From English rose to Sicilian red, wines to drink in August

But wine is a flexible product, and there's no reason at all not to drink white on chilly days, pink when it's pouring, or red in glorious sunshine.

So this column will offer a broad spectrum of ideas - simply open what fits with your mood and the occasion.

Where better to start than with fizz. Let's push the boat out, to raise sodden spirits, with a totally delicious example of English rosé.

Wiston Estate, nestled beneath the South Downs, has been home to the Goring family since 1763, and, from 2006, to vines.

Well-judged oak use in the cellar of Domaine Jérôme Fornerot (Image: Domaine Jérôme Fornerot)

Non-vintage Wiston Rosé (£35-£37, Waitrose, henningswine.co.uk) blends classic champagne varieties into a vinous bowl of red fruits and cream set alongside soft persistent bubbles and the particular freshness of England's wines.

For a more limited budget, crémant from France offers quality and value. A unique English-French link comes in Laithwaites' Kew Series which promotes the protection of vine diversity by highlighting less familiar grape varieties.

Grolleau joins cabernet franc in Kew Gardens Crémant de Loire (£15 mix-6, laithwaites.co.uk), the result a gentle, pretty, aromatic delight.Laithwaites Cremant de Loire is part of its Kew Series (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

And don't forget Spain's cava, bottle-fermented just like champagne yet way cheaper. By next year, all bottles in the top three categories must be organic.

Vilarnau Brut Reserva (£11 mix-6, Majestic, £13, ocado.com) already is - as well as delivering remarkable, enjoyable complexity for the price. Many other tempting cavas, from smaller names as well as big producers, are available, so do experiment.

Still thinking of aperitifs - and even to drink with lunch - remember the appeal of well-cooled dry fino or manzanilla sherry, hardly more alcoholic than many wines and still underpriced despite duty increases.Vilarnau Brut Reserva is a tempting cava (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

Manzanilla has an appetisting salty touch: one of many fine examples is Barbadillo Solear (£12.50, Waitrose, Ocado, half-bottles also widely available).

For still whites, chenin blanc is so versatile, in styles from bone dry to luxuriously sweet. A great example of the former is Savennières VB (£17.50, thewinesociety.com), made by a ex-intern at the excellent Vignoble Branchereau - hence the initials.

Stéphane Branchereau, wise and skilled, helped in producing this great-value example from a very smart appellation. The wine has clean minerality, lean yet intense fruit and the dry yet almost honeyed finish that characterises fine chenin.Savennieres is a fine sauvignon blanc from the Loire (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

Also at the Wine Society, there's a specially good grenache-dominated white blend from the southern Rhône valley, Lirac Blanc La Fermade, Domaine Maby (£14), zesty on the nose, much richer, riper and complex on the palate.

Plus fine examples from Burgundy, at all price levels: the Generation Series Mâcon-Villages (£16.50) is polished and long-lasting (if it's sold out, Domaine de l’Arfentière Mâcon Blanc, £11, is a very good if simpler alternative), while at a smarter yet still excellent value level Domaine Jérôme Fornerot Saint-Aubin Champ Tirant, £29, perfectly balances finesse, fruit and freshness.

Wine history buffs will love to know that some 70 years ago the Fornerot family provided the chardonnay vines planted at England's first modern commercial vineyard, Hambledon.

Alternatives to burgundian chardonnay are myriad, though Italy doesn't often come to mind. From Romagna, Da Maggio (£12.60 mix-6, laithwaites.co.uk) shows how tastily native grapes specialist Poderi dal Nespoli can handle this international variety.

Fill the case at Laithwaites with other unusual wines: fresh and enjoyable alvariño combining fruit from both Spain and Portugal, Sendero de Campos (£12 mix-6), and citrussy-crisp jacquère grape in Apremont Vin de Savoie (£15 mix-6).A white Burgundy from a very fine producer (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

For lovers of ever-popular sauvignon blanc, Lionel Gosseaume Les Sauterelles (£15, leaandsandeman.co.uk) from the Loire's Touraine region is full-flavoured yet drier and more stylish than many New Zealand examples.

Rosés were well covered last time, but why not a red almost light enough to edge into that category? Frappato is Sicilians' frequent choice to pair with fish, and organic Azienda Cortese Nostru (£14, gustowines.co.uk) partners its strawberry scent with crunchy redcurrant flavour - do serve it cool.

Also from Sicily is another of Marks & Spencer's adventurous offerings, Bella Verita Organic Perricone (£9), with deep, dark, spicy fruit, freshness and loads of character.

Or travel back to the Rhône Valley for another Lirac, a hearty red from Waitrose: L'Empreinte (£14), serious, attractive, long-lingering. Bon voyage!