Top 10 wines in the UK press

te Pa, Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013, New Zealand

After three decades of fame that “rested largely on Sauvignon Blanc”, New Zealand now has another “potential white wine champion” in the shape of Pinot Gris, wrote Tom Cannavan in the Huffington Post this week.

He said: “te Pa is a new name to the UK, 150 hectares having been planted in 2003 by the Macdonald family who can trace their history on this land back for 800 years. There’s a touch of bronze to the colour from the red-skinned Pinot Gris, and it offers a burst of fresh, juicy apricot and nectarine fruit, as well as having a cool herb and even slightly salty note. On the palate it is dry, succulent and again juicy. It has easy drinking charm because of the ripe fruit, but there is enough acidity to give this balance and genuine food-friendly savour and freshness.”

Price: £9.50, The Wine Society

Skouras Saint George, Nemea 2011, Greece

Terry Kirby, writing in the Independent, hailed the “massive advances” made in Greek winemaking this week, citing this red as proof which he said was “wonderfully balanced”.

He said: “Succulent, medium-bodied, with some smoky, mouth-filling, raspberry and cherry fruits. The obvious choice for moussaka or any grilled lamb with rosemary.”

Price: £13.30, tanners-wines.co.uk

Les Grands Chemins Marsanne Viognier 2013 Pays d’Oc, France

Kirby also recommended this French made from a blend of Marsanne and Viognier.

He said: “In contrast to other blends of these two very different grapes, the creamy but spicy Marsanne here dominates the Viognier, which provides a floral underpinning of apricots and honeysuckle. Scallops are the ideal match, but this also works with Asian-style fish or chicken dishes.”

Price: £8.99, virginwines.co.uk

Finca Las Moras Pinot Grigio 2014, Argentina

Susy Atkins gave the wine department at the Co-op supermarket a push writing in The Telegraph this week. She said the supermarket once had “rather a flabby, unfocused selection, has trimmed back and tightened up its range with core customers more firmly in mind,” as well as “a better – actually impressive – set of own-label bottles.”

Of this Argentine Pinot Grigio she said: “Vivacious, very youthful dry wine with succulent, juicy oranges and pears – an exuberantly fruity party white. Exclusive to Co-op.”

Price: £6.99

The Co-operative Truly Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir 2012, Chile

Co-op’s premium range, Truly Irresistible, includes this “extraordinarily well-priced Chilean Pinot Noir, said Atikins.

She said: “From one of Chile’s cooler valleys comes this deliciously smooth, rounded but deeply fruity pinot, full of ripe red plums with subtle hints of chocolate and hazelnut.”

Price: £7.99

Vincent Paris Crozes Hermitage 2013, Rhône, France

David Williams, writing in The Guardian, picked out three wines available from crowd-funding wine merchants – a movement of which he is said to be a “reluctant convert”.

He said: “Discounts for Naked members are so big (25-50%) it’s hard not to be a little suspicious about the quoted “real” price. Naked says its prices are based on “what similar-quality wine would sell for through other retailers”. Having just tasted through their range, I reckon that’s not always the case. But value is generally no worse than rivals, such as Virgin and Laithwaites, and occasionally very competitive. Certainly, £18.99 seems fair for Vincent Paris’s classically styled vivid, brambly Northern Rhône Syrah, while the “Angel” price of £13.99 is devilishly attractive.

Price: £18.99, Naked Wines

Domaine Jones La Gare Old Vine Carignan 2013, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Williams also had praise for this Old Vine Carignan from Katie Jones who left the UK for Languedoc-Roussillon and started a winery in 2007.

He said: “Her wines were immediately well received, and her gamble in swapping a well-paid job for a romantic ideal was paying off, when disaster struck: vandals broke in and destroyed the entire 2012 vintage of her white wine. Naked stepped in and within 48 hours its customers had pre-ordered 30,000 bottles of her next vintage.”

Price: £24.99, Naked Wines

2010/3 Torre del Falco, Nero di Troia, Puglia, Italy

Matthew Jukes, writing in the Daily Mail, recommended a number of wines suited to enjoying over this week’s Bonfire Night celebrations.

He said: “This wine has been featured in my column before, but I am repeating the message because of the loony price reduction! Drink this scented, exotically flavoured, sumptuous red with the Maple mustard pulled pork buns and smile from ear to ear! PS – I think that there are a few vintages of this wine in store and all are delicious!”

Price: £7.49, reduced to £5.99 from 5 November to 2 December, Waitrose

2013 Iona, Mr P Pinot Noir, Elgin, South Africa

“Elgin is a coolish region in the Cape and this Pinot has a sleek, juicy, haunting plum and strawberry core”, said Jukes of this wine.

He added: “The organically grown grapes are handled very carefully in the winery and the resulting wine is silky, luxurious and elegant.”

Price: £12.99, reduced to £11.69 each for a case of 12 bottles, Cambridge Wine Merchants

Costières de Nîmes, Venturer, France

Fiona Beckett, writing in The Guardian, also stuck to a Bonfire Night theme this week, taking her wine recommendations from supermarket Aldi.

She said: “Most of the time, I see it as my mission to introduce you to less familiar and more exciting (to me) wines and grape varieties, but the first weekend in November isn’t one of them. You’re going to be standing in the cold for hours at a firework display. You’re more than likely to be having the neighbours round for bangers afterwards. What you need are cheap, hearty reds, so that’s what you’re going to get this week.”

“If you have an Aldi nearby, I would head there for a start. The regular suspects I’ve mentioned before – Toro Loco Tempranillo (still at £3.79; 12.5% abv) and Andara Merlot (£3.99; 12.5% abv) – are still terrific buys, but my top pick would be the new Venturer series Costières de Nîmes (£4.79; 13.5% abv), a rich, spicy, Rhône-like blend of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre – almost like mulled wine without the need to mull it.”

Price: £4.79, Aldi