Wines for the week: September 2023

A Blanc de Noir sparkling wine made with Cabernet Sauvignon using the Charmat method. Sour citrus with a hint of red cherry on the nose. Crunchy green apple acidity (6.8g/l) refreshes sweet red cherry and melon notes on the palate, with white pepper spices lingering on the tip of the tongue.

Lovely vibrancy of citrus and yellow orchard fruit with a delicate lining of spice and roasted hazelnuts. The alcohol is very well integrated, the warmth adding depth to the fruit and width to the mid-palate with a firm, pithy grip as a perfect counterpoint.

South Africa's first female black winemaker Ntsiki Biyela is an exciting and talented name on the Stellenbosch scene, and it's great to see her skin contact Chenin Blanc added to Waitrose's South African line-up – worth tracking down either in selected London stores or online at Waitrose Cellar. It's an unoaked wine, with the texture and weight in the mouth coming from the skin contact: 20% of the grapes were crushed and fermented on skins for 24 hours before pressing, the other 80% were left on the skins and fermented for seven days. There's a slight golden tint in the glass, then bright citrussy acidity, ripe orchard fruit and a dry honeyed character when you sip. Accomplished winemaking and really delicious – good complexity for the price.

This golden-hued Muscadet has a delicious fruity weight, offset by mineral freshness. Six months on the lees bring a lovely texture which, along with an appetising salinity, the fleshiness of yellow apple and the citrus zestiness, makes this wine particularly food-friendly.

If you're after a stylish white wine for the dinner table and you fancy something a bit different, then this Decanter World Wine Awards Platinum medal winner is well worth a try. Made by Kutjevo, an 800-year-old winery, the Graševina grapes are left longer on the vine to achieve perfect ripeness, and then matured for six months in local Slavonian oak barrels. Full of yellow fruits and some patisserie scents and flavours, it shows complexity with citrus peel and stone fruit notes and touches of honey and white flowers. Long and fresh, with zippy acidity.

Cool-climate Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is getting better all the time, offering similar upfront aromatics as a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc but often with more vibrancy and less residual sugar. We loved this well-priced wine from Leyda Valley, made by Luis Felipe Edwards, a brand known for offering quality wines at this price point. Bursting with zesty lime fruit and crunchy green pea and asparagus flavours, it's fruit forward but with a real bite to it too. A crowd-pleaser. Mix-six price: £9.99

A pure, unpretentious wine in which a touch of Malagousia adds fruity fleshiness to the florality and spiciness of the dominant Moschofilero. White peach, rose petals and lemon zest linger on the palate, lifted by a subtle yet assertive acidity. A perfect everyday drinker.

This is a great-value, bone-dry Viognier, showing all the flavours of this aromatic variety but without any cloying sweetness. It's packed with ripe nectarine and classic fresh apricot and ginger spice, along with jasmine blossom lift and juicy but gentle orange acidity.

The recent success this variety has enjoyed means that dilute, dull examples are all too common. Fear not, however, with this well-made co-op wine, which bursts with lemon and lime curd citrus zestiness, white flowers and orchard fruits.

Zibibbo seems to be everywhere at the moment – Lidl has one as part of its Summer Wine Tour at the moment – and it's easy to see the appeal of this Sicilian incarnation of the Muscat of Alexandria grape variety, which is invariably vinified unoaked to show off its intensely aromatic character. It's zesty and vibrant, with a perfume of grapefruit, mandarin and rose petals, and makes a perfect accompaniment to spiced Asian cuisine. Another interesting addition to the excellent Loved & Found range, aimed at wine adventurers on a budget.

Mouthfilling and expressive, almost amontillado-like, this fino is deep-hued, broad and rich with apple pie, fresh almonds and bread dough flavours dominating. The finish is unmistakably fino, though, with its clean, precise, sharp-edged salinity. An absolute steal.

<p>This isn't a mainstream wine style, so one for the wine adventurer. A medium-sweet wine from Jurançon in southwest France, it's most likely a blend of Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng grapes, which have been left to hang on the vine longer than grapes for the dry wines, concentrating both the sugars and the acidity. It's sweet to taste, but in a light and easy, aperitif-style way – it would be delicious with chicken liver paté on toast, or lighter fruit desserts. It's bright and fresh, with honey notes, and a hint of barley sugar. Delightful.</p>