Wines of the week: Le Faite White Saint Mont 2008/9; Mirabeau Côtes De Provence 2010; Corbières Gérard Bertrand 2008
Terry Kirby selects the best bottles to buy
Sunday lunch
Le Faite White Saint Mont 2008/9
A delightfully different, limited-production white from the esteemed Plaimont co-operative in the Gers region is the first of three offerings from the South of France to get us in the holiday mood. The bottle sports a wax seal and a hanging wooden label while the flavours inside, made from the local Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Arrufiac grapes, combine luscious tropical fruits with a fresh, lemon-and-pepper edge. Drink with prime white fish. £14.99 portlandwine.co.uk, adnams.co.uk; £16.94 (£15.55 each when buying six), weaverswines.com
Midweek meal
Mirabeau Côtes De Provence 2010
Provence rosé is one of the benchmarks of French wine – so it takes some courage for a former telecoms executive from Teddington to go there and make it. But Stephen Cronk has succeeded splendidly, creating in a few years a lovely, balanced rosé, characterised by vibrant strawberry flavours and a bone-dry finish, which makes it an excellent summer companion for Mediterranean dishes or salads. £8.99, Waitrose
Bargain basement
Corbières Gérard Bertrand 2008
Weather-permitting, this should be peak time for weekend barbecues, maybe grilling merguez sausages or harissa-marinated chicken and washing them down with this red by the French rugby star turned wine-maker Gérard Bertrand. A medium body with crunchy, red berry fruits and a spicy finish make for an approachable, easily drinkable wine, especially at this terrific online price. £7.49 M&S, £4.99 for a minimum of six bottles, marksandspencer.com
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