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Alex Starey’s 2015 Terrasse Chenin-based blend was the top-scoring white blend in WineMag ZA 2017 report – a 95-pointer, no less. The backbone of this blend is Chenin blanc from a 46 year old un-irrigated vineyard called ‘Riverside’. This is complemented by Chenin from two younger vineyards and smaller proportions of Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Viognier. It’s probably the most elegant Terrasse we’ve seen from Alex yet – with many-toned floral and stone fruit aromas and a wonderfully textured palate. It offers a level of complexity you’d expect from wines at double the price, and should be enjoyed with that special person in your life. If that special person is you, all the better – twice the pleasure!

High energy, bone dry, thrilling white from high up an unnamed road in the wild hinterland of Roussillon. It's quite a discovery - made from the Catalan/Roussillon grapes of the moment - Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Macabeu and a touch of Sauvignon.

A blend of Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer with 10 days of skin contact, making an orange wine. It is arguably our first orange wine at Swig, considering this for quite sometime we wanted to be sure to find the right one. Artisan brings us to a different universe of flavours! It is definitely spicy and exotic, slightly hoppy and freshly grounded white pepper, pink grapefruits, mandarin as well and mango skin and lychee flavours. Fresh and flavoursome as we like it, this wine is original and addictive. To be consumed slightly chilled.

'Rocking Horse is our cornerstone wine and takes its name from a wooden rocking horse that we made for our daughters out of old oak barrel staves. This is our signature wine and it is where all our work comes together to make our most complete wine. The wine is composed from a number of carefully selected vineyard sites in the Western Cape. The aromas are of lime leaf, white peach, exotic woods, and sweet dried herbs. In the mouth, the wine starts broad and rich, resolving into a keen line of acidity supported by a gentle tannin with flavours of burnt sugar, orange flower and rooibos leaf.' John Seccombe, Winemaker

On the nose - cheese rind, crystallised pineapple and lemon biscuits. The nose gives a hint to the voluptuos and nuanced texture. Creamy notes swirl among delicate aromas of pale roses, lillies and that Chablis esque stone - gout de terroir as they'd say in French. It is intense, yet with soft flesh, perfume and mouth feel. Rich mouthfeel, yet a very fine acidity that guides it beautifully to a precise long finish. Note to self. Drink with Coquilles St Jacques, Not peanut butter. Weisser Burgunder AKA Pinot Blanc.

Honeysuckle, lemon pith, and clotted cream on the nose, with just a hint of struck match. There's orange flower water there too. This is definitely a "shove your nose in there a bunch of times because it'll be different with every sniff" sort of wine. The palate is a great combination of power and subtle nuance. There are some big flavours there - ripe tropical fruit notes, creamy touches, textured oak, but also lighter floral edges and gentle spice as well. This is quite awesome right now - a stonking mouth full of wine - but with age it will mellow a bit. Delicious now, but worth sticking down if you've got the patience. 13.5% Drink now - 2020

As much a Christmas comfort as a pair of Rudolf slippers or the Muppet’s Christmas Carol on the box – there’s something absolutely ‘a point’ about a rich Loire Chenin at this time of year. Maybe it’s those lovely butterscotch and gingery spice hints. Whatever it is, it’s a winner. Chateau de Targé’s ripe and sumptuous 2015 has loads of texture and spice on the palate. It’s rich and toasty but not remotely overcooked, with plenty of mouthfilling buttery stone fruit and that signature zingy Chenin acidity. Class!

If the La Rupture (their crazy Sauvignon Blanc) has gone a bit punk, this is writhing on its back and air-guitaring to the Ramones with an oversized safety pin through its nose. This Marsanne is left on its skins for several weeks during and after ferment, giving it a warm gold/bronze hue. The nose is heady, gloriously oxidative with dried peaches, apricots, cloves and cinnamon. Smells a bit like proper bread pudding. The palate is extraordinary – there’s real grip there and beautiful texture – it’s all like proper, waxy honeycomb with the richness of sweetness but totally dry. I think this would beat a fair few Palo Cortado when paired with good Pata Negra. What an amazing and interesting wine. 14% Drink now - 2025

This is very impressive. Very much in the buttery Burgundian mould. Rich but refined white-butter notes on the nose, seamlessly melding into something quite savoury and mealy. A hint of toast. The fruit is rich melon/peach with butterscotch and tropical notes intermingled. In balance though. Very much so. Hedonistic and moreish. Beautiful balance, richness, texture, creaminess, savouriness. This could easily be premier cru Meursault.

