With a salubrious heatwave forecast for the upcoming August Bank Holiday Margaret Clancy explores some delicious and affordable wines that are perfect for making the most out of the few remaining hot days left before the Autumnal chill sets in
The last few weeks have been extraordinary. The sun has been shining; there have been gentle breezes and the temperatures have been soaring. It’s been a summer that even we Brits can’t complain about. And more amazing than all of that is the incredible prediction that this bank holiday weekend, the last hurrah of the summer, is forecast to be warm and sunny. Whoever heard of such a thing?
This Summer could go down in the history books and we say ‘Make the most of it!’ Drinking wine in the sun while watching someone putting a barbecue together is one of the great pleasures of the summer and serendipitously, some of the main supermarkets agree with us. With the autumn looming in the not-too-distant future, they seem to be having a ‘Sale’ of some of their summer stocks, which means that wines designed for drinking in the sun are good value and fun.
You may remember that we said a few months back that picnic wines are ideally red because they don’t need to be chilled? Well, drinking at home or at someone else’s home, where you can keep the wine chilled in the fridge or in a condensation-beaded ice bucket, the whites and pinks come into their own. Bubbles are good too, but nothing too precious – Christmas is on its way and there’ll be plenty of opportunity to up the spec during the silly season. Besides, when the weather’s hot, people are thirsty, so they tend to drink rather than sip, and drinking grand wine gets really expensive.
But there’s a but. When the BBQists have finally turned the sausages to perfection and have covered everything in BBQ sauce, the whites and the pinks can’t cope, leaving an acidic slick in the throat. So it’s time to move on to some big punchy reds. We know that people make the most amazing barbecues, with fine charcoal grilled fish and prawns, delicately smoked aubergines and carefully grilled peppers and courgettes, but most involve burgers, sausages and chicken, with plenty of crunchy burnt bits, where subtlety is not exactly a byword.
So here’s my selection of easily findable, easily drinkable wine on special offer for this weekend. They won’t break the bank but they will make the most of the bank holiday weekend.
For drinking whilst waiting for the barbecue
Sparkling
White: La Marca Prosecco - £8.49 (down from £11.99) – Majestic
A fine, easy drinking, light crisp, classic prosecco. There’s a good fizz and a light acidity. It hasn’t got great length, but it’s a happy, easy glass of bubbles.
Rose: Taste the Difference Pinot Rose - £7 (down from £10)
Light, summery wine with plenty of bubbles and a pretty colour. It’s not too dry or complex, but it’s a great glass at the price.
White
Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria 2015 - £7.79 (down from £10.49) - Waitrose
A classic grassy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Rather like Marmite, people either love or hate this style of wine, but it’ll keep at least half the party happy.
Caixas Albarino 2014 - £6.99 (down from £8.99) – Majestic
Albarino with its light, zesty wines, has become a very fashionable wine and this is a great example. Crisp and clean but with plenty of fruit and character.
Rose
Johann Wolf Pinot Noir 2105 - £7.49 (down from £9.99) Waitrose
A delicate, clean, melony Pinot Noir – a lovely colour and an elegant bottle which does good condensation beads. Tastes far more expensive than it is.
Taste the Difference Bordeaux Rose - £6 (down from £7 – Sainsbury’s
Quite refined for the price, with plenty of fresh berry flavours. It’s crisp and clean and makes a great aperitif.
Reds for the Barbecue
La La Land Malbec – 7.99 (down from 9.99) - Majestic
A jokey label, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a jokey wine. At 13.5% it packs a punch, but it needs to with those rich, spicy sauces. It’s up-front, no holds barred, big, powerful Aussie stuff.
Rosemount Estate Grenache Shiraz - £6.29 (down from £8.49) – Waitrose
Another Aussie, but much more subtle, with the soft fruitiness of the Shiraz brightened by the Grenache in the mix. It’ll go with almost anything and is just as easy to drink on its own.
Check our another one of Margret's great wine articles
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