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Lighter wines for summer under £20: French whites

From tasting 280 wines, Peter Richards MW picked the best 78 for lighter summer drinking - all under £20 and below 12.5% abv. Here are his pick of the top French whites...

France did particularly well in the tasting of lighter wines for summer drinking, where Peter Richards MW whittled down 280 wines – all below £20 and under 12% abv – to his top 78.

Of the 60 white wines picked, French wines made up almost a third of them.

‘When it’s warm, you want a wine to seduce you with its bright, vivacious charm,’ said Richards.

‘This is not the season for shades of nuance and intricate subtlety. These are wines to seize the day!’

Burgundy and the Loire make up the majority of the wines below, but it’s not all Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

There’s plenty of regional variety on offer, as well as wines from Alsace and Languedoc’s Picpoul de Pinet.

You may not have been able to travel to France, visiting wine regions this summer, but let these wines transport you there.


See the 18 lighter summer red wines picked in the tasting


French white wines for summer drinking:


See also: 

20 French Sauvignon Blancs worth seeking out

20 lower alcohol wines to enjoy this summer

Picnic wine recommendations for summer

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