The Times

JANE MacQUITTY has made up her mind and Riesling can breathe a sigh of relief. For the perfect summer drink, Chardonnay might be a bit too Dolly Parton' and Sauvignon Blanc doesn't suit everyone, but Riesling perfectly echoes the season's produce'.

Many people have been put off Germany's star variety over the years, says MacQuitty, due to the cloying, ersatz wines that washed up here in the Sixties and Seventies', so it's still possible to find a number of bargains.

Newcomers should start with 2004 Bird Label Riesling, Lingenfelder (6.19; Oddbins), or for German sceptics, she suggests 2005 Private Bin Villa Maria, Marlborough Riesling (6.99; Waitrose, Majestic).