Bernard Moreau has been in charge of his small family domaine in the Mâconnais since 1982 and is now assisted by his son, Alex, as winemaker. It lies very close to a village called Chardonnay, just like the grape! For this white, they use fruit from their 60-year-old vines, planted on calcareous soils and with excellent sun exposure. This is the perfect formula for wine with depth and concentration.

Plus, 2022 whites are blessed with richness, body and ripeness, a generous year. Bernard tends his vines with the utmost care, using sustainable, eco-friendly methods. This results in a wine with a balance of creamy roundness, ripe pear, crisp minerality and finesse. Serve cellar cool with creamy sauced dishes to best enjoy its subtle flavour.

Wine International magazine decreed, “the revival of Muscadet is coming from growers like Gadais”, a 4th-generation estate, run today by father and son, Christophe and Pierre-Henri Gadais. It was founded in 1952 by Louis Gadais – one of the first winemakers in Nantes to bottle his own wines (most was sold to merchants in bulk). La Grande Réserve du Moulin is their top cuvée, using the best bunches of Melon de Bourgogne (the only grape permitted in Muscadet) from their vineyards. It’s a fine white aged sur lie, meaning it’s left for months on its fine lees to add subtle creamy complexity to the floral apple and pear fruit. 2023 was an exceptional vintage for Muscadet, as grapes were picked during the September heatwave. An ace seafood white.

Dominio de Los Duques is crafted under the watchful eye of Don Vicente García, a man hugely respected by his winemaking colleagues in Valencia. When the Catalan growers fought to limit the name ‘Cava’ to their own sparkling wines, they offered to make an exception for him. But, instead of accepting, he chose to fight for the rights of other small growers in his region and won! Thanks to Vicente, Cava is now made in over 150 wine regions including his home town of Requena (one of the best), 40 miles from Valencia.

This fine sparkling wine was aged for 12 months to ensure richness and complexity. It has very small bubbles (a sign of quality), a refreshing stone fruit character and elegant floral notes. Serve chilled on its own or with tapas.