Latest news with #whitewine
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Our wine expert reveals the best white wines for summer, from £7
Unconventional though it may sound, I often crave white wines that remind me of a margarita cocktail – vibrant and bracingly fresh, with a stony salinity and citrus zing that conjure the sea. These are the ones I reach for in summer: brilliant as thirst-quenching apéritifs, spot-on with sun, salads, seafood and sunshine, and light enough to enjoy all afternoon. My fresh picks will whisk you from your garden to the ocean.
Irish Times
24-05-2025
- Irish Times
John Wilson: Loire white wines made for warm-weather drinking
As summer kicks in, I start to salivate for the fresh, light wines of the Loire Valley. The river Loire is the longest in France , more than 1,000km from start to finish. Vines flourish alongside a cornucopia of other fruit and vegetables. Recently I listened with envy to a friend who was about to head there by car and ferry to take in the fantastic castles, excellent local food and great wines. The Loire Valley is a fantastic source of white wines, with something to suit every taste, from racy aromatic sauvignon blanc and saline Muscadet to richer, complex, age-worthy chenin blanc. All, including the sweet wines, bring a lightness and freshness that seems to shout summer. There are red wines and rosés too, but today I focus on the whites. The Loire is the original home of sauvignon blanc and produces some of the finest examples, less exuberant than those from Marlborough, but every bit as good. The best-known names are Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Both are 100 per cent sauvignon, and these are some great wines, although better-value sauvignon can often be found in the nearby Quincy, Menetou-Salon, and the larger region of Touraine or the all-encompassing Val de Loire. I have always had a soft spot for Savennières, made from chenin blanc. It goes perfectly with poached salmon and hollandaise. Regulars will know that I am a big fan of Muscadet. Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine is superior to plain Muscadet. The best villages are entitled to use their own name, such as Clisson, Goulaine and Vallet. READ MORE Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2023 11.5%, €9.49 Subtle aromas with soft pear fruits and a rounded finish. With summer salads or by itself. From Lidl Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Les Corbillières Domaine Barbou Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Les Corbillières Domaine Barbou 12.5%, €17.25 Clean citrus with plenty of satisfying plump green fruits and a nice richness. A great all-purpose summer wine, with or without food. Try it with a goat's cheese salad or crab cakes. From Wines Direct, Mullingar, Athlone and Clos Joubert Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine sur lie 2023 Domaine Haut-Févrie Clos Joubert Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine sur lie 2023 Domaine Haut-Févrie 12%, €24.50 Fresh cool clean green fruits, with a touch of spice and a fine mineral edge. The classic combination would be oysters or mussels, but it would also go with most seafood and summer salads. From Delgany Cottage, Greystones; Lilith, D7; BaRossa, D4 Savennières Champ de la Hutte, Château de Chamboureau 2022, Chenin Blanc, Organic Savennières Champ de la Hutte, Château de Chamboureau 2022, Chenin Blanc, Organic 12.5%, €27 Cool crystalline fruits with a lively acidity and a touch of honey. A wine that grows on you with every sip. Try it with poached or grilled salmon, prawn salad or some asparagus. From Whelehans,
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Here comes summer: reasons to love riesling
I've been drinking a lot of riesling lately. There is, naturally, quite a bit of variety in a drinks writer's liquid diet, so to have the same thing twice in one week is a sure indication of a fascination developing, or of a habit forming. There's not much psychoanalysis required as to why that might be the case: the sun is out and, by the time this column comes out, it will (hopefully) be here to stay. And, for that, I simply must have a glass of white wine in my hand. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Or maybe I need to dig a bit deeper. Why riesling specifically? I like my riesling how all the other freaks do – namely when it tastes as little like wine as possible. When petrol and wax abound on the nose. And with an acidity that slaps you round the face a little, as well as generous fruit that soothes. Riesling is a wine that feels like a meal. And, just maybe, after a haggard winter marked by comforting reds and weighted blankets, I'm in the mood to be challenged and excited again. It's because of these peculiar, acquired-taste notes that riesling is so often a grape for the wine nerds, yes, but that's also why I'm so pleased it's so easy to pick up in supermarkets and wine shops alike. The kinds of riesling you'll most likely find in the supermarket are German and dry, though there is also plenty to discover from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Alsace. They tend to be labelled by variety only, however, so if you want to be sure of the sweetness levels, make sure you check the label to know what to expect. In the wine classification of prädikatswein, the lightest dry German rieslings are described as kabinett-style: that is, bright and with low residual sugar. These are usually appley, sprightly things that you can drink without overthinking, and are the sort of riesling to serve to someone who needs convincing, or who doesn't think a nose pull of petrol is the most pleasurable thing on Earth. Yet. Moving up the scale, we have spätlese (literally, 'late harvest'), for which the grapes are picked at least a week after the regular harvest, so have more time to ripen and have a higher sugar content. They also tend to be fleshier, and are certainly the least intense of the sweeter rieslings. You may also come across riesling marked auslese, meaning selected harvest wines that can be even riper than spätlese, but not always. Sweeter, off-dry riesling (wherever it's from) is the firm foil to the supposition that sweetness = poor quality. These wines can be intriguing, poised, and the best are kept in check with a fine acidity. Confront yourself. Embrace the sweetness. Dr L Grey Slate Riesling £10 Waitrose, 10.5%. Named after the Mosel's terrain, this is clean, crisp and mineral. Moselland Riesling Spätlese 2023 £11.40 Tanners Wine Merchants, 14%. A little fuller, and made from late-harvested grapes. Like fruit dipped in honey. Tin Shed Wild Bunch Riesling 2023 £24 Good Wine Good People, 12.4%. A great year for Australia's Eden Valley riesling, and this one's bright and vivacious. Mont Gras Handcrafted Bío Bío Riesling 2020 £13.50 The Wine Society, 13%. A Chilean sweet riesling for aromatic dishes.
Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
‘Motherhood is all-out f***ing war'
In a rented bungalow at the Chateau Marmont, a party is in full swing. It is a late afternoon in August 2018 and the gates to the property are tied with big balloons. Inside, tables are strewn with crayons, paper and cigarettes. The guests, briefed beforehand with invites that read 'No gifts, unless it's drugs', have duly complied. Their host, Sarah Hoover, is wearing a bum-skimming dress embroidered with red mouths smoking cigarettes and she has been sloshing white wine into her glass since noon. The crayons and primary-coloured balloons are a nod to the party's theme. This is a post-baby shower Hollywood style. Hoover's ten-month-old son, Guy, is passed from lap to lap as appetisers and bottles of vodka and tequila do the rounds,
