You couldn’t hope to find Sauvignon of this quality for the price in any of the Loire’s more famous regions, like Sancerre or Pouilly. Blended from the year’s tastiest vats, this wine is as subtle and complex as it is refreshing and zingy. It’s made exclusively for us by our trusted friend Franck Chatelain at Noël Bougrier’s renowned cellar in the Touraine. The original Abbesse was one Louise de Bourbon of the nearby Abbaye de Fontevraud and a major figure in Loire history. This delicious expression of the region’s reigning grape, Sauvignon Blanc, is a fitting tribute to her. With its appealing, crisp, lemony fruit and zippy freshness, it’s delicious on its own any time and goes ever so well with goat’s cheese and lighter fish dishes.

Style wise, it’s a great wine for, say, Pinot Grigio lovers wanting to branch out.

Portugal has a fascinating array of these indigenous grapes and they are finally getting the attention they deserve, thanks to a new generation of winemakers in charge of modern cellars.

Amoras is from an estate north of Lisbon, owned for several generations now by the da Silva family.

The soils, slopes and climate – ocean breezes combined with long sunny days – make this an ideal area for grape growing.

Chill the wine and enjoy by itself or with seafood, salad or sushi, and raise a glass to Portugal.

Take a minute to read the (literally thousands of) 5-star online reviews for Cabalié. This one is typical: “When my time comes to shuffle off this mortal coil, this is the wine I want in that final glass. It is simply, utterly, indescribably fantastic.” Its secret? It’s crafted by a master winemaker, Hervé Sabardeil, following the centuries-old style beloved of Roman centurions, who first made wine there. Raspberry-rich Grenache, with herby Syrah and Carignan, Cabalié has impressive concentration.

That’s due to the maturity of the vines, most well over 50 years old. The tiny berries they produce give Cabalié extraordinarily rich, ripe flavours. Boasting 8 Golds in as many vintages, this much-loved red is warming solo or with hearty dishes.

The family founded the property as far back as 1637, and have now been making wine for over 40 years. Unusually these days, they make their fizz by the same method as Champagne, with the second fermentation in bottle, and turn each bottle by hand. The wine is then aged for nearly two years on lees (the spent yeasts that created the fizz during the fermentation in bottle) to ensure rich complexity and full body. It’s organic, too! With ripe apple and peach notes and complex toasty length, it makes a very fine apéritif with toasted salted almonds, jamón iberico, olives and other tapas.