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Wines in the press - August 5-8

It thrives in the isolated Irpinian hills of Campania, to the east of Naples on land that is covered in Volcanic ash. She adds the easiest one to get hold of is actually not from Campania but Puglia, the Via Collina Falanghina 2009 (£7.99, Waitrose). It offers a gentle, neroli-scented, mouthful of summer that's easy to drink and is equally comfortable sluicing off the frustrations of the day as accompanying fish straight off the barbecue. A few more pounds will buy you the "intense" Feudi San Gregorio Falanghina 2009 (£11.99, winedirect.co.uk). "This wine feels so charged and alive, it is practically vibrating."

The Times

As oxymorons go, there's still something fundamentally silly about Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Spaghetti Bolognese, Asda Extra Special Lemon Curd and Tesco's Finest Mug, says Tim Atkin MW. "Is nothing to be spared the "premiumisation" treatment?" Call something Finest, Extra Special or Taste the Difference and you can charge more for it. So, how good are the respective wine ranges? Atkin thinks the best by far is Sainsbury's Taste the Difference, which consistently delivers good examples of popular wine styles that are really well selected wines at fair prices. The most mixed is Asda's Extra Special, but there are some excellent own-label wines. He adds Tesco's is the most ambitious, but there are some delicious wines among the small parcels of Limited Edition 2000 Vintage wines, most notably from Bordeaux and Rioja.

Telegraph

Matching wine with tomatoes, is best only when the fruit is full of aroma and flavour, preferably home-grown or, at least, still clinging to a branch of vine, says Susy Atkins. She declares this year a fine vintage and recommends a simple plate of just-picked, sun-warmed tomatoes, sliced with basil and enhanced by a cool grassy, lemony white. A young, cheap French wine gets her vote, although hold back on vinaigrette, as she says it has a habit of spoiling a simple joy. Atkins recommends Sainsbury's Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne NV, France (£3.99) as being ideal with fresh tomato salad.

Independent

Anthony Rose says according to its marketing folk, Languedoc-Roussillon wines  come from a place "where creativity meets diversity". Rose was given the chance to find out if the product lived up to the hype when he was asked to join a panel judging 150 wines from the region. He says the more impressive white wines ranged from the value for money to the esoteric - including in the former camp the Paul Mas Estate Pépinière Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009, (£8.99, Majestic). In the latter camp was the "superbly concentrated baked appley" Vinci Coyade, 2006 (£24.99, aubertandmascoli.com). Red wines account for more than two-thirds of southern French production, it's where great value has even more serious competition, adds Rose. Less well-known is the Roussillon's capacity to deliver great traditional fortified sweet wines and he recommends some that he thinks give genuine credence to the Sud de France's diversity billing.

Daily Mail

Summer and red wine can be a tricky nut to crack, says Olly Smith. You might be tempted to dismiss them as being too heavy, too rich and altogether too much. Think again. Smith says there's a whole breed of red wines with a lighter body and a fruity angle that are perfectly suited to being lightly chilled in an ice bucket or the fridge. France is awash with such styles of wine. Consider Gamay, it can be can be brilliant served chilled. A bottle of Pinot Noir from Chile can be "delish" after a dunk in an ice bath, and you can even try cooling down fruity Grenache-based wines. The far north and south of Italy come up trumps for him, with Dolcetto in the north and Nero d'Avola in the south. He recommends a good-value Nero d'Avola, such as Tesco Finest for £6.79.