Lucy Jackson's wine column | Summer wines and perfect food pairings

Vinho Verde simply translates as ‘green wine’ and usually has a lower-than-average alcohol by volume which is perfect as an easy drinking wine in the afternoon. At Wines by the Sea, we have a delicious new line of Vinho Verde in stock called Passatempo (£12.50 RRP) which is crisp, refreshing and packed with a lovely minerality – perfect with chicken summer salads and grilled fish dishes. Vinho Verde is becoming increasingly popular with some supermarkets now stocking this palate pleaser for under £10 a bottle.

Provence rosés from France have been the height of popularity in the wine world over recent summers and make an excellent tipple for those who prefer a light in colour but drier style wine with floral notes and summer berries. Most wine retailers will be overflowing with various brands of this style by now and the majority are very good. My advice would be, don’t judge a rosé by its colour as you could be missing out on some wonderfully dry but fuller flavoured wines by doing so, I recently sampled a delicious Corsican rosé which went down a little too easily. Sparkling rosés are also great wines for this time of year and are perfect for pairing with a variety of meals. Tinwood Estate in Chichester have just released their 2020 vintage sparkling rosé (£35 RRP) which uses the three grapes used in champagne production to create a beautiful bouquet of berry flavours and a lovely salmon-coloured sparkling wine which would go great with mushroom pasta dishes, prawn salads or even with strawberries and cream. Best of all it’s grown right here on the south coast, so you get to taste the best of what local wine production has to offer.

Let’s not forget about those summer reds as they have a place in the warmer weather too. Terre di Faiano Organic Nero d'Avola (Waitrose - £9.99 RRP) is a perfect full-bodied red, great for those mild summer nights. The grapes used to produce Nero d’Avola are grown on Italy’s southernmost island of Sicily, they are rich in colour and dark berry flavours but also have hints of spice and silky tannins. A great BBQ wine which will pair nicely with a ribs, beef burgers or kebabs.

Whichever colour of wine you chose this season, let’s hope the weather continues to be as lovely as it has been for the last couple of weeks and your glass is suitably topped up.

Lucy Jackson is Owner of Wines by the Sea. Call (023) 9229 3322 or email [email protected]