Ask the Princess - new wine ideas

Dear Princess,

Send me some recommendations please. I normally go for solid and deep reds, or dry and fresh whites. I'm seeking new ideas...

Answer,

Have you tried Fiano (Fox Gordon is excellent £18 from Wine Discovery) or Albarino for whites (Laithwaites has a Seleccion 19 coming out soon £12.99)? I tried a wine this week called Benufet which I'd never heard before but loved made with white Garnacha (£10.49 from Vinoa).

Same taste in red as me... Any Hewitson, Elderton or Red Heads brands will be up your alley. You might also like Primitivo/Negroamaro blend from Puglia in Italy. Ooh, I know... Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel is one of my favourites at around £10 a bottle although a little hard to find these days.

Firmint Royal Tokaji 2010

What a lovely refreshing dry wine from Hungary. The grape Furmint is rarely found outside the country. Lovely alternative to Sauvignon Blanc I'd say.

Very dry white wine with high acidity. Quite a lovely mix of flavours: gooseberry,  honey, wet stone, and deciduous leaf. Light with interesting flavours, a great summer wine, and I'm drinking it on the hottest day of the year. Wonderful!

I'm imagining sitting in the shade of trees near a brook on Dartmoor.