Coquille de Mer — Shell of the Sea. It is a name that places this wine immediately and perfectly: on a sun-drenched terrace somewhere on the Mediterranean coast, with a plate of seafood and the sound of the sea nearby. Vermentino is the great white grape of the Mediterranean — grown along the coastlines of southern France, Sardinia, and Corsica, and producing whites of a quite distinctive and deeply appealing character: crisp, aromatic, and vibrantly fresh, with a natural salinity and a zesty, citrus-driven energy that makes it one of the most immediately thirst-quenching whites in the world. It is a grape that Sauvignon Blanc lovers tend to fall for instantly — that same zingy, refreshing crispness, that same dry, mouth-watering finish — but with a Mediterranean warmth and a gentle floral character that is entirely its own. Coquille de Mer’s 2024 is a beautiful, uncomplicated expression of everything that makes Vermentino so loveable: refreshingly dry and crisp from the first sip, with a zesty, vibrant freshness that is clean and precise and deeply satisfying. The kind of white that just makes you smile — and that pairs perfectly with grilled fish, shellfish, or a warm afternoon with nothing more pressing to do. At £11.99, it is the Mediterranean in a glass.