Local Wines Worth Stocking at Your Summer Villa, From Provence to Mykonos

Part of the pleasure of a summer in someone else’s country is drinking what grows there. A villa table with the local wine beside the classics is a better table than one with only the classics. Here is what we would put in the cellar, place by place, alongside the champagne and Burgundy that travel everywhere.

Provence and Saint-Tropez

Pale, dry Côtes de Provence rosé is the obvious one and deserves depth rather than a single label. Look further too: Bandol, from the coast between Marseille and Toulon, makes structured rosé and serious red from Mourvèdre, and Cassis makes a white that belongs next to fish. See our Provence collection and Saint-Tropez and Provence villa delivery.

Corsica

Corsica’s own grapes are worth a place on the table: Vermentinu (Vermentino) for whites, Nielluccio for the reds of Patrimonio and Sciaccarellu for the lighter, perfumed reds of Ajaccio. They are made for the island’s food and its heat. Villa delivery in Corsica.

Tuscany

Chianti Classico for the everyday red, Brunello di Montalcino for the dinner that deserves it, and the Bolgheri reds from the coast for guests who like Bordeaux. Coastal Vermentino is the white for lunch. Villa delivery in Tuscany.

Rome

Rome sits in Lazio, whose whites from Frascati and the hills around the city are made for long lunches, and it is a short step to the reds of Tuscany and the south. Many guests in Rome drink Italian from every region, which is no bad thing. Wine delivery in Rome.

The Amalfi Coast

Campania’s whites are among Italy’s most interesting: Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo and Falanghina, all good with the coast’s fish and lemons. For red, Taurasi from Aglianico is the region’s serious bottle. Villa delivery on the Amalfi Coast.

Sardinia

Vermentino di Gallura, from the north-east of the island around the Costa Smeralda, is the white to stock. Cannonau, Sardinia’s name for Grenache, makes generous reds. Villa delivery in Sardinia.

Mallorca and Ibiza

Mallorca has its own appellations, Binissalem and Pla i Llevant, and its own grapes, Manto Negro and Callet, alongside international varieties. They are worth a look next to the Riojas and Ribera del Dueros that fill most Spanish lists. Mallorca and Ibiza villa delivery.

Marbella and Andalucía

Chilled fino and manzanilla sherry, from Jerez and Sanlúcar just along the coast, is the aperitif the region is built around and is wonderful with jamón and fried fish. Villa delivery in Marbella.

The Algarve

Portugal gives a summer villa a great deal: crisp Vinho Verde for lunch, Douro and Alentejo reds for dinner, and port to close the evening. Villa delivery in the Algarve.

Mykonos and the Greek islands

Assyrtiko from Santorini, mineral and saline, is one of the world’s great white grapes for the sea. For red, Xinomavro from northern Greece is often compared with Nebbiolo. Villa delivery on Mykonos.

Local and classic, in one delivery

Our range runs across France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and further. If there is a local bottle you would like that is not online, ask: we will find it, or suggest the closest thing we have. Then the champagne, the Burgundy and the bar arrive with it, in one delivery planned around your arrival. See wine delivery to villas and holiday homes in Europe.