8 best sancerre wines that are perfect for sunny days in the garden

When choosing a best buy, we were looking for something that exemplified the great qualities of great sancerre: a reflection of the distinct terroir of the region and careful winemaking that brings out the best qualities of the sauvignon blanc grape. Not a mouth-puckering, overpowering, gooseberry-flavoured acid drop, but a wine with bright, zesty, mineral citrus flavours, along with a rounded, complex depth, some restrained power and a long satisfying finish that matched well with a wide range of fish and shellfish dishes.

This bottle, from an excellent producer in the well-regarded area of Bué, fits that description perfectly.

An intense, mineral, focussed wine with terrific elegance and power, characterised by the flinty notes that derive from the soils on which these particular vines were grown, which gives the typical citrus flavours a distinctly saline edge – like licking a pebble from a sandy beach.

Such a combination of lemon and salt makes this the ideal serious wine to be matched with a relatively unadorned prime white fish, such as a baked brill or John Dory, for a very special meal.

There is very little sancerre red around, but it is the quality, not the quantity that counts. This organic offering from a long-established producer shows why aficionados seek out these reds as an alternative to lighter Burgundian wines, as they can sometimes offer greater value for money.

This is gorgeously elegant, supple and silky, with characteristically beguiling pinot noir qualities of fresh, crunchy red fruits, coupled with a distinctly earthy note. A wine of some distinction, which works well with pan-fried duck breast, a seared tuna steak or almost any vegetable main course.

This is a terrific new addition to the M&S range and demonstrates the retailer’s skill in sourcing excellent wines that deliver good value for money.

This has all the classic hallmarks of sauvignon blanc: zesty and zippy, with refreshing citrus, green apple and herbal flavours, with enticing aromas of cut grass and orchard blossom on the nose. It is terrific with all kinds of spring foods, but is also perfect on its own – let’s just hope for a nice sunny day to enjoy this in the garden or on the balcony.

A distinguished rosé from a family that has been making wine in the Loire valley since the 16th century and now runs estates throughout the region. Made, of course, from pinot noir grapes, this has all the elegance and sophistication associated with the varietal, and the wine is full flavoured, fresh and tangy with fulsome red berry fruits to the fore and subtle summer aromas. Try it with a salmon steak to match the colour of the wine, or any shellfish, particularly big prawns from a grill or barbecue.

A brilliant bargain rosé from Tesco, made for the supermarket by Domaine Fournier, established in Sancerre for more than a century. Made from pinot noir, it is very dry, but also fuller-bodied and fruitier than so much of the dominant orange- and spice-inflected Provencal style of rosé.

This has an easy drinking, fresh and juicy style, with lots of flavours of summer fruits, such as strawberries and raspberries. Brilliant on its own, it really shines when accompanying slices of Parma ham, tomato-based Mediterranean tapas or mezze dishes or a bowl of spicy fish soup.

Asparagus, like chocolate, is notoriously difficult to match with wine, but the sauvignon blanc grape, with its grassy, zesty, citrus and herb flavours, somehow works with the finest of our spring vegetables.

The short two-month English asparagus season starts right now, so what better time to pair the spears with a delicious sancerre, such as this offering? It has grassy aromas and rounded but zesty citrus flavours that slice through the green vegetable flavours. Now, pass me the melted butter...

Full credit to Morrisons for finding this gem of a wine, which stands up well against some of the bigger names and higher prices when it comes to sancerre. If you like New Zealand sauvignon blanc, with its gooseberry and kiwi fruit freshness, you will find plenty of that here, but with addition of some softer melon flavours and a pleasing savoury edge. This is a fun wine that will work very well as a refreshing glass on its own or with a variety of fish and lightly spiced Asian dishes.