The summer Olympics are back, and this time in a reasonable timezone for relaxing in the evening with a glass of something tasty! And what better excuse to do a round-the-world tour from your glass, with some of our favourite bottles from the competing nations.

France

Sancerre Blanc, Domaine Jean-Paul Balland 2022 - £24.95 Sustainable, in Organic Conversion

As the games are being held in Paris, I had to include arguably the most Parisian of wines - Sancerre. Thanks to their close proximity, the wines of Sancerre have long supplied the thirsty customers of Paris' famous bistros. In fact, before the demand for crisp white wines in the city encouraged further planting of Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre was largely a red wine producer, planted to Pinot Noir and Gamay.

The Balland family farm 24 hectares of vines in the village of Bue, which produces wines of a more opulent style than the rest of Sancerre. Founded by Jean-Paul, the estate is now in the hands of his daughters Isabelle and Elise. They have been certified sustainable by Terra Vitis since 2017 and will have organic certification from the 2023 vintage.

The aroma is sweet and alluring, with ripe white peaches, honeysuckle and star anise. On the palate it is quite full, with mandarin and nectarine fruit before a lovely crisp, dry finish. 

Team GB

Breaky Bottom Cuvee Noella Blanc de Noirs 2018 - £35.50 Vegan

How better to toast the British athletes competing this summer than with a delicious bottle of local sparkling wine? 

One of our favourite English producers, Breaky Bottom, celebrate 50 years since Peter Hall put his first vines in the ground in 1974. All of that experience comes together in some of the finest bubbly in the country. The exceptional summer in 2018 gave him a bumper crop of brilliantly ripe grapes, allowing him to make a Blanc de Noir for the first time ever! 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Meunier, released this year after a nice long rest in his cellars.

Richly aromatic, with yellow plum, pink grapefruit and apple notes. Typical of Peter's style it is lovely and dry on the palate, with layers of minerality and ripe fruit. 

Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask Release Highland Single Malt Whisky 50% - £70

It wouldn't be right to represent all of Team GB with only something from England, but thankfully we have some wonderful Scotch Whisky too!

We are big fans of the Ardnamurchan distillery, a relatively young independent producer on the peninsula of the same name. They produce both peated and unpeated spirit, and typically blend the two to make for a balanced expression.

The Sherry Cask Release brings together whiskies aged entirely in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels. This adds rich dried fruit, toffee and praline notes to the smoky, salty undertow from the base spirit. Bottled at 50% it packs plenty of concentration on the palate but retains a smooth drinkability. 

Greece,

Diamantakis Petali Assyrtiko, Crete 2022 - £16.95

As the home of the original Olympics, I had to get a nice Greek wine in this blog and what better to represent Greek wine than an Assyrtiko. This grape, indigenous to the island of Santorini is now found all over the country, and produces wines with racy citrus and mineral character.

The Diamantakis family winery is in Malevizi province on the north coast of Crete, the family had grown grapes and olives for generations before deciding to establish their own winery in 2007.

Pure and intense, with bags of lemon and lime fruit and the saline character typical of this grape. The bone dry palate is well balanced by a nice weight of body and it finishes with a light herbal twist. 

USA

Birichino Little Big Block Old Vine Mourvedre 2022 - £39.50

And finishing off, we have a lovely bottle from the all-time Olympic medal leaders, the USA. This wine is a real taste of California wine heritage, coming from a vineyard planted in 1895 in the sandy soils of the San Joaquin valley, east of the Bay. This vineyard and a few others in the area have survived the expanding urban sprawl thanks to wineries like Birichino supporting the families farming them, which is a labour of love with these centenarian bush vines which produce tiny quantities of intensely flavoured berries.

At Birichino, Alex Krause and John Locke eschew the massive, heavily oaked style favoured by many in California, instead looking to authentically express the individual sites they work with. They pick a little earlier, ferment with native yeasts and rarely use any new oak barrels - the resulting wines are fragrant, elegant and packed with flavour.

Mourvedres typical musky earthiness is complemented by a backbone of sweet red and black cherries alongside spicy notes on the nose. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied, with lovely soft tannin and a great freshness in the finish. Abundant red fruit with subtle gaminess makes for a unique and delicious drinking experience.