In the summertime when the weather is fine drink these wines…

Easter usually marks the beginning of spring and the point at which some wine drinkers veer from rich and wintery reds to lighter and slightly more delicate wines. Yet for some, the Easter weekend is likely to culminate in a family orientated Sunday lunch, which presents an ideal platform to showcase some delicious wines and some that don’t necessarily fall into the aforementioned category.

Sunday lunch is a rite of passage for the English. It is a meal and an occasion that we can collectively claim to have nailed. A momentary window amid our busy week set aside for communal revelry in family, friendship and food. The restorative powers of such moments should be treasured and more pertinently fuelled by a decent bottle of wine. 

The diversity and easy-drinking style of Merlot has made it one of the world’s most popular varietals, with this black grape - which made its first appearance on the Right Bank of the Dordogne in the early eighteenth century - proving particularly fashionable in the New World. Widely considered the red wine alternative to Chardonnay, Merlot increasingly plays a prominent role in blends with the more austere and aristocratic Cabernet Sauvignon. Early ripening with lush fruitiness, Merlot, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, thrives in damp, cooler climates like Saint-Émilion and Pomerol - two areas where this varietal’s greatest wines are associated. Dry summers and hotter climates can render the Merlot grape underdeveloped while its thinner skins are sensitive to frost but because it is much easier to ripen, yields tend to be higher. 

All your Christmas wine requirements are hopefully covered here, from which bottles to buy as presents, to wine gift vouchers, the best port and dessert wines and what wine to serve with your Christmas turkey on the big day itself…

Chardonnay is the dominate force in the white wines of eastern France, where it has resided, thrived and subsequently travelled far and wide since the Middle Ages. Easy to grow, hugely adaptable to blending and globally popular, Chardonnay is also a primary ingredient in Champagne - or the only ingredient in the case of a Blanc de Blancs - and it also produces Chablis and many other iconic white Burgundies.

Sauvignon Blanc is responsible for some of the world’s most popular, distinctive and dry white wines such as Sancerre and Pouilly- Fumé in France, and a plethora of superb Sauvignon Blancs from the New World, particularly in New Zealand. Frequently blended with Semillon, the Sauvignon Blanc grape will add a zesty, vibrant and often acidic verve to great dry and sweet white wines. Sharing some aromatic similarities to the great red wine grape varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, DNA fingerprinting in 1997 established that alongside Cabernet Franc, this humble grape native to Bordeaux was a parent of the aforementioned red grape. 

Often championed as the noblest black grape varietal, Syrah/Shiraz perpetually produces some of the finest red wines in the world and ones capable of ageing superbly over a period of decades. As one of France’s most ancient varieties, Syrah is responsible for some of the greatest reds in northern Rhone, where it is renowned in the wines of Hermitage, Cote-Rotie and Cornas. Shiraz, the Australian name for the Syrah grape, has been so successful it is commonly used on wine labels for Syrah grown all over southern Europe and occasionally inclusive of even the French Languedoc. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most widely grown red wine grape varieties in the world, thriving as it does in a diverse range of global climates and producing some of the greatest and most varied wines. Prior to the 1990s when Merlot rapidly rose to prominence, Cabernet Sauvignon was perhaps the most readily available premium red wine grape having originated from south-western France during the 17th Century. The grapes have thick skins and the vines are very resistant to rot and frost, hence the varietal’s capacity to travel well. Here is some information to hopefully enlighten you prior to purchasing Cabernet Sauvignon wines…

Wines made from Pinot Noir are amongst the most popular and widely championed by critics and consumers alike, yet this tantalisingly romantic grape is also one of the most temperamental varieties in the world. Here is a little bit of information to hopefully assist you in your efforts to buy Pinot Noir wine… 

There are a host of wine buyer guides across the web that often tell you what you should and shouldn’t be drinking – but how do these guides know what type of wine suits you and your palate? Sure, they are extremely helpful if you are seeking some enlightenment on wines you may never have heard of, but when it comes to parting with your hard-earned cash are you ready to take the plunge?

‘My Palate’ is a system that allows you to discover your own preferences, after all, wine is about exploration, enjoyment and understanding. Of course it wasn’t faultless at the start, but through rigorous testing, we think we have finally got there, so we found ourselves the perfect guinea pig to try it out…