Alpha Zeta “S” Soave 2012, Italy — €12.99

THERE are few wines more iconic than New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay which was founded in 1985 and whose intense pungent Sauvignon Blanc became a benchmark for the varietal in that country.

I remember in the late 1990s only a small number of Irish off-licences stocked the wine, and even they would just receive 12 bottles per year, such was the demand.

This shortage led to Cloudy Bay gaining cult status and becoming even more sought after by collectors and wine enthusiasts.