‘Summertime’ has got to be one of my favourite songs, so I felt I had to title one of my blogs with the famous lyrics, now that we are well on the way there! The year has finally turned in my opinion; things are looking good for us all in the UK right now. Shops are open, restaurants, pubs and bars are open outdoors and even though the English weather is never kind, I amongst many others have been able to sit outside with people and have a drink and/or meal.
As we start to look forward to the summer, I have had a look at the cellar and been pondering what is best for those warm summer evenings. Interestingly I have chosen to go with a Champagne, a Sablet Blanc and a Spanish Red from Castilla. These three all have very particular characteristics that I think go well with what we ‘Brits’ eat across the summer. So we will start with:
Champagne Bauget-Jouette Rose Brut
Full of charm - very feminine and fruity - elegant as an aperitif. Admittedly I am taking this straight from the tasting note on our website but I believe it is the best way to start on how to describe this gorgeous Champagne. Now you may be able to see why I have gone with this particular wine. A fantastic aperitif on a summer’s eve, you will not be disappointed with lovely notes of strawberries and cherries on the nose, with a hint of biscuit and vanilla in the mouth towards the finish. A stand-up bottle that will wow both yourself and your guests with how easy drinking and smooth it is. Now don’t panic, this is going to sound slightly crazy… BUT you can also drink this with dessert…! Stay with me on this and I will explain. Classic summery desserts such as fruit pavlova, lemon tart, trifle and strawberries with cream would go stunningly well with a rosé Champagne. The reason being is that the fizz will go very nicely with a lot of these fruits and having cream and meringue in the pavlova will just add an extra layer of deliciousness! Second Wine of the day is:
Domaine de Piaugier Sablet Blanc 2019
An extremely unique and atypical wine hailing from the Southern Rhone wine region in a small village called Sablet. This wine is unlike almost all white wines from the Southern Rhone in that it is aged in oak for 6-9 months before it is bottled. Only a handful of other Domaines from that area do this with their white wines (most notably Beaucastel). This wine has lovely exotic fruit flavours both on the nose and in the mouth, with the latter then showcasing lovely minerality and a well-rounded body. Perfect with fish and chicken dishes for your summer garden parties as well as easy day time drinking and any summer starters that you would wish to make for your guests. An all-round crowd-pleaser and a must have for this summer in my opinion. Third and final wine of today:
You’ve beautifully charred your steak on the outside, with the middle being perfectly medium-rare; your family looks at you with joy as you come to the table because you have successfully navigated one of the most important rituals in British summer history… the BBQ. As you start to load your plate with a variety of meat and potatoes, you realise that your beer that you were drinking whilst flipping steaks, sausages, and burgers like the God (or Goddess) that you are, has depleted and you now need a stronger, more powerful side kick to help you demolish the mountain of food that is sat in front of you… this is the one. Casalobos has a deep brick red colour with meaty notes immediately on the forefront of the nose, following on is leather, cooked fruits and even chocolate. It is a gorgeous barbecue wine and will impress your guests to no end. I highly recommend this wine to everyone when discussing red wines for a barbecue as this can be your centre piece of the table if you will.
As you can see I have kept this month short and sweet so I hope you have enjoyed the slightly easier read! I also hope that we all enjoy this summer as we are slowly allowed back to our normal lives. If you do ever have any questions or would like suggestions on wine and food pairing etc then please do head to the website and send me over an email and I will be more than happy to suggest and help where I can. I always enjoying giving wine for thought…
Harry Vernau