The top bottles of wine to buy this bank holiday

There’s still time for one last hurrah of summer, and what we all want are easy-swigging bank holiday bottles that down’t cost the earth, are capable of accompanying a wide range of dishes and, for the most part, don’t need to be treated with ceremony. Fizz always makes an ideal sharpener for any gathering, putting everyone in a jolly mood from the get-go, then this run of crisp, refreshing whites, fruity reds and pretty, thirst-quenching pinks should cover all the bases.
Contevedo Cava Brut, Spain11.5 per cent, Aldi, £5.49Cheap-as-chips, champagne-method, crowd-pleasing summer sparkler, with less residual sugar (9g) than most. Enjoy this refreshing, lime pickle and citrus-spiked Spanish wine as is, or I like to jazz it up with soda water and citrus wheels to make a simple, fruity spritz.
Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé, France12 per cent, Aldi, £9.49Crémant is the next best thing to champagne and Bordeaux has pulled its socks up at last to produce this elegant, fresh, curranty pink. It’s a clever combo of 60 per cent plummy merlot and the rest is redcurranty cabernet franc. Enjoy!
The Best Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco11 per cent, Morrisons, £10Worth spending a pound or two more on this superior, non-vintage bubbly because its vanilla pod scent and finer, floral palate puts it ahead of the prosecco pack. Vegan-approved.
2023 Taste the Difference Viognier, France13 per cent, Sainsbury’s, £9Anyone with a spicy chicken or fish dish lined up should scoop up this night-harvested, exotic, honeysuckle-scented, unoaked Languedoc white, from Laurent Miquel. It’s equally good as a light, summery aperitif white. Vegan friendly.
2023 Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand13 per cent, Co-op, £11.50It’s definitely worth paying a tad more for this scrumptious Kiwi sauvignon from Marlborough’s cooler, windier Awatere valley. Unoaked, it has lashings of bright, breezy, bosky fruit reminiscent of sunny, scented box hedges and kiwi fruit.
2022 The Best Assyrtiko, Greece13.5 per cent, Morrisons, £8.50 down from £10Love chablis but hate the price? Dive into this delicious, dry, steely assyrtiko instead, its basil and lemon zest scent plus a limpid, stony palate make it the perfect, summery bank holiday white to perk up seafood dishes.
2022 Macerao Moscatel Naranjo, Chile12.5 per cent, Waitrose, £8.99Adventurous chefs in love with strong flavours should make certain this wonderfully assertive, musky, quince and orange blossom-scented, amber-gold gem is in their ice-bucket. With its tangy tannins and lingering taste, Macerao is the perfect big food match.
Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 15 per cent, Waitrose, £7.99 for 35cl The height of the summer berry season needs at least one luscious white and this honeyed, yellow peach-stashed muscat gets my vote. Serve well chilled and treat it with respect — it’s 15 per cent alcohol.
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2022 Fairtrade Cabernet Merlot, South Africa 14 per cent, Sainsbury’s, £7.25, down from £8.50Useful, oak-chipped cabernet sauvignon-dominant Fairtrade red from the Cape, with masses of rich, sweet, savoury, mocha-styled fruit. It’s equally good partnered with a juicy steak as chargrilled bangers.
2022 Alamos Mountain Malbec, Argentina13.5 per cent, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, £7.50 down from £9.75Uber-popular malbec makes a handy barbecue red and this seductive, richly-fruited sip is the bottle to buy. With just a six-month dusting of French oak, it’s more restrained than most and overflows with ripe, zesty, curranty fruit. Serve cool, if it’s a bank holiday scorcher.
2023 Interlude Pinot Noir, southeastern Australia11 per cent, Co-op, £7.15 down from £8.65I’ve had my eye on this juicy, oak-chipped, lower-alcohol Aussie pinot noir for a while now. What you get is masses of carefully crafted, light, floral, gamey pinot noir fruit, topped up with a dollop of shiraz, plus a zingy cranberry finish. Also enjoys a dip in the ice-bucket.
2022 The Misfits Cinsault, South Africa13 per cent, Tesco, £8 down from £10Ken Forrester’s gentle, spicy, raspberry-fruited Western Cape red is fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel but then gets a short stint in French oak barrels. The latter explains its smooth, silky fruit and spice and at this cut price it’s a steal.
2023 Casillero del Diablo Belight Rosé, Chile8.5 per cent, Tesco, £7Just what the bank holiday needs, a lower alcohol, off-dry rosé, with lots of light but lively citrus zest fruit and a sparky, tongue-tingling spritzy palate. Served well-chilled, it’s the perfect lazy summer afternoon and picnic party pink.
2023 Fleur de Lise Saint Mont Rosé, France12 per cent, Marks & Spencer, £8.50Gascony’s Plaimont co-op is best known for its tasty whites, but please try this fruit salad rosé, equal parts local pinenc and tannat, plus cabernets sauvignon and franc. Together the quartet have made a mouthwatering, summer-in-a-glass, curranty, citrus blossom pink.
2023 Found Susumaniello Rosé, Italy12.5 per cent, Marks & Spencer, £9The susumaniello grape is a new arrival here and this pretty as a picture, pale salmon pink rose gets my thumbs-up. Off dry, it bursts with rich, fruity, bramble pizzazz and with its lush style it would make the ideal barbecue bottle.