ON THE WATERFRONT

Whether from Bordeaux or Marlborough, coastal wines are often crisper and fresher than their inland counterparts.

-  Fiona Beckett

Many of us will have a memory of sitting in a beach cafe somewhere, enjoying freshly caught fish and sipping a glass of cold white wine. At the time, it seems to taste better than any wine we've ever drunk - but is it all in our heads? Do wines really taste better by the sea?

They may well do if they're made nearby. Coastal wines have a certain quality: a freshness, purity and even in the case of whites - a salinity that makes them refreshing and ideal with seafood. These qualities are particularly desirable in white wines, but you'll find rosés and even reds that benefit from being produced by the sea. For instance, pinot noirs from California's Sonoma, parts of Chile and Australia's Mornington Peninsula all have that characteristic crispness.

A remarkable number of the world's vineyards are positioned alongside the sea - those down the Pacific coast from Canada to Chile, for example. Or the vineyards on the Atlantic coast in Galicia and Portugal, where albariño and vinho verde are produced, respectively. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean vineyards close to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in southern Spain, are home to fresh, salty manzanilla, while across the sea, in Santorini, the exposed volcanic soil is used to grow assyrtiko. And there are many others, such as South Africa's Western Cape and New Zealand's Martinborough and Marlborough.