Summer wines

Whether you like delicious fresh whites, light and fruity reds or prefer sipping a rosé here are some corkers which I can highly recommend. Also included is a wonderful fizz that exudes panache.  

Sancerre Rosé, Les Epsailles, 2014, Domain David Suatereau, £16.95, Berry Bros. & Rudd (bbr.com)
Think strawberry and raspberry flavours pervading your mouth. This is a delightful pale pink Loire rosé that is refreshing and flavoursome. Described by Berry Bros. & Rudd as a “Child of a superlative vintage”, it oozes class and elegance and lingers long on the palate. 

MIP* Made in Provence Classic Rosé Domaine Sainte Lucie, Côte de Provence, £11.95, Lea & Sandeman leaandsandeman.co.uk

This gorgeous pale pink gem conjures up the dreamy, languorous charms of warm, summer nights in Provence. Not only does it look pretty, this strawberry-kissed marvel, with just the right amount of crispness, slips down ever so easily.

Waitrose Viña Taboexa Albariño Rías Baixas, £7.99

This feisty white, from Spain’s Galicia region, is bursting with flavours of green apples and pears. A wonderful example of an albariño, an extremely popular grape in Spain that is noted for delivering a punch with its bracing acidity. This wine makes the perfect partner for seafood.

Essenheim Riesling, 2014, Kalkstein, Weingut Braunewell, £15.50, Lea & Sandeman leaandsandeman.co.uk

You may associate Germany with sweet white wines but this zippy, dry German riesling may convince you to give them another look. Drenched with peaches and lime with a hint of orangey tanginess, this stunning beauty tantalises your taste buds. Delicious.

Berry Bros. & Rudd Nero d’Avola, 2013, by Valdibella, £12.45, Berry Bros. & Rudd (bbr.com)
While you may think of reaching in the fridge for a bottle of cold white or rosé on a summer evening, this delightful own-label red from the esteemed wine merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd should have you hooked on chilled red wine. Made from the nero d’avola grape, renowned in Sicily, this is a beautifully scented cherry-red wine produced in stainless steel tanks. (They do not impart any marked flavours on the wine so it should stay more fresh and fruity.) This tannin-free silky creation is wickedly tempting. Works well with antipasti dishes.

Jean-Louis Denois Méthode Traditionelle Chardonnay-Pinot Noir Brut, £13.95 Lea & Sandeman leaandsandeman.co.uk

A wonderful alternative to champagne, this sparkler, made in the méthode traditionelle, has fine persistent bubbles. A combination of chardonnay and pinot noir which gives it that oomph, it is brimming with red berry aromas and hints of toast. An exceptional fizz at a keen price. It is so good that it would convince many connoisseurs of champagne that this is the real McCoy.  

By Daralyn Danns

 

Wines for summer

This summer why not ring the changes by comparing your favourite wines from different countries? Even better, crack open a few bottles and invite friends over for a comparative wine tasting. It is a fun way of spending an evening. 

Château. de Fonscolombe Cuvée Spéciale Rosé

If you like the wonderful gooseberry flavours of a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, ring the changes with Jean-Christophe Mandard’s Sauvignon de Touraine 2011 (£10.95, bbr.com) from the Loire in France.

“The mode is for making tutti-frutti touraine sauvignons to rival the Kiwis,” says David Berry Green, the Loire wine buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd. “Mandard has stuck to his roots to make this true, understated, fleshy cassis wine that stands out for its grounded authenticity. Very moreish – a mini-Sancerre – especially with summer lunches and salads.”

Being a fan of sauvignons, I was surprised how deliciously fruity and well-balanced this wine was. It goes well with fresh salmon. It is also much kinder on the pocket than a New Zealand sauvignon.

Fans of fine French red wines such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Crozes Hermitage made from syrah, should give an Australian shiraz a whirl. It is the same grape.

This 2009 Mt Hillary Shiraz from South Australia’s McLaren Vale, (£14.95, bbr.com,) according to the experts at Berry Bros & Rudd, proves that not all Aussie shiraz is an overpowering fruit bomb with a punch of vanilla-y  American oak. This elegant and complex wine is brimming with plums and blackberries fused with tangs of dark chocolate and a hint of liquorice.

Mirabeau Rosé 2012

On a hot, balmy summer’s evening there is nothing to beat a chilled glass of rosé. If you have been indulging in wines from the New World, then perhaps it is time to spoil yourself with one from France, after all the French produce some of the best.

One sip of Château. de Fonscolombe Cuvée Spéciale Rosé 2012 from Côteaux d’Aix en Provence,  (£9.75, bbr.com) conjures up memories of  relaxing summer evenings in the South of France. A melange of grenache, syrah and cinsault, this refreshing and delicious wine is laced with red-fruit flavours that tantalise the taste buds.

Another exquisite rosé is Mirabeau Rosé 2012 from Côtes de Provence, (£8.99, Waitrose). A zesty wine bursting with juicy strawberries, raspberries and cherries, it epitomises summer.

By Daralyn Danns