***5* Platters Wine Guide 2019*** 'The 2017 Old Vines White is a blend of 65% Chenin Blanc, 10% Viognier, 10% Clairette Blanche, 13% Grenache Blanc and 2% Sémillon Gris. This has a lighter bouquet than the previous vintage, featuring touches of honeysuckle and peach skin with white flowers tucked just behind. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity and quite tensile, showing a subtle white pepper and marmalade note toward the precise finish. Very fine, although I have a soft spot for the hedonism shown by the 2016.' – Neal Martin Report 2018, 91/100 ‘

There are certain wine regions you know are capable of producing sensational and distinct wines but for one reason or another they have not really reached that level. Jurancon is just such a region where over half the wine is made by the coop and most of the rest is made by producers who have not really caught up with the market. At a wine fair in Montpellier recently I hit upon a very special producer. Frank Lihour is a young, fifth generation winemaker from Monein, who has lit a fire under this sleepy region with wines that sing with Jurancon purity and terroir. Franck has made wines for over 10 years around the world (including, it turns out, at our friends at Beaumont winery in South Africa) where he picked up many ideas to improve the quality of wine back home. He gingerly introduced them to his father, and now has taken over full throttle, and wow, these wines are superb!

A new arrival from our favourite Adelaide Hills winery! This wine is 98% Savagnin (not to be confused with Sauvignon!), a lesser-seen variety whose best expression in its native France can be found in the Jura. The juice sits on its skins for one month before going into barrel for natural malolactic fermentation to occur. It retains wonderful freshness while delivering a fanfare of baked apples, honey-roast pears, camomile, dried apricots, orange peel, peaches and cream, and a decidedly herbal perfume of fresh oregano, sage and a hint of fennel. An uplifting, singing acidity adds brightness to the otherwise soft and round palate, making for a lip-smackingly good, dangerously gluggable summer gem. Resist the temptation to drink it all at once though - this wine demands good company and at leat one full evening of deep contemplation.

Lordy lordington, this is a good Chardonnay. A serious Chardonnay too. Symphonic. One moment rich, expressive, and generously fleshy, the next minute exhilaratingly racy, with a gripping undercurrent of cool, fresh minerality. Fresh cashews, a hint of toast, melon, peach, cream and a saline touch - there’s a lot packed into this wine so decanting is recommended. We’re not allowed to fully disclose the origin of the cuvée name, other than to say that it is in homage to the grower that owns the single vineyard that supplies the fruit... we'll let you fill in the blanks. An eminently fine alternative to white Burgundy for your Christmas dinner table.

Chantilly cream poured over white peaches poached in a faintly floral syrup. This is the sort of wine that makes you a bit emotional, transporting you to heady summer days. Fresh green apples and lemon sorbet on the palate - you won't be able to stop yourself grinning.

This wine is named after the 'Geelkapel' snake the venomous Cape Cobra, that can morph into a brillant yellow after which this wine is named. From Adi Badenhorst's latest vintage - Muscat de Frontignan and White Muskadel, handpicked whole bunches, gently crushed by foot and naturally fermented for 2 weeks.

A note from Brendon: Custard cream with a green-apple bite. The last of the fruit to come off the vine followed by a luxuriously gentle fermentation has resulted in confectionary flavours atop a firm acidic plinth – pure pear drops. This is a wine that will lend itself exceedingly well to sumptuous, exotic dishes – Chinese sausage or fragrant Thai chicken rice would fit the bill.

Subtle and delicate, imagine the polar opposite of Nigel Farage, say. Lovely cool-climate chardonnay aromatics, very expressive with acacia blossoms, a faint hint of rose and a delicate waft of vanilla. Rounded and mouthfilling on the palate, with a taut acidity keeping crystalline purity.

A fine alternative to white Burgundy… Adi’s Family White is never less than headily, ecstatically delicious. There’s perhaps a hint more exoticism on the aromatic profile (it’s a Chenin-led blend including various proportions of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Verdelho, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Sémillon, Marsanne and Palomino), but there’s such an elegant, creamy toastiness and palateweight. It’s all supremely well balanced… white peach, yellow apple, heather and verbena notes which are still tightly coiled at the core and would open up with decanting. The Family White is Adi at his best – it’s one of the finest whites in South Africa, and a true Christmas cracker.

