is clearly impressed by the Viognier, writing: “your taste buds cannot prevent themselves being hypnotised with the layers of alluring fruit.”

In The Times, Jane MacQuitty is another who recommends a wine from Margaret River. She picks out a Cabernet Sauvignon as a “keeper”, adding: “I loved its lashings of complex, fat, cassis, cigar and eucalyptus flavours and so will you.”

Find out more about these and other wines recommended in the UK press over the last seven days.

2010 Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills

David Williams, writing in The Observer, picks out this white wine, he said: “Australia’s Chardonnays get better and better – so much more restrained and elegant than the butterscotch-and-sun-in-a-glass of yore.”

He adds that this wine is “taut, fresh and layered with minerals, orchard fruit and oak.”

Finest Côtes Catalanes Carignan 2011, France 

Victoria Moore goes for a wine from the Tesco Finest range when recommending wines to her readers in the Daily Telegraph.

But she does warn: “You have to be careful when hunting for this as there’s also a Finest Côtes Catalanes Grenache and the two labels look almost the same.

Actually, both are good but I think the Carignan has a bit more personality, all brambles and fresh figs, a jolly, easy-going red that’s good with sausage and bean casserole.”

Marananga Dam Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2009, Barossa Valley

Moore also recommends this red from Australia, which she says: “Reeks of Barossa, with faint liquorice, dust and a vast, dark, rich cauldron of juice behind it.”

She added: “I love the powdery texture that the Grenache brings to this. Full-blooded and amazing value.”

2011 The Wine Selection, Chianti

Also in the Telegraph, Hamish Anderson picks out this wine from Asda, which is available for less than £5. He writes: “This has the savoury, herbaceous red fruit and earthy undertones typical of the region’s main grape, Sangiovese, without any of the excessive rusticity that usually mars them.”

2010 Domaine Saint Ferréol, Viognier, Pays d’Oc

This is the Viognier that Matthew Jukes picks out in the Daily Mail. He wrote: “The pungent, jasmine and peach stone scent on this refined Viognier gets the pulse racing and as you dive into the all-enveloping palate your taste buds cannot prevent themselves being hypnotised with the layers of alluring fruit.”

2011 Tercius, Alvarinho, Vinho Verde

Jukes was also delighted with this Vinho Verde, writing: “With a little more weight on the palate than normal Vinho Verde this wine is in a different league from the competition. Zesty, citrusy and bursting with life this is a stunner with seafood and fish recipes.”

Wither Hills, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2012

Writing in The Independent, Terry Kirby usually recommends a range of wines for all budgets and situations. This New Zealand wine is one which he recommends drinking with a “midweek meal”.

He wrote: “Last year was an exceptional vintage for Marlborough, home of the finest Sauvignon Blanc.” He added that this wine is “an irresistible explosion of tropical fruits and gooseberry-flavoured freshness. Brilliant with seafood or lightly spiced Asian dishes.”

Cune Rioja Reserva 2007

Kirby also recommends this as a “bargain basement wine”, he said: “This is one of the benchmark wines from a reliable producer at a great discount. Soft, velvety, medium-bodied and a good balance between oak and fruit, it is a natural partner for braised rabbit or arroz con pollo.”

2011 Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Franc, Central Valley, Chile

Jane MacQuitty, in The Times, picked out this Chilean red, writing that it is a “cracking crunchy, redcurranty red whose punchy, yet elegant, bell-pepper spice and plush, ripe fruit bodes well for future, fancier Chilean Cabernet Francs.”

2010 Night Harvest, John George Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

MacQuitty also likes to recommend a “keeper” to her readers and this week she picks this Australian red.

She wrote: “This lush, chunky, crimson-purple red is aged for 18 months in French oak barriques and has a restrained 13.2 per cent alcohol content. I loved its lashings of complex, fat, cassis, cigar and eucalyptus flavours and so will you.”