My pick of the picnic Pinots:—

Pinot Noir is a woodland sprite of a wine with the gift of nimble pleasures and elegance beyond compare.  This flighty red shows its highest order of finesse in France’s Burgundy.  Top billing includes Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Armand Rousseau, Leroy, Dujac, Dugat-Py and more. Trouble is, they are not cheap.

If someone else is buying, dive into these or seek out the best of New Zealand’s Otago and the USA’s Oregon.

But head deeper off the beaten track to find bargain Pinot with informal bottles balancing value with quality. Pinot Noir’s light body makes it a winner with light picnic bites, and youthful bottles can even be served chilled – think of it like butch rosé.

You should expect a cascade of summery red fruit from the best bottles – watch out for hard acidity, which can be a pitfall in rockbottom cases.

Southern France has a few decent value options, such as Aldi’s Vignobles Roussellet Pinot Noir (12.5 per cent) – just £4.39 for a quaffable summery sip.  Romania, too, has some drinkable Pinot that won’t break the bank, such as Waitrose Romanian Pinot 2015 (13 per cent) for £5.99.

But for the best balance of value with quality, Chile is still your best bet – Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir 2015 (13.5 per cent) is a cherrylike gem in Asda for £6 on offer, or Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Chilean Pinot Noir 2015 (14 per cent) is a bit more fleshy and deep – on offer at £7. 

And if you want to go up through the gears, German Pinot – known as Spätburgunder – can be superbly deft, or seek out the surprise option from the Wine Society below from Canada.

But splash out on cool corners of Australia in the hands of reliable names such as De Bortoli, with their outstanding Regional Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 for £12 at ozwines.co.uk, and this graceful grape can transform your humble picnic into a feast. Unleash the woodland sprite!

CHILE: Morandé M Pinot Noir 2015 (13%) from £6.99 Majestic. Fragrant and zippy as a fresh bowl of summer raspberries – the ace in this week’s pack for top value.

GERMANY: Palataia Pinot Noir 2014 (13.5%) £10.50 Marks and Spencer. Silky and intense with red berry finesse, this tantalizing German gem is layered with savoury depth.

CANADA: Norman Hardie Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2014 (11.4%) Wine Society £23. Incredibly focused, fragrant and zesty, decant this firmly structured Pinot – it’s bright as a redcurrant fused with a ruby.

AUSTRALIA: Fortnum’s Upper Yarra Pinot Noir Yarra Junction Vineyard Mac Forbes 2013 (12.5%) £25.50. Nimble, sensual and splendidly silky, this is prime Pinot for a snip of the top French prices. World class.

WINE OF THE WEEK

Villa Maria Sauvignon Gris 2015 (13%) £9.99 Co-Op. Succulent and juicy as a nectarine – imagine Sauvignon Blanc turned up to eleven and you’ve got this cracking kiwi Sauvignon Gris.

This column was originally published in EVENT Magazine, Mail on Sunday 17th July