There is something wonderful about this time of year, when fairly often the sun is shining. We make British, mock-rueful remarks to each other: ‘Yesterday was summer, I suppose!’ or ‘Well, if this is global warming, let’s have more!’ Sometimes we even have spells when we find it uncomfortably hot, days when there is no greater imaginable treat than getting home from work, sitting outside and pouring a glass of something cold and delicious.
And there are some delicious wines here from the admirable Adnams of Southwold. I’ve chosen several because they’re perfect for outdoor summer drinking, though I hope you’ll try them all. I’ve also popped in two more powerful wines for when you go inside to eat red meat, having decided you’ve had enough salmon, coronation chicken and potato salad for one year, thank you.
Alastair Marshall at Adnams has given us generous discounts. For example, The Doctor’s Riesling 2006 (1), from the Forrest Estate in Marlborough, New Zealand, is down by £1 a bottle to £7.99. It is perfect for hot days, being heady and full flavoured, yet crisp, dry and below 10 per cent in alcohol, which means you can enjoy binge-drinking without the embarrassment of being pissed. It is a lovely drop, and makes a terrific aperitif.
Australian Chardonnays tend to go up in plateaux — there are the OK ones, at around five or six quid, then you rise sharply to the very good ones, usually around a tenner. Alastair has taken £1.50 off the Juniper Crossing 2005 (2) bringing it down to just £7.99, and it’s terrific. Not surprisingly, it’s from Margaret River in Western Australia, a brilliant wine-making area. This is one of those wines that, when you’ve tried it (perhaps in the sample case) you’ll dash to order some more before it runs out.
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