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Champagne, with its cool climate and famous limestone soils, is home to the world’s greatest sparkling wines. Established in 1776, Louis Roederer is one of Champagne’s most revered houses, known for wines of the utmost quality and precision. Cristal is its super-luxury prestige cuvée, revered the world over and recognised by its distinctive clear bottle. There is only one Cristal. A blend of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay, it is sourced from 32 of Louis Roederer’s organically farmed vineyards. The 2016 vintage was initially cold and wet, followed by warm to hot conditions during ripening. This delivered a classic vintage Cristal with intensity and balance.

With twenty years of cask aging, this Port has acquired a gorgeous aroma of dried flowers, toffee, sweet spices and dried figs. The tannins have softened and evolved into a silky texture with subtle, layered flavours that are persistent on the finish. A beautifully balanced Port that can be enjoyed on its own or with cheese or dessert.

Shiraz has indeed been pivotal in shaping Australia's international wine reputation, particularly in regions like the Barossa Valley. This area, known for its warm, dry climate, produces Shiraz wines that are rich, powerful, and concentrated. The Barossa Valley is home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines, contributing to the region's distinctive and celebrated wine character. Kaesler, established in 1893, is one of the wineries that has carried on this rich tradition. Owned by Ed Peter and winemaker Reid Bosworth, the winery produces "The Bogan," a Shiraz named after Reid’s nickname. The wine is made from vines planted in 1899 and 1965, which adds to its depth and complexity. It's recognized as a prime example of Barossa Shiraz, known for its richness, generosity, and smoothness.

The Martinborough region in the south of New Zealand’s North Island is better known for Pinot Noir than Sauvignon Blanc. Be this as it may the quality of Sauvignon Blanc from this region can be outstanding – not as herbaceous and leafy as Marlborough to the south but slightly riper, fuller and more textured in style. Martinborough Vineyard was established in 1980 and is one of NZ’s most important fine wine producers. The wines are crafted by winemaker Paul Mason aided by viticulturalist, Dave Shepherd. Part of the blend is fermented in older oak barrels to give texture and complexity with the balance fermented in stainless steel tanks to capture freshness and vibrancy. A delicious but serious Sauvignon Blanc from a top producer.

The cool climate of the Yarra Valley east of Melbourne is particularly well suited to growing Chardonnay of exceptional quality. Giant Steps was founded in 1997 by visionary Phil Sexton with the wines made by talented winemaker Steve Flamsteed, recipient of the Winemaker of the Year Award in 2016. The name “Giant Steps” comes from jazz great John Coltrane’s album. Based in Healsville, they make outstanding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from vineyards in both the Lower and Upper Yarra Valley. This wine is pale straw in colour with concentrated aromas of ripe peach and nectarine, together with just a hint of lanolin and apple custard.

Château de Meursault is a historic estate dating to the 11th century, revitalised since 2012 under Olivier Halley's ownership and huge investments in organic farming and precision viticulture. The Pommard Clos de la Platière is midslope on the Pommard hill with stony clay-limestone soils that yield Pinot Noir of solid density and firm, supple tannins. Chateau de Meursault tames the tannins by aging it for around 16 months in barrels with one-third in new wood. The 2020 is a serious, complex and generous Pommard — dark cherry, blackberry and wild plum intertwined with black tea and graphite. On the palate, the wine is generous and fleshy with ripe, well-integrated tannins and a fine natural acidity that keeps everything fresh and precise. A quintessential Pommard — powerful yet balanced, with the depth and structure to reward cellaring well into the next decade.

Champagne, with its cool climate and famous limestone soils, produces some of the finest sparkling wines in the world. Taittinger stands as one of the region’s most famous family-owned Houses. The jewel in Taittinger’s crown is Comtes de Champagne, its exceptional and complex Prestige Cuvée Blanc de Blancs. Made exclusively from 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs — Avize, Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger — this is a textbook Blanc de Blancs at its best, showing great intensity, a fine acid line and complex, classic toasty notes from over 10 years in bottle. The 2014 vintage was defined by a cool, wet August followed by a dry, warm September, delivering a classic vintage and a spectacular Comtes de Champagne.

The 2008 is a beauty in the style of the 1988. Although not performing as well as I predicted last year, it is unquestionably an outstanding effort as well as one of the better values from Pichon Lalande in many years. Its dense plum/purple hue is accompanied by sweet aromas of red and black currants, charcoal, herbs, underbrush and a hint of truffles. This medium-bodied, rich, concentrated blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc is an elegant, supple Pichon Lalande that can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years.

