Wine with Gerard Richardson

The Greek wine industry is one of the oldest in the world, dating back thousands of years, and its wines were highly prized by the Roman Empire for their quality.

In truth, the quality wines never really went away. They were just eclipsed in sales by bargainhunting Brits seeking to relive their holidays who would fill their cases with retsina, seemingly oblivious to the fact that virtually anything chilled can seem refreshing under the blistering Greek sun but not quite so good back home in Glasgow.

Anyway, the short story is that you should try them this summer, especially the reds, which are just superb with fresh vibrant fruit, spice and a complexity that often compares to the best wines of the Rhone Valley.

The selection in the UK is getting better every year and one of the new kids on the block is actually a friend of mine who started Corelli wines three years ago.

Estate Papaioannou Old Vines Organic Red

Produced with 100% agiorgitiko and aged for 18 months in a combination of American and French oak, this is so, so appealing. Ripe cherry notes on the nose, with warm, spicy fruits on the palate and a hint of vanilla on the finish.

Corelliwines.com, £26

Kompsos Liatiko, Karavitakis

Very light in colour but wow, is the colour deceptive. There’s a basketload of fruit and spices in this one. The Wine Society guru describes it as pinot noir on steroids and I don’t think I can improve on that.