Wine with Leslie: the perfect wines for a sizzling summer
Dunnes Stores have an organic sale on until July 6 with some great prices.
I rather hate the arrival of the Summer Solstice on June 21 every year as it means the days will be getting shorter from now on, but on the plus side it shakes me out of my complacency and encourages me to spend more time outside for the rest of June and July.
Selections this week are all wines I tasted in recent weeks and suited to summer drinking outside. Most are appearing here for the first time except the La Celia Malbec which I’m including for its suitability for barbecue food - the smoky dark fruits are perfect with a char-grilled steak. If red wine in Summer sounds too heavy simply do what I do and serve it a little chilled.
I’m featuring Château Minuty Rosé from Provence for the first time as it finally has some decent distribution in Ireland. The estate is on the Saint-Tropez peninsula in Provence and was founded in the reign of Louis Napoléon III in the mid-19th century. It has been in the Matton-Farnet family since 1936 who built its reputation and will continue to run it despite LVMH taking a majority stake in February this year.
LVMH have been investing a lot in Rosé in recent years having also taken a majority steak in Château d’Esclans of Whispering Angel fame and Château du Galoupet in 2019. Both Galoupet and Minuty are ranked as Provence Cru Classé wines.
In other news Dunnes Stores have an organic sale on until July 6 with some great prices. I feature the Huber Rosé from Austria below, their Grüner Veltliner is also in the sale (for €19) and their Pinot Noir (€14.40) - both are well worth trying. There are organic wines from Sicily, Australia (Yalumba) and some good European regions that tend not to feature in organic lists such as Châteauneuf du Pape and Rioja.
La Celia wines from Argentina are not new to this page - always fairly priced thanks to Spar, Mace and Londis low margins. La Celia have teamed up with the Curragh and are sponsoring two races at the Irish Oaks Weekend on July 22nd and 23rd - if you do make it to the Curragh do make sure to visit the La Celia Suite which is offering tastings and canapés.
This was added to the ‘Wines We Love’ range in Centra in time for summer (also watch for the Ocho Y Medio Malbec), and is a bit of a bargain. Strikingly pale pink, almost onion skin in colour, with citrus, red apple and a touch of floral raspberry on the nose - tangy citrus and zingy lemon acidity on the palate - crisp and dry.
La Celia are the oldest producer in the Uco Valley and one of the stars of the Spar/Mace/Londis range, punching well above their price point. Watch for La Celia at the Irish Oaks in The Curragh in July. Smoky black fruit aromas, ripe and fruity with some structure and layered complexity and lingering chocolate and black cherry.
From a blend of red grapes including Pinot Noir and Zweigelt grown at 380m above sea level. This does have a touch of residual sugar but has an equal amount of acidity for balance and tastes pleasingly dry. Light salmon pink colour, floral strawberry aromas with more strawberry fruits mixed with citrus freshness on the palate and a crisp apple skin finish.
From one of 18 Provence estates ranked as ‘Cru Classé’. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Rolle this pours a pretty pale pink with orange peel, citrus and red berry aromas - juicy and crisp with a mouth-watering salty tang, lively and expressive. Also watch for Minuty M (€24).
Sparkling Vouvray is not as widely available as it should be - a pity as it is the perfect summer fizz with more texture and fruit than most French Crémant. Made from 100% Chenin Blanc this has floral creamy croissant aromas, citrus and ripe apple with pristine acidity and lingering tart apple notes.
From a vineyard located at 1100m above sea level high in the Andes. Dark cherry aromas with a touch of red bell-pepper and mint, lively red and black fruits on the palate, pleasing freshness and a bit of crunch and character - serve cool for best results. Salentein Chardonnay is also excellent.
I was given a sample of this beer at bloom in a four-pack along with Big Bangin’ IPA, Coastal IPA and Lil’ Twist Grapefruit IPA - the 4-pack sells for €10 which is excellent value. All four are pleasing summer beers and three are sessionable. Big Bangin’ is 7.1% so perhaps better with food, Lil Twist is 3.8% and has a pleasing grapefruit tang while Coastal is a 5.2% and is tropical and fresh.
Hop Drops pours a very pale straw colour and has bright lemon (and citra hop) aromas, lively and fresh on the palate with underlying citrus and a touch of hop bitterness on the finish.
