In his book Grapes and Wines Oz Clarke rightly laments “the Muscat grape is treated with casual disregard by the majority of wine drinkers”. How so, when Muscat (aka Moscatel) is as old as wine itself, and so versatile it makes outstanding wines that can be sweet, dry, sparkling or fortified? Those in the know love Muscat for its exotic perfume and for the fact that it is perhaps the only wine that actually tastes of fresh grapes.

So without further ado get stuck into a glass of this Moscatel Rosado, unearthed by our award-winning Buyer for Spain. This modern, fruity, medium-dry, semi-sparkling rosé from sunny Valencian vineyards is addictively moreish. Savour well chilled – on its own or with grilled prawns or summer berries.

Hasn't Malbec come a long way! It used to produce the tough, tannic reds of SW France, then Argentina got a hold of it and made it a worldwide star. Not to be out done, France is revisiting this grape and, with refined techniques and careful handling, showing just how appealing its wines can be. Hervé discovered a plot of 30-year-old vines in the Languedoc's Vallée de l'Orb, on soils covered with big boulder-like stones that promote grapes with lovely intensity and ripeness. Impressed, he bagged the lot. Hand harvesting, gentle handling, and just a short time on its skins, have resulted in a silky, ripe, supple wine, with ample fruit tinged with herbs and liquorice. A fine choice with marinaded pork chops, roast chicken or veggie kebabs.

Le XV is known to thousands as our ‘King of the Big Reds’. It owes its intensity to Grenache from vines, some over 100 years old, that grow on the rocky slopes of the Pyrenean foothills in the Montagne Noire and yield only tiny quantities of grapes. Le XV also benefits from the painstaking care of self-confessed southern French wine aficionado Mark Hoddy, whose draconian selection process sees him earmark in advance every vineyard he intends to harvest and micro-manage every stage of the winemaking. This takes time, but you can taste the result in every delicious glass!

Richly textured, with layers of ripe bramble fruit kept smooth by warming alcohol and soft, ripe tannins, this is a red to enjoy with roast lamb, steak or a hearty stew.