Wine with Leslie: Wines to match your bank holiday barbecue meats
'I adore the Veneto region: the shimmering serenity of Lake Garda, the rolling hills. I even love the dank earthy smell of the Venice canals.' Picture: Casa Vinicola Sartori/Visit Veneto Wine with Leslie Veneto
An Italian friend from Verona has been staying with us for a couple of weeks and, as a result, I have been drinking lots and lots of wine from Veneto. To be fair, she has not turned her nose up at any of the wines I’ve offered, but there is a little light in her eyes that appears when the wine I put on the table is from Italy, and it seems to shine even brighter when that wine is from her own region.
I should emphasise that this has not been a hardship. I adore the Veneto region: the shimmering serenity of Lake Garda, the rolling hills, and yes of course I love Venice, I even love the dank earthy smell of the canals in the heat of summertime. These days too the quality of even entry-level Valpolicella and Bardolino is excellent — both wines that could be rather indifferent when I first began drinking wine in the 1990s.
Veneto Reds are made primarily from cherry and floral-scented Corvina and Corvinone with touches of Molinara and Rondinella added for colour and structure, and some international grapes occasionally entering into the mix for fun. If you see IGT Trevenezie or Rosso Veronese then there is probably some Merlot or Cabernet in the mix.
It’s too warm for Amarone so we stuck to bright juicy Bardolinos and Valpolicellas plus some equally delightful Bardolino ‘Chiaretto’ — a rosé which I think all importers should have on their list. There has been Soave and Lugana too but I’m sticking with red and rosé this week as I plan on lighting the barbecue this weekend, whatever the weather.
So the suggestions here are mainly from the Veneto region and will match your Bank Holiday barbecue meats. There is one exception in the form of a gorgeous Chianti Classico that needed a mention while we are still in summer.
I drank it earlier this year with a marinated and butterflied leg of lamb cooked on the barbecue until the skin was crispy and smoky but with the centre still pink. I had used lots of rosemary and thyme plus lemon juice, pepper, and olive oil and this Chianti was a perfect match — the lemon touches and the acidity in the wine were in harmony.
Having said that, I think all the reds here would have worked, especially the Ripasso but also the Bardolinos — and don’t forget that good Rosé matches almost everything.
Campagnola Bardolino Chiaretto Classico, Veneto, Italy — €11.95
Stockist: Forrestal Wines forrestal.ie
This is only available directly from Ron Forrestal (Limerick and Kenmare) and he also stocks the same producer’s Valpolicella and Amarone. Bardolino Chiaretto Rosé is always worth trying (watch also for Delabori Chiaretto) and this is a solid example. A blend of Corvina and Rondinella this has raspberry and red currant aromas (with a hint of Turkish Delight), and a lively, crisp, fruit-driven palate.
Stockist: O’Briens stores nationwide
This is reduced from €18.95 for the summer and is a blend of Corvina (50%) plus Trebbiano di Lugana, Syrah, and Carménère. The title refers to the brief skin contact the wine receives with Corvina grapes — hence its pale ‘gris’ pink colour. Strawberry and floral aromas, crisp and pleasingly refreshing but with a tiny hint of candy-floss-tinged red fruits on the finish.
Stockists: Mortons Galway, Connemara Hamper Clifden, The Grainey Scarriff, Little Green Grocer Kilkenny, marypawlewines.com
Fasoli Gino has appeared here before for their delicate fragrant Prosecco and their crisp and textured Soave. Grapes are hand-harvested and given a 15-day cold maceration — the wine pours a bright vibrant red with rose petal, strawberry, and cherry aromas — and lively supple and juicy fruits on the palate.
Stockists: Bradleys, Dinglewinecellar.ie, Wine Pair, Hole in the Wall, Gleesons Booterstown, Donnybrook Fair.
I tasted a few Zeni wines in recent weeks and I can also recommend their Bardolino Superiore and Classico (with no added sulfites), both of which are ripe and complex. A blend of 70% Corvina plus 15% each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with violet and ripe plum and cherry aromas: supple, soft, red and dark fruits and a pleasing juiciness.
Stockists: World Wide Wines, Deveneys Dundrum, Blackrock Cellar, French Paradox, McHughs, Michaels, Nectar Wines, Sweeneys, Thomas’s Foxrock, Saltwater Grocery Terenure.
Tedeschi is a long-established family firm and you will also find an Amarone and a Soave from some of the stockists above. This is big and ripe and best served a little cooler — concentrated, crunchy red fruits with pleasing complexity and depth, and bonus smoky touches that will match a barbecue.
Stockists: Bradleys Cork, Baggot St. Wines, Mitchell & Son, Green Man Wines, Neighbourhoodwine.ie Redmonds, Loose Cannon, StationToStationWine.ie
An outlier in the lineup this week but also a wine I’ve been meaning to mention for a couple of months so this week is as good as any. On the ‘natural’ side with soft sweet red fruit aromas, supple and concentrated with gorgeous layers of red fruits plus balancing acidity and concentration.
barrelclubmidletondistillery.com
Something different this week — a gift any whiskey lover would adore. Midleton Distillery has launched a subscription club limited to 500 members and exclusive to Irish residents (for now).
Club members first receive a welcome pack with a personalised bottle of Distillery Edition Jameson, plus tasting glasses and a journal. Every three months Barrel Club Members then receive a limited edition whiskey consignment including a 700ml bottle plus three 50ml samples themed and hand-picked by Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman.
Members also receive invites to virtual and in-person tastings and visits. The Distillery Edition has sweet vanilla and caramel aromas, a creamy smooth palate and a pleasing orange peel and spice finish. Move quickly as it is almost sold out.
