Stuck in a rut with your wine? Here are some good alternative choices

Barco del Corneta Cucú Verdejo, Castilla y León, Spain 2021 (£18, thesourcingtable.com) According to Wine Grapes, Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz's Book definitive reference on the subject, some 1,368 grape varieties are used to make wine around the world. And yet most of us, it seems, limit our drinking to a bare handful, rarely deviating from our tried and trusted favorites, most of which, with the exception of Italian pinot grigio (or, if we drink something with bubbles, the prosecco glera), are of French origin. Nothing wrong with that, and, since the grape itself is just one of many influential variables that shape a wine's character, you can limit your intake to one or two of the more protean varieties ( chardonnay and syrah/shiraz, for example) and never gets bored. However, in the spirit of back to school and a fresh start, those of you looking for something to get away from sauvignon blanc could do worse than try the equally vibrant, exceptionally fruity and invigorating from Barca del Corneta.< /p>

Les Andides Saumur Blanc, France 2020, (£9.99, Waitrose) Other sauvignon alternatives, which also have the advantage of being among the best white wines of the moment, are mais, fresh and racy whites from the mountain stream of Gascony, in the south-west of France. Made from Colombard d'Armagnac, the 2021 Pujalet Côtes de Gascogne (£6.29, Waitrose) is all lemon and currant flavor, while the 2019 Tesco Finest St-Mont (£7, Tesco) is mostly great big manseng bringing a more tropical pace. (or Lilt) to the bracing mix. If you're stuck on chardonnay, on the other hand, my advice for varying your wine diet would be to work your way through the incredibly varied world of chenin blanc. At its best in the Loire and South Africa, Chenin can be very lively with fresh green apples in unoaked examples such as Les Andides de Saumur or the more tropical Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2021 (from 6, £45, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons). But like Chardonnay, it also works very well with oak, in toasty, honeyed, but satisfyingly clean wines such as Stellenrust Stellenbosch Manor Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2020 (£14, Tesco).

El Enemigo Bonarda, Mendoza, Argentina 2018, (£16, The Wine Society) I can see why so many people have Argentinian Malbec as their surefire red variety: it usually has generous, sweet flesh that is extremely comforting, and works just as well slumped on a sofa with a candy bar as it does sitting at the table with a Saturday night steak and fries. If you're a bit bored with the same old favorite plum, you could do worse by trying an alternative red variety from Argentina: a bonarda like El Enemigo, with its sumptuous berries sweetened and refreshed with crisp acidity, is one route; fans of the more fragrant and floral end of the Malbec spectrum might prefer a Cabernet Franc from Mendoza like the highly refined, pure, leafy and crisp Zorzal Eggo Franco Cabernet Franc 2018 (£18.95, hic-winemerchants.com) . Or you can go back to the source of the variety and try a Malbec from Cahors in southwestern France, like the irresistibly juicy black cherry from Château du Cèdre Camille Malbec, Vin de France 2020 (from 9, £80, josephbarneswines.com; nattyboywin...