Château Puech-Haut is the prized property of Gérard Bru, a passionate champion of the Languedoc.

His vineyards occupy exceptional sites, with clay and limestone soils, topped by large galet stones (just like Châteauneuf-du-Pape). That and the warm Mediterranean climate results in a very luscious style.

He has employed some top-name consultants from the start – first Bordeaux's Michel Rolland, now Philippe Cambie.

He also boasts the largest barrel in the world – so big that there's a shop inside! Critic Andrew Jefford called Gérard Bru "a dark horse", whose grandfather used to swap wine for potatoes!

Using classic grapes Roussanne, Marsanne and Viogner, barrel fermented in new oak, with bâtonnage, this is luscious, mouthfilling style.

Since their wines first appeared in 2004, Château Vartely has established itself as one of Moldova’s top wineries. The winery controls 300 hectares of vines grown in conditions and soils very similar to the best of Bordeaux. Glowing online reviews every vintage prove that UK wine lovers have given this estate a big thumbs up. From grape harvesting to bottling, every step takes place under the watchful eye of Arcadie Fosnea, ‘Moldovan Winemaker of the Year’ in 2014. Having studied winemaking at Weinsberg, Germany, he has drawn worldwide acclaim for his skill at producing impressive wines.

Like this brilliantly fresh blend of native Feteasca Regala and crisp, grassy Sauvignon. Serve chilled on its own, with goat's cheese bake or with fish.

An exciting, pure and complex dry white that’s reshaping Sauternes’s winemaking history. It's a daring pairing of Grand Cru Classé winemaking skills and the fine terroirs of Sauternes, home to France’s finest sweet wines. Owner, Olivier Bernard, believed that the region’s amazing panoply of soils could also make top quality dry Sémillon. In 2011, he set out to prove it.

He brought in the team from the Graves' Grand Cru Classé Domaine de Chevalier, to help achieve his vision. Using intense, old-vine Sémillon from three terroirs, and a dash of Sauvignon, this cuvée was aged for six months on its fine lees, with 25% in new oak. Together they add layers of complexity and creamy weighty. A masterpiece of luscious fruit, spice and freshness.

This fine Jura estate was founded in 1742 and, with the accumulated wisdom of nine generations, remains in the same family. They started out as farmers, with a few vines. Then in 1950, 7th-generation René Baud worked to restore the vineyards after the devastation of both two world wars and phylloxera. Since then, the four hectares has grown to 20 and the 9th generation, Bastien and Clementine, are running the domaine.

They are sustainable in their approach, gaining Terra Vitis status in 2014. Just over half of their production is Chardonnay, here from some of their oldest vines, planted in 1930. Fermentation and ageing in seasoned oak barrels lends a creamy weight and roundness to the apple-fresh fruit. Great with creamy sauced chicken.

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.