Greece: Santorini, Peloponnese, Crete, Thessaly.

From winesofgreece.org.

Most of these 10 good-quality Greeks were sampled at an enlightening tasting organised by the Northern Ireland Wine & Spirit Institute led by Lisa McCully; and three others also bought from the Wine Society (impressive Greek range) and Marks & Spencer (moderately adventurous). They all show this diverse country should be on your wine radar, although it's not the place to look for bargains.

Chardonnay: California, Australia, New Zealand.

I've always been a Chardonnay fan, even when it seemed to become unfashionable and suddenly everybody wanted nothing but Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. In recent years, there's been a gentle shift away from in-your-face oaky Chardonnays towards either a purely unoaked ripe fruity type Chardy (does what it says on the label); or what a winemaker might call a more 'reductive' lees-influenced style.

Italy, Puglia: Castel di Salve.

Castel di Salve is a relatively old winery dating from 1885, established by the Duke of Salve, Antonio Winspeare, in an area of southern Puglia known as Salento. You'd be right to think that surname doesn't sound very Pugliese or Italian even - some online research reveals that he was a bit of an interesting character...

Tasting notes and recommendations include this proper dry rosé made from local variety Negroamaro, two white wines and five reds also showcasing Primitivo and Malvasia Nera.

Alsace tasting

Domaine Louis Sipp: www.sipp.com

This sumptuous tasting was organised by the Northern Ireland Wine & Spirit Institute in Belfast a couple of months ago and was led by regional expert Anne McHale MW, who communicated a few nuggets of juicy information from the region, which I've regurgitated here rather randomly.

Pinot Noir: Australia, New Zealand & California

This comparison of one of the world's most celebrated varieties, from three entirely different countries / states, is condensed from a couple of generic wine tastings held in Dublin recently. I've narrowed the Pinot talk down to 25 flavoursome recommendations, many of them available in Ireland, the UK and the US; and some brief info about the regions featured.

California: random red and white.

From tablascreek.com

My pick from a recent California Wine tasting in Dublin of half-a-dozen random reds and a white made from varieties such as Zinfandel, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Grenache noir and blanc and Viognier. This is the first of a few posts highlighting California red and white wines available in Ireland and the UK.