12 summer wines...and the living is easy
Writing about winter wines is straightforward in Britain because you know it’s going to be cold so you need lots of alcohol and richness to keep you toasty. Summer wines are harder because of our unpredictable climate, so it’s vital to include autumnal offerings for when the weather refuses to play cricket. And you need robust reds to stand up to barbecued meat. In fact, many summer wines are winter wines in disguise.
My top tip would be to serve all the reds a little colder than you would in the winter. On a hot day even the most muscular reds will benefit from 30 minutes in the fridge, whereas very light reds are nice properly chilled. And finally, if the sun really does shine, put a little ice in your glass, even if the content is red.
1 THE ADAPTABLE ONE
Percheron Old Vines Cinsault 2013, £5.95: www.thewinesociety.com
A very pale red – the most adaptable wine of the year. Serve it cool and it’s great with lighter meats: serve it cold and it’s a particularly good rosé. One word of warning: it’s 14% alcohol so don’t give too many glasses to that ever-thirsty relative.
2 THE CLASSIC ROSE
Capcanes Rosé 2013, £8.90: www.theatreofwine.com
A manly Catalan rosé. This is another very adaptable wine. It’s rich and spicy enough to stand up to flavoursome meats, but at the same time, it’s also extremely refreshing.
3 THE ULTIMATE SUMMER SIPPER
Picpoul-de-Pinet Cuvée Ludovic Gaujal 2013, £10.25: www.yapp.co.uk
Picpoul might be the ultimate summer wine. This white is a superior example, with a super-fresh nose, like smelling the sea. Richer than your average Picpoul, it has a lovely tangy, herbal quality.
4 THE ONE FOR POSH BARBECUES
Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers M Chapoutier 2011, £16.50: www.tannerswines.co.uk
This tastes meaty and peppery with supple tannins that cry out for a good rump steak. Les Meysonniers has to be one of the consistently great bargains in wine.
5 THE ONE FOR EVERYDAY BARBECUES
Morrisons Signature Pic Saint-Loup 2011, £8.99: www.morrisons.com
This is the everyday barbecue wine to go with supermarket sausages and burgers. It’s good and drinkable with notes of rosemary and leather. It tastes distinctly Languedocian as well.
6 THE GREAT VALUE ONE
Louis Guntrum Dry Riesling 2012, £8.95: www.thewinesociety.com
My favourite white wines are German, so I should recommend more of them. They are often sweet and can be tricky to match with food. This one, though, is bone dry with a peachy smell and a hint of fizz.
7 THE LOW ALCOHOL ONE
Château Moncontour Vouvray Demi-Sec 2013, £9.99: www.marksandspencer.com
Take a sniff and you’ll think of apple pie and cinnamon. Well balanced and slightly sweet, but with so much acidity, it finishes fresh and dry. Good with cheese; at 11% alcohol, you can even get away with an extra glass.
8 THE BARGAIN FIZZY ONE
Aldi Prosecco NV, £7.49: www.aldi.co.uk
A friend of mine who is getting married asked me to recommend a Prosecco. He was a bit put out when I suggested this one. ‘I’m not that cheap!’ he said. But this is genuinely good: very clean, fruity and fun, with none of those off flavours you sometimes get in cheap Prosecco.
9 THE CHILLED RED ONE
Marks & Spencer Beaujolais 2013, £7.99: www.marksandspencer.com
This is the red that you can put ice in. It smells of oranges and cherries and tastes youthful and crunchy with a hint of stalkiness; a really good Beaujolais.
10 THE WEDDING ONE
Henners Brut 2010, £27: www.winepantry.co.uk
This has a lively lemony nose with a hint of vanilla. In the mouth there are green apples, beautiful tiny bubbles and a whisper of custard on the finish. If I was getting married again and I had the money, I’d go for this wine for the reception.
11 THE SUMMERY PORT
Harvey Nichols 10-year-old Tawny Port, £27.50: www.harveynichols.com
I’m on a mission to get people drinking port year round. In Oporto they drink tawnies like this chilled and this accentuates its ripe fruit – just the thing with hard cheese or on its own with a slice of seed cake for a mid-morning pick-me-up.
