The Guardian

Victoria Moore had a strict brief from her mother last week, which was to find "a white wine to give to lots of people whose tastes I don't know". The Guardian critic took this to mean no Sauvignon Blanc "or any other white in which searing, reverberating acidity is the key". Instead she opted for Chieti's Terra Viva, from the Italian province of Abruzzo which fits the brief perfectly given "it's relatively neutral". She adds: "even more crucially, it has the barest touch of soothing sugar". Other options for Moore's mother included the 2006 Saumur Blanc Les Andides (5.99, Waitrose) that fits in "the ideal first glass of wine" bracket.