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| A bucket. Of chips. |
I love a list. But I don’t have a bucket list. So I thought I’d write one for this summer. Not the usual climb-a-mountain-run-a-marathon kind of list though. Rather, a wine bucket list: 10 wines I aim to find and buy and drink over the summer. Here it is:
1. Alpine fresh, crisp whites from France’s Savoie region
2. Peachy Italian whites made from the Greco grape
3. Juicy, fruity Sicilian reds made from the Frapatto grape
4. Pale pink, gently fragrant, patio-friendly rose from Provence
5. Rich, spicy reds made from Californian Zinfandel
6. Light, frothy, raspberry-ish Lambrusco (the hipster’s drink du jour)
7. As much Pinot Noir from Central Otago in New Zealand as I can afford (it’s not cheap)
8. Rhone-a-like reds from the Saint Chinian region in the Languedoc, southern France (much cheaper)
9. Lively whites made from the Vermentino grape, wherever it pops up
10. Cremant from Jura or Limoux in France (basically, sparkling wine made in the same bottle-fermented way as Champagne but from different regions & grapes)
What’s on yours? I’d love to know. In the meantime, here’s two to kick us off:
Current white in the fridge: Cuvee l’Orangerie 2013, £10.95, Yapp.co.uk
Gorgeous, crisp white from a Savoie producer called Domaine de l’Idylle. Made from the Jacquère grape, it’s refreshingly light at just 11% abv. You could say it makes an idylle lunchtime wine. Ahahaha. The vineyards are in the foothills of the Alps and there’s something of the mountain air about the wine, for sure. Whatever, it shakes up the taste buds nicely. Just add olives.
Current red in the rack: Barbera D’Asti 2012, £8.49, M&S
I know this isn’t on the bucket list above but this one’s so lovely, I had to share. Brilliant Italian food-friendly red made from the Barbera grape grown in Italy’s northern Piedmont region. Think dark cherries, freshness and spice all wrapped up in a bear hug of alcohol (it’s 14.5%, you have been warned). This really needs food, especially good with butterflied leg of lamb it was too.
Peace out, winos x
Hi Helen,
What no Spanish on your list, how about….
Wines from Northern Spain including, the wonderful Godello grape, Dona Blanca, Bierzo (Mencia) and the lesser known Txakoli (pronounced Chock-oh-Lee) from the Basque region, high in minerality and acidity, relatively low in alcohol and slightly fizzy.
I sneaked a Spanish red in on the end, in the wine reccs…couldn't resist! Great reccs from you, Dave. Thank you!
Hmmm, the bucket list, looking to keep my eye out for a few sparkling reds for evenings, found a couple from Barbera and Freisa recently, probably take all summer to find another one!
Nice! Will see what I can find too…
Good grief woman – I am still trying to track down the Foncaussade Les Parcelles Rosé 2012 of which there is NONE ANYWHERE since you emptied the shelves.
Tsk.
LCM x
Gawd, sorry darl. I did drink quite a lot of it…
After talking with some good friends over dinner about wines to try (I shamelessly name dropped meeting you at BritMums again) they suggested I find a Chateau David as a woman in a supermarket (they can't remember which one) was loading her trolley up like a pandemic was coming. Are they pulling my leg? Surely it must be Chateau Dav-id rather than Dave-id.
They are coming to us soon for dinner at the beach hut and I would love to have Chateau Dave on the table. Have you heard of it? What sort of food would best go with this?
Thanks Big Time
Elinor
Beach Hut Cook
They no lie! Chateau David is in Sainsbury's, about £7 I think. Will work a treat with some steaks or sausages – beach hut barbecue! Have a super time x
That's a good idea – although I'm having a wine break at the moment having indulged in too much Rioja and tapas in Spain. But should the hot weather continye, I think I'll be going for nice light whites, and a bit of rose to cool off with
Sounds like a wonderful way to overindulge…hope you had a lovely time. Sounds like a plan.
Lovely list, let us know how you get on.
I will! But night off tonight, was the International Wine Challenge Dinner last night. Danced 'til 1. SO TIRED.
Pssst. I am really hoping to bump into you at Camp Bestival? I'll be there Saturday and Sunday, please tell me you'll be there too xx
Yes! Hooray! There on Fri & Sat, doing a wine tasting on Sat (only 50 places so book it in!)…can't wait to see you x