Il Padrino Grillo 2012, Sicily — €8.99

SUMMER 2014 remains as unpredictable as we have come to expect in Ireland so I will be hedging my bets with recommendations for summer drinking over the next few weeks.

For summertime you want freshness in your wine above all, particularly as we tend to eat lighter at this time of year regardless of the weather. Freshness comes from acidity but also from balance in a wine which can be found in oaked Bordeaux style blends as much as in light rosé.

O’Briens have a good summer rosé offer running until the end of August with any second bottle purchased costing half-price. These include the always excellent Chateau de Sours Bordeaux (€16.99) and the light but fragrant Chateau Riotar from Provence (€16.49). In all O’Brien’s have ten rosé on offer and most are worth trying, but I found the usually reliable l’Ostal Cazes Rosé (€14.99) a little light and unexciting this year. O’Briens have some new wines this month, including a Viognier from their excellent Uruguay producer Atlantico Sur — perhaps suitable for toasting some Suarez goals on June 19 when they play England. Also watch for the new vintages from the Insight range from New Zealand and good value Italian and Spanish reds.