Ever noticed how the delicious local wine you drank at the beach on holiday suddenly tastes thin and acidic in your suburban kitchen?Or how about that ‘wonderfully quirky’ bottle of bitter liqueur that just tastes weird now you’re back at work?If you haven’t heard of the ‘context effect’, you’ve probably experienced it – and it’s why things taste better on holiday.According to Professor Charles Spence – an Oxford University gastrophysicist who studies how the brain combines sight, sound, touch, taste and smell to create multisensory experiences – flavour is shaped not just by our senses, but by our surroundings, mood, expectations and even memories.There might be the lapping of water and the hubbub of a restaurant influencing your taste buds, or the soft strumming of a Spanish guitar. Stress is also a factor, so a relaxed vibe adds a ‘halo effect’ to food and drink.Take away all of the above and it’s little wonder the holiday tipple loses its appeal back in Blighty. Mr Spence dubbed this the ‘Provencal Rosé Paradox’ – and notes the opposite can also be true, as food and drink tastes worse if you’re not having fun and aren’t keen on your drinking or dining companions.But fear not! If you’ve been missing the evocative flavours of your last trip away, here are six bottles that withstand the suitcase taste test. Better still, many are bang on-trend – so you can impress your friends with wine as well as holiday snaps. If you’ve been missing the evocative flavours of your last trip away, Helena Nicklin suggests six bottles that withstand the suitcase taste testSicily, ItalyAfter a day of ancient ruins and a stroll through the town, you’ll have worked up an appetite. Here, it’s all about street food or vineyards with their own trattorias and simple snacks in the sun. So, what to drink?The Italian island is renowned for its roughly 70 local grape varieties, which make delightfully rustic wines.Frappato is one of these quintessentially Sicilian grapes and it produces light-bodied, strawberry-scented reds that respond beautifully to a slight chill. Pair with a rich, homemade caponata or cold cuts and you’ll swear you’re hearing cicadas outside the window.TRY: Santa Tresa Frappato, Sicily, £13, OcadoA beautiful frappato with earthy strawberry flavours and a herbal finish. A slight chill gives it a moreish grippiness that works well with food too.Rhone Valley, FrancePOV: That glorious afternoon with a picnic by the river, fresh baguettes, paté and cheeses bought at a market, all washed down with a local white.Britons have always loved a cheeky cotes du rhone red, but it’s the whites grabbing the headlines now.So it’s perhaps no surprise that at London’s hottest new restaurant, Cafe Clement, they serve it on tap. Textural and creamy rather than crisp and citrussy, with white chocolate and lime notes, these whites, made with grapes such as roussanne and marsanne, are incredible with creamy pasta and chicken or even just bread and cheese.TRY: Les Dauphins Cotes du Rhone White, £10, WaitroseWhile still very fresh and dry, this white rhone has a wonderful peaches-and-cream appeal, with a slight beeswaxiness to the texture. Amazing value too.Crete, GreeceChances are, most nights of your Cretan holiday will have been spent in an unfussy taverna by the sea, feasting on anchovies and grilled octopus.Crete is not known for its premium wines but you will find assyrtiko – Greece’s star white grape. It has a seriously zippy acidity and a salty, mineral edge that acts like squeezing a lemon over everything, freshening up the palate.It’s a great choice for grilled fish and salty cheese. Recreate the vibe at home with a chilled white and a grill, swapping the burgers for fish such as sea bass and some halloumi or feta.TRY: Lyrarakis Assyrtiko 2025, £11 mix six (£15 single), MajesticIf you like chablis, you’ll love assyrtiko – and this version is made by a top producer. It’s crisp, bone dry and tangy, a little floral and deliciously saline.CorsicaThere’s something very sensory about a Corsican evening meal, especially if on a terrace in Calvi or Bonifacio with the water at your feet and the scent of herby scrubland drifting up from the warm hills. The local rosé is often made with sciaccarellu and niellucciu grapes, giving a particularly weighty, smooth style of pink with a crunch of red fruit and gentle waft of herbs. An ideal match for the local smoked meats or sheep’s cheese with a drizzle of chestnut honey – an easy dish to replicate back home.TRY: Cintu Ile de Beaute Corsican Rosé, £10, M&S/OcadoA beautiful-looking bottle from the beautiful isle, this is fresh, citrussy and subtly herbal up front, then relaxes into a silky, strawberries-and-cream palate.CroatiaCroatia is having a tourism moment right now thanks to its untouched beaches and sky-blue seas. It’s currently all about that coastline, where meals are slow and often taken outdoors at long tables in family-run ‘agriturismos’ rather than formal restaurants.The wine has its own personality too and local grapes shine, whether it’s the bold, juicy reds made from plavac mali, the crisp, floral whites from malvazija istarska or the delicate, lightly perfumed, often off-dry whites of graševina – Croatia’s most widely planted grape.The latter is easiest to find here. Pair it with freshwater fish and a lot of paprika.TRY: Croatica Graševina, Kvalitetno Vino, £12.50 (£33 for three), TannersA very pretty, classic version of grasevina that’s elegant but fruity. Think green apple, ripe pear and some grapey florals. In Corsica, the local rosé is often made with sciaccarellu and niellucciu grapes, giving a particularly weighty, smooth style of pink with a crunch of red fruit and gentle waft of herbsPortugalPortugal has long produced utterly delicious, still, dry wines made with blends of unknown and unpronounceable grape varieties. They are still exceptional value for money – and boy, do they go well with the local food!Try a white port and tonic sundowner with a slice of orange instead of your standard G&T, or a spritzy vinho verde with grilled sardines.Those seeking a richer, more chocolatey red should look a little further south towards Tejo or even further down to the Algarve for blends that simply adore heartier grilled meats or poultry stews.Whichever you choose, you’ve got your bank holiday barbecue more than covered.TRY: The Sardine Submarine Tejo, £9.50, WaitroseI’ve no idea why this memorable wine isn’t yet trending. A very tasty blend with crunchy bramble fruit, spice and notes of dark chocolate.