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September isnt necessarily the end of summer, but it does mark a change in the seasons even in this weirdest of years. The gradual end of picnics in the park, fish and chips on the beach, spontaneous visits to the crab shack . . . (Well, in my dreams, anyway, where I have a handy crab shack down the road. )I know most of you will have been quaffing ros for the past few months, but, for me, ultra-dry, unoaked, high-acid white wines hit the spot just as successfully. High acid doesnt sound all that appealing, admittedly, but think of the mouthwatering sharpness of freshly squeezed lemon juice or biting into a crunchy green apple. The usual suspects I trot out are picpoul de pinet and the increasingly popular albario, but if your budget is tight, dont overlook the much-maligned pinot grigio, especially from the supermarkets premium own-label offerings. Asdahas a decent one in its Extra Special range thats currently on offer at 5. 50. Its from Trentino, which is a part of north-east Italy worth looking out for on labels; Sainsburys does one for 7 in its Taste the Difference range. I also like sauvignon blanc, with its high summer elderflower flavours, especially those from the Loire. Watch out, though: sancerre has got stupidly pricey, so for a more affordable option, look for sauvignon de touraine. Majestic has a really appealing one from Thierry Delaunay for 8. 99 on its mix-six deal (and thats much better value than its new Definition Sancerre, which is almost twice the price). If you want to explore less familiar territory, Id recommend Portugal and Greece right now. From the former, youll find vinho verde (pronounced vinyo verd rather than vino verday), which comes in two styles the low alcohol (11%-ish) spritzy type, which is pleasant but generally unremarkable, and the slightly more expensive but more elegant examples from named grape varieties such as alvarinho and loureiro. Theyre
