The best inexpensive wines for summer.

Our propensity for wine snobbery is normally high. But when it comes to summer drinking, we should be looking for two things: drinkability and value. Summer wine ought to be easy. It should be refreshing, ready to drink and, most of all, affordable. Finding quality examples of such wine requires a bit of digging.

While you may not have heard of some of the grape varieties or regions below, you’ll want to add one or two to your list of reliable go-tos when browsing your local off-licence or restaurant menu. As widely available as these wines are, if you’re unable to obtain a particular vintage or producer, simply take note of the variety and region. Another wine from the same origin made from the same grape can often serve as a worthy substitute.

Here are five of the best inexpensive yet individual wines that will deliver the most quality for the least amount of money this summer.

2017 Marqués de Riscal Rueda Verdejo (Spain), £8

Rueda in Spain produces some of the zippiest, tastiest white wines on the planet. The verdejo grape was revived there in the 1970s and 1980s, thanks, in part, to Marqués de Riscal, and the winery continues to convert sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio fans with its bright, clean (and incredibly inexpensive) verdejo today. Best drunk as fresh as possible, it’s bone dry with a vibrant acidity that showcases flavours of peach, tropical fruit and herbal notes such as fennel and white flowers.

Suggested pairings: fried foods, shellfish or goat’s cheese salad.

2017 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde Penafiel (Portugal), £9

Portugal’s vinho verde (green wine) is often considered the summer wine. It can be made from a blend of any combination of 25 different white grapes, but Quinta da Aveleda’s version is composed of alvarinho and loureiro. Super lean and focused, it’s light and crisp, but incredibly expressive. A juicy, fruity nose reveals aromas of ripe lime and green apple. In the mouth, it’s puckeringly tart, with a long, persistent finish. And at 11 per cent ABV, with an affordable price tag, you can sip it all day.

Suggested pairings: grilled fish, shrimp, or for sipping solo at the pool or on the beach.

2017 Mas La Chevalière Rosé (France), £10

When bargain hunting, it helps to seek out the second labels of respected winemakers. Case in point: Mas La Chevalière is the Languedoc-based line of wines produced by Domaine Laroche, one of the best and largest landholders of grand cru vineyards in Chablis. You can’t compile a summer wine list without a rosé, and MLC’s is a fantastic example, packed with strawberry and raspberry notes, thanks to grenache, syrah and cinsault grapes (like Provence rosé, but cheaper). The brand also produces a chardonnay, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc that make great substitutions for chablis, burgundy and white bordeaux respectively.

Suggested pairings: Mediterranean food (gyros), pizza margherita or watermelon.

2016 Bodega Colomé Torrontés (Argentina), £11

Of all Argentina’s regions, Salta produces the most flavourful and complex torrontés, and Colomé’s wine is no exception. The incredibly aromatic wine is bursting with floral notes of jasmine and tropical fruits. In the mouth, you’ll get an explosion of fresh lime, accented by white peach and spice. Fans of aromatic varieties such as gewürztraminer, riesling or muscat will appreciate this wine, which commands a fraction of the price that those aforementioned grapes often do.

Suggested pairings: Indian, Thai or Chinese food.

2016 San Marzano Talò Malvasia Nera Salento IGP (Italy), £13

White wine shines in the summer, but something’s got to stand up to barbecue food. This 100 per cent malvasia nera (a dark, aromatic red grape often used for blending) has the strength and body of bordeaux, and is jam-packed with plum, black cherry and touches of anise, clove and vanilla, the latter thanks to the six months it spends in French oak barrels. But it’s also juicy enough to take a chill, if you’d like to serve it a bit cooler for the warmer weather. It may be the most expensive on the list (still a mere £13), but it drinks like it’s double the price.

Suggested pairings: barbecued ribs, hamburgers or charcuterie and cheese.

Keep up to date with The Daily by signing up to our weekly email roundup. Click here to update your email preferences.