Top 10 wines in the UK press

GP Winery Mineralstein Riesling, Pfalz, Germany 2014

“There is no better wine style to drink at the height of summer than German Riesling”, according to David Williams of The Guardian.

Recommending this example, Williams said: “At its best, it’s a style that is unmatched at combining complexity and concentration of flavour with lightness of touch and alcohol. I say style, but I should really say styles: while the Riesling grape is the ingredient German winemakers use to make the overwhelming majority of their best white wines, the wines vary greatly according to the region, village, or vineyard in which they are grown. The Pfalz region, for example, tends to specialise in drier, richer, fuller, spicier but still, in the case of M&S’s house label, pristine, linear Rieslings with a kick of zesty lime and a lick of minerals.”

Price: £10, Marks & Spencer

JJ Prüm Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany 2012

Williams also recommended this Riesling from the Mosel, which he said has “some similarities with the Rieslings made just across the French border in Alsace”.

“Rather fewer winemakers have succeeded in matching the silk-string delicacy and intricacy of the off-dry Rieslings labeled kabinett on the slate slopes of the Mosel Valley”, he said. “The Prüm family are masters of the art, and the apricots, flowers, and salt of their classical 2012 skip across the tongue with the merest hint of sweetness and just 8.5% alcohol.”

Price: from £15.50, Wine Direct; Harvey Nichols; Fingal Rock; Handford Wines

Domaine aux Moines 2012, Savenniéres La Roche aux Moines, The Loire, France

“Vouvray and Anjou Blanc were big in the Seventies but Loire white wine is not exactly a talking point in this country”, wrote Victoria Moore in The Telegraph.

“I think this is partly because of the swing towards labelling wines by grape, while in the Loire it’s all about appellation, and 23 of them, of which four are sparkling, are authorised to make wine from Chenin Blanc”, she added.

Recommending this Chenin Blanc from Savenniéres in the Loire, Moore said: “The vineyard here was handed over to the local monks as lucrative pilgrimages dried up and the villagers could no longer afford to pay their taxes. More recently it has operated as a matriarchy, run first by Monique Laroche and now also her daughter Tessa. This 2012 already has quite a honeyed tone; drink with smoked salmon and crème fraîche on toast.”

Price: Les Caves de Pyrene in Artington, 01483 554750, £20.50

Hofmann, Riesling Trocken ‘Vom Roten Stein’ 2014, Germany

Tom Cannavan, writing for The Huffington Post, recommended this German Riesling which he said is “bursting with vivacious fruit”.

“Too many people still have a prejudice against German Riesling based on outdated opinions formed from the oceans of cheap and sweet Piesporter and Liebfraumilch that sold in the 1970s”, said Cannavan. “German wines can have extraordinary quality however, with some of the best vineyards in the world, and more and more of them – like this one – are being made ‘Trocken’ or, in a dry style with the wines being fermented to dryness so that all the sugar is converted into alcohol.”

“From a young German winemaker with experience of making wines around the world from California to South Africa, this wine is bursting with vivacious fruit on nose and palate, but has that steely precision that shows the true class of Riesling grown in this cool and perfectly suited climate.”

Price: £14.95 from online retailer Slurp.co.uk

Château du Seuil Graves Blanc 2011/2012

Terry Kirby, of The Independent, recommended this “exceptional, award-winning white from a venerable Bordeaux château, owned by a Welsh family since the 1980s”.

“Semillon grapes, sharpened by a little Sauvignon Blanc and given a little time in oak: restrained, fresh, crisp, lemony, but with a distinct smoky tinge. Partner with cold or smoked salmon or shellfish”, he said.

Price: £13.99, virginwines.co.uk

Torres Viña Esmeralda 2013

“A beguiling and unusual blend of Moscatel and Gewürztraminer from Catalunya, this is deceptively complex, with a mix of spice, apricots, grapefruit and a slight taste of honey, but all deliciously lightly bodied, at just 11% abv”, said Kirby of this Spanish white.

“The perfect glass for a summer salad or seafood, preferably in the garden.”

Price: £8.49, Waitrose, Tesco

Arbol de Vida Pinot Grigio 2014, Mendoza, Argentina

Completing his trio of recommendations, Kirby picked this “simply lovely” Pinot Grigio, produced in Mendoza, Argentina.

“The winemakers in Mendoza, Argentina, have transformed the sometimes-insipid Pinot Grigio into something much more intriguing and substantial: rich and exotic fruit flavours and floral aromas, but remaining crisply dry on the palate.”

Price: £7, Marks & Spencer

2014 Grand Héron, Côtes de Gascogne, France

“This cheeky little white is made from the innocuous duo of varieties Colombard and Ugni Blanc”, said Matthew Jukes writing in the Daily Mail of this wine.

“In the wrong hands this recipe would be deadly dull, however this version is a thriller – with elderflower, nettle, lime and freshly-mown grass cuttings from top to tail –it’s the essence of summer in a glass!”

Price: £7.99, reduced to £6.99 until 31 August, Majestic

Vina Sol Rosé 2014

Wine writer Angela Mount shared her love of rosé writing in the Bath Chronicle, acknowledging that navigating the rosé wine section can be “a bit of a minefield, with wines going from bone dry, to syrup-sweet, and boasting just about every shade of pink possible, from ethereal, onion-skin peach, to neon, Barbie fuchsia”.

Of this example she said: “Bold in its bright rose-pink hue, this is a perky pink from northern Spain with a sassy edge and bags of flavour. It’s the rose-tinted sister to the super-fresh, apple and lemon tinged white wine of the same name. There’s a whoosh of fragrant, crushed raspberry fruit when you swirl it around the glass and a riot of red berry fruits and summer pudding flavours on the palate, with a delicious, juicy finish. Stick this in the fridge for a glass after work, or drink with spice-infused barbecued prawns and chicken.”

Price: £6.99, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s

Morrisons Signature vintage Cava Rosado

Finally Mount recommended this bottle of sparkling Cava rosé, a style which she said had “lost its crown as the best value sparkling wine around to Prosecco” in recent years, but was due to make a comeback.

“In the meantime, the quality keeps getting better and better and, once again, Morrisons have come up trumps with a truly delicious, and great value example of a perfect pink summer fizz. It’s fresh as a daisy, bright, vibrant and super-charged with ripe strawberry and freshly squeezed lemon aromas and flavours. Squeaky clean and lively, it’s the perfect aperitif for weekend barbecues, and works a treat with tapas, prawns and calamari.”

Price: Morrisons £6.99