2025 Edition: Summer’s Top 10 Wines

#1 – Sugrue Bonkers Chardonnay MV – Sussex, UK

Our hottest-selling wine this Spring and Summer. Already sold out at the winery, and it is flying off our site. Produced by Dermot Sugrue — the winemaker whose English fizz famously beat Champagne in the recent Decanter DWWA — this is no ordinary Chardonnay.

Crafted in a Solera system, the wine offers a layered and complex palate with fresh lemon, creamy mouthfeel, electric acidity and a saline-driven vibrancy that nods to old-school white Burgundy. Expect ripe fruit notes, wild nuttiness, a subtly oaked body, and an utterly distinctive English expression of Chardonnay.

Best with grilled chicken or seafood on the grill.

#2 – Babylonstoren Rose – Franschhoek, South Africa

The official Rosé of Chelsea Flower Show 2025, a perennial favourite and one of our fastest sellers when the sun’s out. This Mourvèdre-based rosé is beautifully dry, with subtle notes of rose petals, strawberries and creamy red fruit. Elegant but never uptight, it’s made by one of South Africa’s most successful producers.

Perfect for garden lunches or sunset aperitifs.

#3 – Grower Series Sicilian Rosé – Sicily, Italy

If you loved the zippy freshness of a rosé, you’ll appreciate the brightness here with a Mediterranean twist. This sustainably farmed rosé bursts with wild berries, blood orange, and a touch of seaside salinity. It’s incredibly food-friendly and dangerously drinkable.

Best for picnics and a day at the beach.

#4 – Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne – Champagne, France

Our top-end sparkler this summer and for good reason. Billecart-Salmon’s Rosé is one of the most iconic Rosé Champagnes out there, combining finesse, elegance, and subtle red fruit with creamy bubbles. A text-book wine showing the finest standard in this category.

Great with smoked salmon, salmon, and prawn cocktails.

#5 – Sabelli-Frisch ‘Marina’ Mission – California, USA

Made from California’s heritage Mission grape (aka Pais) the ‘Marina’ is fresh, crunchy, and wild, a bit like what would happen if Pinot Noir and Beaujolais had a California beach day. Super juicy with lifted acidity, it is a very juicy, vibrant and distinctive California red.

Best to serve it slightly chilled.

#6 – Château de Jau OR-ANGE – Roussillon, France

The orange wine that’s been quietly converting sceptics. This skin-contact beauty is dry, floral, and textured, with hints of apricot, citrus peel, and light tannins.

Best with curry dishes, slightly spiced Asian cuisine or hard cheeses.

#7 – Presqu’ile Chardonnay – Santa Barbara, USA

If Bonkers Chardonnay made you fall for English white Burgundy, then Presqu’ile’s offering will transport you to California’s coastal region. This is a sleek, mineral-led Chardonnay with citrus, green apple, and subtle oak. It shares that same precision and energy, making it a refined yet crowd-pleasing white to impress your guests.

Best with Sunday roast, especially with chicken or pork belly.

#8 – Oliver’s Taranga Shiraz – McLaren Vale, Australia

Here’s one for the grill nights and barbeque weekends. This bold, juicy Shiraz is packed with blackberry, violet, and spicy black pepper, yet remains remarkably balanced. Big on personality, not just power!

Ideal with barbecued meats or chargrilled vegetables.

#9 – Tillingham Col’23 – Sussex, UK

Made just down the road in East Sussex, Tillingham’s ‘Col’ is a wild and wonderful blend of grapes co-fermented and bottled as a pet-nat. It’s lightly sparkling, bone-dry, and loaded with tangy stone fruit and red apple. An unconventional summer stunner!

Best as an aperitif or a casual drink for the Sunday afternoon to wind down after the weekend, only 11% ABV!

#10 – Vulcão Ameixambar – Azores, Portugal

A volcanic white from the windswept Azores, this wine is like a sea breeze in a glass. Crisp, mineral, and full of Atlantic energy, it’s all about saline freshness and green citrus. If Bonkers is England’s answer to Burgundy, Vulcão is Portugal’s answer to Chablis.

Best with oysters, seafood and white fish.