If one region captures the joyous spirit of wine more than any other, it is Beaujolais. Unpretentious, uncluttered and unyieldingly moreish, it lands with a purity and refreshment factor that the summer season calls for. Few do it better than Domaine Pierre-Marie Chermette and their deliciously juicy Les Griottes. The 2023 edition has just landed and combines juicy, generous fruit and gluggable texture with an invigorating freshness that keeps you tethered to the glass. Alongside the standard bottling, Les Griottes is available in half bottle and magnum. This shipment also arrived with a bonus in tow in the shape of a five-litre cask. It turns out the Chermette family have been keeping the Parisians happy with its bag-in-a-box Les Griottes for years. Happily, we got wind of it and, pleading the case of Australia’s fondness for wine in box format (and Beaujolais), we’ve managed to get our hands on a small allocation. Ideal for picnics, parties, or just picking at over the course of a week, it’s a very welcome addition to the range. We have also restocked on Chermette’s impressive Crémant de Bourgogne. This dry (4g /L dosage), elegant, single-parcel Chardonnay is another indispensable style for this time of year. If you don’t know this wine, do yourself a favour. French sparkling this good, at this price, does not grow on trees.