|
|
THE FIRST OF THE SUMMER WINES
|
The summer season is rapidly approaching, conjuring up images of juicy strawberries at Wimbledon, peels of wedding bells heralding buckets of fizz, summer salads with chilled Chardonnay, and lazy summer picnics or barbeques with a glass of refreshing rosé.
As warmer weather arrives, it is time to start thinking about our summer drinking, w hatever your preference in wine, I’m sure you'll find something to savor in this summer selection.
|
|
Sparkling wine
When better to enjoy a glass of fizz, as a chilled aperitif, or to complement the obligatory bowl of strawberries. For the traditionalists who insist on only quaffing French Champagne, consider ‘quality versus value’, forget the traditional brands, go for some of the award winning champagnes, for example, try Drappier Cart d’Or, awarded four stars in Decanter Magazine and voted to be in the ‘top ten’ of non-vintage Champagnes, all this at only £14.50 per bottle.
For those with a conscience, ‘organic wine’ is now an affordable reality, and Argentina is home to one of the worlds’ most creative organic vineyards, Mendoza, an ideal environment for wine production. The combination of careful irrigation, goods levels of sunshine, and cool night temperatures, combine to allow Jose Alberto Zuccardi produce a great range of organic wines at sensible prices, so why not give his Sparkling Chardonnay, ‘Vidi Organica’, a slurp at only £8.45 a bottle. |
Rosé wines
Over recent summers rosé wines have steadily become more fashionable and their quality respected. Served chilled with salads and lighter styles of food, modern rosés bring a cheer to the table as well as look really cool!
It’s a great idea to keep a bottle of fizz in the fridge for that unexpected guest, it always provides a welcome guaranteed to impresses, and what better than a bottle of pink bubbly, try Miret Cava Rossado at £6.12 per bottle, refreshingly dry, and just a tad sophisticated.
|
‘Still-rosé’ wines go well with summer foods, especially fish dishes. Salmon, pink-fleshed trout, seafood and lobster dishes, will all be complemented by a bottle of refreshing rosé, we suggest you try a Zinfandel Blush from R.H. Phillips Winery of California, at £5.58 a bottle.
Wines high in alcohol content are not recommended for the hotter days, so why not be the cool Dood to introduce your guests to a wacky alternative, Pink Muscat from Stella Bella Vineyards, Australia. A totally unique experience with a startling pink colour and a haunting bouquet of wild strawberries and violets. |
|
| Slightly sparkling and lusciously sweet, this is fantastic sipped ice cold on a summer's day or to accompany light, fruit based desserts. In it’s designer bottle, it’s only 5% in alcohol, and is guaranteed to be the talking point of any summer dinner party, y ou'd never forget the person that serves this to you, so get in first and be the ‘hostess with the mostess’ , it’s available from Classic Wine at £6.35 per 37.5cl. bottle.
|
 |
White wines
This is were I get excited, some of the modern styles of white wines are just so summery, for example, Spain’s Monte Alina, from the Verdejo and Viura grapes deliver a splendidly spritzy and lively wine with fresh grassy, tropical fruit aromas and beautifully aromatic palate. This is a stunning example of the modern, pungent new world style that Spain, particulary, the Rueda region is now producing. The quality of this wine is just astonishing, and the price is a remarkable £5.74 per bottle.
|
Chardonnay is considered ‘Old-hat’ to many of our younger wine oficionados. Might I suggest this summer that they sample our noble grape with the addition of trendy Viognier, Botalcure vineyard of Chile have done just that, Chardonnay - Viognier, ‘El Delirio - Reserve’ is a beautifully crafted wine with both varieties displaying great varietal character, they integrate perfectly into one delicious, enticing wine. Broad, ripe fruit characters combine with captivating chunks of pineapple and peach like fruit, to form this creamy summery experience. The wine was a medal winner in the 2005 International Wine Challenge Awards and is available at £6.34 per bottle.
|
|
Red wines
Many people think of red wine as being exclusive to winter evenings sat around the fire, well don’t forget that many French wines are served positively chilled. Wines from the delightful Gamay grape make ideal summer drinking, they are predominantly light fruity wines. These gluggable youthful wines gush from the bottle, into your glass and straight down your throat with a woosh of flavours – banana, peach and pepper fruit. Gamay is the principle grape of the Beaujolais region, so why not try some slightly chilled Fleurie, ‘Domaine de la Cote D'Adule’ at £8.52 per bottle, or Brouilly – ‘Cuvee Geoffray’ at £7.33 per bottle.
|
 |
Finally, we must not forget that Spanish wine has evolved over centuries to be enjoyed in soaring summer temperatures. So, to complement those caramelised flavours of your barbeque, consider a rich velvety Rioja from Luis Canas, one of Spains most respected producers. We would recommend Rioja Reserva, Bodegas Luis Canas. The wine was also a medal winner in the 2005 International Wine Challenge Awards and is available at £9.81 per bottle.
All these wines are available on-line, just click on the underlined wine names and it will take you directly to that wine, should you wish to purchase a mixed case, just click-on sales@classic-wine.co.uk and let us know your exact requirements.
|
Interested in matching wine with food? - click here  |
|
