On the recommendations of a colleague, a bottle of Hartenberg was my very first staff order with Bancroft and I have been in love with their wines ever since. They are maybe best known for their award-winning reds but I think you would struggle to find a better value Riesling anywhere and the Chardonnay is a great example of a more refined New World style. The Benufet from Herència Altés is also a superb value wine and a great example of how pure and precise Garnatxa Blanca can be with the right care.

Moving onto reds, another Spanish favourite is the Valdaya from Ribera del Duero. An amazing concentration of black fruits and silky tannins, it showcases the move towards elegance over the pure power that the region has long been associated with. In France, I would like to highlight an old favourite and a rising star with Joseph Roty’s Bourgogne Pressonniers and the Brouilly from Alex Foillard. Both wines have amazing finesse and layer upon layer of fruit, smoke and spice. Dangerously drinkable!