Champagne, located in the north of France, with its cool climate and famed chalky soil, makes the most famous sparkling wines in the world. Charles Heidsieck, established in 1851 by entrepreneur Charles-Camille Heidsieck, is today one of the region’s most admired Houses. Production of this multi-vintage wine is overseen by "chef de cave” Cyril Brun, and is a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Remarkably, over 40% of the blend is made up of older reserve wines which gives Charles Heidsieck its distinctive complexity, richness and maturity. These attributes have ensured that their Brut Réserve has been the standout performer at many of the top international wine competitions in recent years.

With climate change creating ever-warmer conditions in Europe's vineyards, the most successful are those which have a secret weapon to combat it. Cairanne, a village near Chateauneuf du Pape in the Southern Rhone, whose vines were first planted by the Romans, has the ultimate weapon - and it's not so secret - the Mistral - a bitingly fierce wind that hurtles in from the North. Cairanne's vineyards are perfectly exposed to the sun - and also to the Mistral. As a grower told me - "there's no hiding place". But this mighty wind cools the vines and sweeps away any disease amongst the grapes. Though most of the grapes are Grenache and Syrah, Cairanne has another secret weapon - the late-ripening, acidic Carignan - which blends beautifully in this impressive mouthfiller to create a deep red fruit character of ripe raspberry and cherry, toughened by the warmth of sun-scorched rocks, and flecked with the breezy herbal scent of the local hillside 'garrigue'.

This Lirac reflects the sunny Mediterranean climate and mineral-rich soils of the right bank of the Rhône, combining power, elegance and classic southern Rhône character. A classic Southern Rhône red from the historic house of Victor Bérard, blending Grenache and Syrah. The wine displays a deep, intense red colour. On the nose it offers complex aromas of cherry, raspberry and strawberry, layered with sweet spices, subtle herbs and gentle leather-like depth. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and well-balanced, with rounded tannins and a smooth texture. Flavours of ripe red fruit are complemented by hints of spice and a subtle touch of vanilla from oak ageing, building to a long, satisfying finish.

Making great tawny port is a time-consuming business. Port wine that starts life fiery and purple and aggressive must be gently softened and mellowed, the rough edges smoothed away, the fire replaced by warmth, the purple slowly lightened to russet and chestnut and amber. All this happens in old barrels placed in dark cool cellars and barely disturbed for years. Well, Kopke have had enough practice. They are the oldest Port house in existence, being founded in 1638. This lovely wine is positively rich, but blends a heady, raisiny warmth with the freshness of rosehip and red cherries. Kopke have won Trophies at the International Wine Challenge, the International Wine and Spirit Competition and the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Lawson’s Dry Hills is a well-known producer from Marlborough, the region that helped make New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc famous around the world. The cool maritime climate and long growing season allow the grapes to develop vibrant aromatics while retaining their natural freshness. The wine is bright and aromatic, with lively notes of passionfruit, citrus and tropical fruit, lifted by delicate hints of fresh herbs and flowers. Crisp and refreshing in character, it combines juicy fruit with a clean mineral edge and a gentle lift of acidity. The result is an expressive and elegant Sauvignon Blanc that highlights the purity and energy for which Marlborough wines are celebrated.

Pale in colour, subtle stone fruit aromatics combined with good acidity and fresh vibrant flavours. The Margaret River is the highly regarded region south of Perth in Western Australia best known for top quality Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, surf and wonderful beaches. Being coastal the region benefits from the cool sea breezes that moderate summer temperatures which is particularly important for Chardonnay. Deep Woods was established in 1987 and today the wines are made by talented young winemaker Julian Langworthy who was James Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year in 2019. This wine is an fine example of modern Chardonnay.

Speeding along the autoroute from Bordeaux city to Saint-Émilion, the landscape doesn't look promising. But the ground visibly rises towards the little village of Salleboeuf, and there, surrounded by ancient trees, sits Château Pey La Tour, gazing over vines planted on limestone, clay and gravel soils. These vines produce wines far more sumptuous than those of any neighbours. Pey La Tour is owned by the famous Dourthe wine company, who also owns properties in the most renowned regions of Bordeaux. This merlot based wines gives a scented juicy richness to the wine balanced by spicy oak.