Our scout and buyer for the Languedoc-Roussillon is Mark Hoddy. He's always searching the region's vineyards, to check out the vintage and the finest parcels of grapes. This is an ace find Mark discovered first in 2019 via an old friend in Corbières. Close by is Domaine La Lirande, a small estate founded in 1912 by the grandfather, François, in the tiny village of Coulobres. Every year, the Syrah from the domaine's 8 hectares of 40-year-old vines stands out for quality. Just taste the richness of this seductive red. Ripe black fruit, velvety, with smoky liquorice and wild herb notes, it's young, so best with hearty dishes like pasta bake or at a barbecue.

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.

The famous gardens in London have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. They span 320 acres, employ 750 staff (a third are scientists) and house a truly extraordinary collection of trees, plants and fungi. For distiller Darren Rook Kew Gardens offer a cornucopia of botanicals, though he does supplement these with other organic botanicals from around the world. The gin is distilled in Battersea in a 140 litre copper pot still known as Christina (all stills are given names!). It is non-chill filtered, hand bottled and hand labelled, featuring a design inspired by the many plant drawings in Kew’s archives.

L’Épiphanie de Pauillac is the latest of our secret releases from iconic Bordeaux châteaux. It hails from Pauillac’s top tier – a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate. There are only three in the appellation: Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild and Latour. We guarantee this wine is from one of them. It isn’t their Grand Vin, of course, but it’s made from the same fruit by the same winemaker and housed in the same barrels. Yet it costs less than 1/16th of the Grand Vin’s price.

L’Épiphanie de Pauillac has blackcurrant, cherry and ripe plum infused with subtle spice, cedar and cigar box notes. These classic aromas combine with firm tannins for a complex wine with a long finish. By all means open a bottle now, but cellaring will pay dividends.

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.

If you come to visit us at Château La Clarière in the heat of summer, we’re sure to offer you a well-chilled glass of rosé. It’s a must, even if you’re a red wine drinker. And when the pink is this good, it would be foolish to resist. We don’t usually have enough grapes to make any sizeable quantity (the rest is reserved for our claret), but the wine has such a following that we always ensure we make some.

It’s a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, fermented very slowly and cold in stainless steel tanks. That way we capture the delicate summer berry fruit and zippy citrus freshness. You can breathe in all its lovely aromas, too. It really is as pretty and crisp as its label suggests, and is delicious solo and versatile with food.