20 Wines to Drink over the Easter Holidays
(Whatever the weather throws at us!)
While basking in the glorious Spring sunshine last week I decided to write a list of my favourite wines to sip in the sun this Easter. Clearly I was tempting fate because the moment I put finger to keyboard the temperatures plummeted and they started dusting off the snowploughs in Scotland. Undeterred I quickly started work on a list of warming and spicy reds to keep out the chill. So of course today the sun has come out here in Devon and temperatures have started to climb again! The only thing to do therefore was to combine the two into a master list to suit anything the British weather can throw at us:
Soaking up the sunshine? Here's my selection of 10 succulently refreshing wines to sit in the sun and sip (try saying that 3 times quickly!)
Il Follo 'Cuvee Rosato' Spumante Brut, Valdobbiadene, NV
Superior quality, fresh, lively Italian pink fizz. What could be more summery?
Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine la Croix Gratiot, Languedoc
Lovely lemony picnic wine - great with summer seafood!
Albarino 'Abadia de San Campio', Bodegas Terras Gauda, Galicia
Sherbety, intense and dry with a lovely rich mouthfeel.
Basa Blanco, Telmo Rodrigues, Rueda
Crisp, clean, refreshing and moutwateringly mineral.
'Les Cerisiers' Cote du Rhone Rose, Paul Boutinot
Soft and plump with a light touch of spice.
Villa Wolf Pinot Gris, Pfalz
Spicy, rich and honeyed. Delicious!
Pinot Grigio, Gregoris
What really good Italian Pinot Grigio can taste like!
Seresin Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Top Kiwi Sauvignon, and then some - outstanding!
Jean-Marc Brocard "Kimmeridgien" Bourgogne Chardonnay.
Made from grapes from younger vines growing in Chablis' famous Kimmeridgean soil - a mixture of limestone, clay and tiny fossilized oyster shells. Mouthwateringly flinty and guess what - fantastic with seafood! Only available from the shop at the moment.
Little J Zweigelt, Jurtschitsch
Unusual Austrian red. Light, fresh, soft and silky. Delicious lightly chilled.
Shivering in the snow? Warm yourself up with these rich and spicy delights!
Fiori Primitivo
Inky, fruity, ripe and spicy Puglian Zinfandel. Top value!
Soldiers Block Shiraz
A knockout McLaren Vale Shiraz. Big, jammy and incredibly pleasing. A LOT of wine for the money and a Gold medal winner to boot. Only available in the shop at the moment.
JVBILUM Pinot Nero Syrah, Sicily
An unusual blend, but it works brilliantly. Ripe cherries and spices and no oak aging.
Massaya Classic Red, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
Christmas in a glass.
Syrah 'Hacienda', Casa dell Valle
Northern Rhone meets Rioja!
Barbazul, Huerta De Albala, Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz
Top selling red, for a reason. It's a cracker - rich, intense but balanced.
Cairanne 'Cotes de Rhone Villages', Domaine de l'Ameillaud
Really lovely rich and plump Southern Rhone. 90 Points from Wine Spectator magazine.
Vacqueyras 'Cuvee Classique', Domaine le Couroulu
Big, dark and spicy - a Parker favourite.
Taberner, Huerta De Albala, Vino de la Tierra de Cadiz
Rich, dense, complex and beautifully balanced. Pure pleasure and my current favourite red at this price point.
John Duval 'Plexus'
Stunning is an overused word but here it's totally apt. Rich, multi layered but accessible.
Dominic
Red & White, The Wine Store, Kingsbridge
For more information about these wines, or to buy online click on the names above.
