Founded in 1976 by Luis Felipe Edwards Snr, descendant of a London-born doctor, Viña Luis Felipe Edwards is synonymous worldwide with quality and innovation. That's why it's a four-time winner of the ‘Best Chilean Wine Producer’. Chief winemaker Nicolas Bizzarri has the highest quality standards, having worked with fine estates all over the world, and has picked up top Trophies for LFE along the way.

For this refreshing white made from his favourite white grape, Chardonnay, Nicolas selects fruit with an ideal balance of ripeness and freshness, all from estate vineyards. It's delicious and always ready to delight. Brimful of bright citrus, melon and peach flavours, it's a superb partner to sauced fish or white meat dishes. Or simply solo.

Southern Burgundy’s Mâconnais has long been known for being a hotspot for good value but in the last decade its winemakers have proved that this goes hand in hand with remarkable quality too. They may not be able to put ‘Grand Cru’ on the label, but some of the bottles certainly warrant it. The Greuzards have been crafting superb wines at their Greffière estate for four generations now.

In fact there is evidence the property was making wine from 1585. Their top vineyard – La Roche Vineuse – is 12 hectares with vines 30 to 50-years-old. No wonder the fruit is so deliciously concentrated and long. Slow fermentation with lees stirring results in this rich complex style. Serve lightly chilled with white meats, risotto or a creamy fish dish.

If you enjoy quality wine and appreciate value, southern France has a lot to offer. There is a myriad of appellations and producers to get to know. And fewer rules to follow, so winemakers can be creative. We have been wending our way around villages and vineyards there since the late 1960s so we know where to look and have many invaluable connections.

Yannick Pons of Domaine Saint André has a beautiful estate, skirted by the Canal du Midi and the Roman road Via Domitia. It's not far from the famous Oppidum (hilltop town) d’Ensérune, which dates back some 3,000 years. This is prime Chardonnay country, producing lovely, pure, creamy peach fruit in this modern style white. It’s perfect on its own or with salads, fish dishes or roast chicken.

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.

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.

The Champagne region grows three grapes, two red – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and one white – Chardonnay. Blanc de Blancs is made only from Chardonnay and, as Hugh Johnson says, it therefore has “great grace and less weight than traditional Champagne”. Laithwaite’s is a tip-top example which has been expertly created for us by a superb cellar in Vertus, one of Champagne’s finest villages. This particular cuvée is 100% Premier Cru vineyard fruit and was matured for 30 months before release – double the required minimum – to ensure a luxurious, toasty biscuit character. It’s ideal for special occasions, on its own or with smoked salmon canapés.

Crisp, appley and punctuated with a steely, mineral edge, Domaine de la Mandelière is a Chablis that justifies the region’s illustrious reputation. It’s the creation of Robert and Josette Nicolle, who carefully nurture their wines from bud break to bottle to achieve the most authentic expression of terroir. The Nicolle family have tended their vineyards on a ridge of limestone in the heart of the region for four generations.

The fruit is hand harvested and hand sorted in the vineyard, and that painstaking commitment to quality shines through in the character of their wines. You can expect a complex Chablis with aromas of stone fruit and apple with floral hints. Serve cool – but not cold – with fresh oysters, poached salmon or white meats.

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover or a wine by its label; but in the case of Laneway, we say do just that. The art was featured in a Melbourne laneway for 27 days and was admired by thousands of people before being painted over. Sensational and all the more beautiful because of its transiency – just like the wine inside. It's made using select parcels of grapes from vines up to 70 years old, all close to the Nagambie Lakes in Victoria. These bodies of water temper the heat and draw out the ripening to produce this ripe, fruit-laden Chardonnay.

This 2022 is generous and creamy, with white peach, lemon zest and honeydew notes and tangy freshness. A versatile and irresistibly fruity wine on its own or with chicken or seafood.