'Winemaker John House is exploring several different AVAs for his Rieslings; Elkton is a tiny, out-of-the-way spot with a cool climate. Hence, this bone-dry, elegant wine boasts crystalline acidity that tastes like liquid rock. Celery, grapefruit, lemon peel and orange flavors combine on its complex and compelling finish.' Wine Enthusiast

The blend comprises of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon. Most of the Sauvignon Blanc fruit has eight hours skin contact prior to pressing to extract more aromatics. The Semillon component is crushed and pressed straight after picking. This wine is 100% barrel fermented, predominantly in larger barrels, with natural yeast fermentation. Extended lees contact gives you a lovely, generous mid-palate and that extra dimension this wine has become known for.

Forget everything you know about Sauvignon and get your claws into this beauty! We recently held a tasting and this knocked the socks off everyone who tasted it. It's nose has this incredible flinty, spicy minerality that is complimented by a beautifully aromatic floral.

If we had to pick one white wine to see us through the many challenges and traumas of the Christmas period, it would be this yawningly gorgeous Ladoix prem cru. The 'Les Grechons' vineyard is an extension of the famous Corton-Charlemagne sites and so is the holy grail of Burgundy – but without the silly prices. It's one of those wines for people really in the know. Elegantly expressive, full of lovely rich stone fruit and melon character with hints of dried fruits and spice, toasted hazelnuts and hints of butterscotch. There's also a firm line of flinty minerality, and that delicious combination of texture, body and fresh acidity that the whites around Corton do so well. Fine enough to grace even the most fastidious Burgundy bibber's table.

Crunchy green apple, salted caramel and a whiff of smoke. Almonds and blossom and a saline core. Delicate, but incredibly nuanced and fresh.

Crunchy green apple, salted caramel and a whiff of smoke. Almonds and blossom and a saline core. Delicate, but incredibly nuanced and fresh.

The grapes are Biancolella, Ginestra and Falanghina. The consultant winemaker in Vincenzo Mercurio. We first tasted this with him, alongside Lionel Cousin of Cupano, when they were sharing a stand of organic Italian producers.

It's more restrained than the 2014 when we first encountered it, in Spring 2016, but with a few more months it will develop richer flavours. I think the 2016 is a finer wine than the 2014, and overall a better balanced wine, and its evolution will be slower meaning it will keep for longer. Delicate at first, but as you swirl the glass the aromas of apricot, peach, herbs and pollen notes begin to come out and captivate. As it opens the fruits become more pronounced on the palate. The texture (think finest down pillow) and concentration, a bit like a fine Barsac, is sufficient that you feel the density in your mouth, the beautiful lingering stone fruit flavours. It will develop in richness and flavour over the next 12 months, but retain its freshness and purity. I'll be sneaking a bottle for Christmas but it will probably be at its best from summer 2018 for 2 to 3 years.

Lovers of fine chardonnay, it's time to get excited and rub your thighs vigorously in anticipation of a modern great. He may be regarded as the prince of pinot but Jamie Kutch's chardonnays are extraordinary pieces of work. The 2016s, his third vintage, take them to dizzy new heights. You still have that hint of Californian sun-dappled richness, but its kept on its toes by a taut and fine Burgundian acidity and tension.

Along with Giaconda, Sorrenberg is the leading chardonnay producer in the Beechworth region. This is a wine that will bring the widest of smiles to any Chardonnay-lover’s lips. It has that winning combo of generosity and lightness of touch – gorgeous ripe peach, juicy pear and honeydew melon fruit, a backbone of grapefruit acidity interplaying with dried honey and creamy-mealy richness, and a thrilling persistence - all down to Barry’s skill at making oak (typically 25% new), lees (battonage a-plenty) and malolactic fermentation work exactly as he wants them to do. Ambrosia in chardonnay form.

David is known as a grand master of Chardonnay in California, where he has clocked up years of service and collaborations with some of the great producers. Until now the key wines for his own 'Ramey' bottlings were ‘Hyde’ and ‘Hudson’ and ‘Ritchie’, as well as the wine ‘Platt’ that we used to get exclusively, but this fruit is no longer available to him. It would not surprise me to see 'Rochioli', a top Sonoma site, surpass all of these.

A powerful and altogether more extrovert chardonnay but which packs a zesty, saline element amid swirling heady notes of lime and blossoms. Produced from two parcels on the Helderberg in Stellenbosch, this is very likely a new benchmark for South African chardonnay.

"Mendoza clone grapes are hand-picked, pressed directly into French puncheons for a wild ferment and maturation (without mlf) for 10 months. It is an exquisitely balanced wine, grapefruit and almond kernel to the fore, the finish of great length. 97 points" - James Halliday