12 THE SEASONAL SHERRY
The Society’s Fino, £6.25: www.thewinesociety.com
Not only a bargain but one of the best finos on the market. It’s very dry and lemony with a salty tang that lingers deliciously in the mouth. It’s just a shame about that dreary label. I always have a bottle of this ready in the fridge.
My top tip would be to serve all the reds a little colder than you would in the winter. On a hot day even the most muscular reds will benefit from 30 minutes in the fridge, whereas very light reds are nice properly chilled. And finally, if the sun really does shine, put a little ice in your glass, even if the content is red.
1 THE ADAPTABLE ONE
Percheron Old Vines Cinsault 2013, £5.95: www.thewinesociety.com
A very pale red – the most adaptable wine of the year. Serve it cool and it’s great with lighter meats: serve it cold and it’s a particularly good rosé. One word of warning: it’s 14% alcohol so don’t give too many glasses to that ever-thirsty relative.
2 THE CLASSIC ROSE
Capcanes Rosé 2013, £8.90: www.theatreofwine.com
A manly Catalan rosé. This is another very adaptable wine. It’s rich and spicy enough to stand up to flavoursome meats, but at the same time, it’s also extremely refreshing.
3 THE ULTIMATE SUMMER SIPPER
Picpoul-de-Pinet Cuvée Ludovic Gaujal 2013, £10.25: www.yapp.co.uk
Picpoul might be the ultimate summer wine. This white is a superior example, with a super-fresh nose, like smelling the sea. Richer than your average Picpoul, it has a lovely tangy, herbal quality.
4 THE ONE FOR POSH BARBECUES
Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers M Chapoutier 2011, £16.50: www.tannerswines.co.uk
This tastes meaty and peppery with supple tannins that cry out for a good rump steak. Les Meysonniers has to be one of the consistently great bargains in wine.
5 THE ONE FOR EVERYDAY BARBECUES
Morrisons Signature Pic Saint-Loup 2011, £8.99: www.morrisons.com
This is the everyday barbecue wine to go with supermarket sausages and burgers. It’s good and drinkable with notes of rosemary and leather. It tastes distinctly Languedocian as well.
6 THE GREAT VALUE ONE
Louis Guntrum Dry Riesling 2012, £8.95: www.thewinesociety.com
My favourite white wines are German, so I should recommend more of them. They are often sweet and can be tricky to match with food. This one, though, is bone dry with a peachy smell and a hint of fizz.
7 THE LOW ALCOHOL ONE
Château Moncontour Vouvray Demi-Sec 2013, £9.99: www.marksandspencer.com
Take a sniff and you’ll think of apple pie and cinnamon. Well balanced and slightly sweet, but with so much acidity, it finishes fresh and dry. Good with cheese; at 11% alcohol, you can even get away with an extra glass.
8 THE BARGAIN FIZZY ONE
Aldi Prosecco NV, £7.49: www.aldi.co.uk
A friend of mine who is getting married asked me to recommend a Prosecco. He was a bit put out when I suggested this one. ‘I’m not that cheap!’ he said. But this is genuinely good: very clean, fruity and fun, with none of those off flavours you sometimes get in cheap Prosecco.
9 THE CHILLED RED ONE
Marks & Spencer Beaujolais 2013, £7.99: www.marksandspencer.com
This is the red that you can put ice in. It smells of oranges and cherries and tastes youthful and crunchy with a hint of stalkiness; a really good Beaujolais.
10 THE WEDDING ONE
Henners Brut 2010, £27: www.winepantry.co.uk
This has a lively lemony nose with a hint of vanilla. In the mouth there are green apples, beautiful tiny bubbles and a whisper of custard on the finish. If I was getting married again and I had the money, I’d go for this wine for the reception.
11 THE SUMMERY PORT
Harvey Nichols 10-year-old Tawny Port, £27.50: www.harveynichols.com
I’m on a mission to get people drinking port year round. In Oporto they drink tawnies like this chilled and this accentuates its ripe fruit – just the thing with hard cheese or on its own with a slice of seed cake for a mid-morning pick-me-up.
12 THE SEASONAL SHERRY
The Society’s Fino, £6.25: www.thewinesociety.com
Not only a bargain but one of the best finos on the market. It’s very dry and lemony with a salty tang that lingers deliciously in the mouth. It’s just a shame about that dreary label. I always have a bottle of this ready in the fridge.