If you enjoy quality wine and appreciate value, southern France has a lot to offer. There is a myriad of appellations and producers to get to know. And fewer rules to follow, so winemakers can be creative. We have been wending our way around villages and vineyards there since the late 1960s so we know where to look and have many invaluable connections.

Yannick Pons of Domaine Saint André has a beautiful estate, skirted by the Canal du Midi and the Roman road Via Domitia. It's not far from the famous Oppidum (hilltop town) d’Ensérune, which dates back some 3,000 years. This is prime Chardonnay country, producing lovely, pure, creamy peach fruit in this modern style white. It’s perfect on its own or with salads, fish dishes or roast chicken.

Family owned since 1664, the Karp-Schreiber estate lies in the heart of the Mosel. This important region starts southwest of the ancient city of Trier and follows the river its named after through the Rhineland to Koblenz where the Mosel joins the Rhine. Dramatic, slate-covered slopes are the key to the region’s wine quality. Estate manager Alwin Karp and winemaker son Jobst Julius have 6 hectares of Riesling, cultivated on these steep slopes, including a patch of Grand Cru Juffer Sonnenuhr vines. As the vineyards are far too precarious for machinery, all the work is done by hand.

Dry Karp from the very good 2021 vintage is a Mosel classic – zesty, delicate floral notes and mineral freshness. Great solo or with seafood or Asian dishes.

Champion the small grower with this terrifically fresh and grassy white. It’s from Marlborough, which enjoys a worldwide reputation for herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc. Duck ’n’ Pheasant is from a cellar that works with individual growers who lack the facilities to produce their own wine, but don’t want to see their precious harvest become an anonymous component of a big brand.

The grapes were all sourced from vineyards which, thanks to free draining, gravelly soils (and the odd duck or pheasant), give excellent flavour intensity. Quality in 2021 was exceptional, with lovely concentration, all captured in bottle and sealed in under screwcap for guaranteed freshness. A crisp glass on its own, and a tasty partner to salmon, chicken or Thai curry.

This bright, fresh white is named after the Elephant Tree you see on the label. Adored by these great beasts for munching on, it is also cherished for its amazing ability to soak up carbon! Not even fast-growing bamboo can match it.

The wine was made by the talented Leon Esterhuizen at the sustainable, community-minded Journey's End winery. It was awarded 'Drinks Business Ethical Company of the Year 2021' and also in that same year, the 'Water Management Award' for the second time. It's owned by the Gabb family, instrumental in putting South Africa’s wine on millions of dinner tables around the world during the past 30 years. Chill down well, this white makes mouthwatering refreshment on its own, or with salads or lightly spiced dishes.

Critic Tim Atkin declared, "For wine lovers, South Africa offers something special," while the Press Association wrote, "South African winemakers are producing an abundance of world-class wines". Excelsior Estate has been doing just that for 150 years, since its foundation in Robertson in 1870. It's still owned today by the De Wet family, with Freddie and his son Peter running the show. Their philosophy is that great wine is made in the vineyard, so they put much work into tending their vines.

Their Heritage Reserve wines use their finest grapes from the lowest yielding vines on the region's premium limestone soils, all to ensure intense flavour. Ripe, but with zesty freshness, this white is great with ginger-spiced pork or noodle soup.