The rain is once again beating down on the Scottish summer so I have decided to look in the glass for the illusive sunshine factor. At least my nose is not side-tracked by the smell of factor 50 and that's about all I can think of in finding something positive to say about the weather. I wonder if I should move to the south of France and buy a vineyard? Better check my numbers tonight.

Here are a few wines that will brighten any day, no matter how gloomy the weather;

Murdoch James

Blue Rock - Pinot Gris 2007

Martinborough

Gorgeous Pinot Gris from a small region on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. Cool climate, influenced by the arctic currents the wine displays ripe fruit characters on the nose. I detect peaches and strawberries with a hint of something tropical (mango), but some floral hints as well, elderflower

The palate is generous with quite a bit of apply acidity but most of it is lemon and stonefruit.

Fresh, balanced and absolutely gorgeous.

It comes at a price though at £14.49 from Oddbins.

Saint-Veran

Les Morats 2006

JJ Vincent.

Made from 100% Chardonnay this single vineyard wine is produced by Chateau de Fuisse and I think this is a great example of good-value white Burgundy.

The nose is medium intense and fresh, with grapefruit and a wet stone minerality. Imagine hot pebbles that have just been rained on. Mainly citrus and stone fruit on the palate and a hint of tropical ripeness. The whole thing is ripe, balanced and has a soft creamy finish.

Lovely stuff at a decent price. £11 at Inverarity.

Tim Adams

Clare Valley Riesling 2006

Australia

If you like your Riesling bone dry and steely this might be for you. The high acidity citrus fruit, mainly lemon and lime is developing the merest hint of petrol. (It's a Riesling thing)

Lime and grapefruit on the palate with a steely mineral streak. I'm missing a little bit of peachy ripeness but this is a fairly balanced wine in all, especially if you like the zesty acidic freshness of Clare Valley.

£8.19 at Tesco.

Salterio Albarino 2007

Bodegas Martin Codax

Rias Baixas - Spain

The best place to try this is at WEST Brewery on Glasgow Green (sorry if you're not local). Tell them I sent you!

I chose this wine for the new wine list and think it is sunshine in a glass, the perfect excuse for a lazy afternoon in the sun. Balanced, fresh tangerines and the merest hint of peaches. What's there not to love.

Look out for other wines from this bodega made from the Albarino grape variety.

Luna Blanca (Alvarez y Diez)

Verdejo 2007

Rueda - Spain

Another Spanish sun-lover. I'm convinced there is some sauvignon blanc in this wine but it isn't mentioned on the label. If it is 100% Verdejo then this shows how well this variety does in the relatively cool Rueda region in inland Spain, upstream from Portugal's Port region.

Fabulously clean, crisp and refreshing. Gooseberry, nettles, cut grass, all the sauvignon terms. Very ripe citrus fruit on the palate with hints of tropical fruits like mango and passion fruit. Brilliant and oh so lively. £7.49 at Oddbins.

Gamma (Vinedos Emiliana)

Carmenere 2007

Colchagua Valley -Chile

All the wines produced by Vinedos Emiliana are either biodynamic or organic. Alvaro Espinoza provides the brains to this outfit at the forefront of organic winemaking in Chile.

And it shows in this wine. Concentrated it is but by no means heavy. The wine is superbly balanced, quite tannic but ripe, that sort of grip you get from bitter chocolate. I love its full blackberry and plum flavours and the spicy overlay. All we need is decent barbecue weather. And at £6.49 at Oddbins this is a bit of a steal.

Chono

Carmenere 2003

Central Valley -Chile

Not necessarily a summer wine but when talking about Carmenere I thought I'd mention this unusually mature example. Rustic farmyardy nose, gamey and blue cheese. This wine has bags and bags of character and beats lots of those overly polished and finished wines that ultimately end up a little boring. Decant it to give it some air and it will give you a generous, if somewhat rustic wine. Inverarity do this at around £6 which is even more of a steal than the Gamma, but once it's gone, it's gone.

Les Clos Perdus

Cuvee 41 - 2006

Corbieres.

I've discussed at length on this site the merits of Les Clos Perdus and it's owners Paul Old and Hugo Stewart. Staunchly biodynamic and independent the wines are now making it onto Gordon Ramsey's wine lists. The 2006 Cuvee 41 is my pick for the summer. Slightly chilled it's fresh raspberry and cherry characters are most enjoyable. Well balanced acidity, fruit and tannins make it a very versatile wine. £8 directly via the website. www.lesclosperdus.com.

Try the rose as well. The savoury characters will appeal to those that don't like their roses to be sweet. This is the real stuff.

Kleine Zalze

Pinot Noir - 2007

Coastal Region

Another wine I chose for the WEST winelist. Stunning ripe cherry flavours and a slight earthiness on the nose. Well judged, balanced oak.

The juicy fruit and soft balanced tannins make for an all-round delicious wine.

The fruit is grown in Elgin, South Africa. The cooling ocean currents ensure an ideal climate for the grapes to ripen slowly but fully. Good value Pinot Noir, put a slight chill on it to make it even more refreshing.