Top 10 wines in the UK press

David Williams recommends a “zesty summer white”, while Rose Murray Brown MW, picks out “an unusual Greek to spice up your picnic”.

Writing in The Scotsman, Brown recommends a number of wines that are ideal for picnics or “drinking outdoors in the heat.”

She tells her readers: “Whether it’s for a fishing trip, or a lazy day on the sand, the key is to choose fresh, vibrant, dry whites with high natural acidity to give you a lift. Forget anything heavily oaked, high in alcohol or low in acidity.

“To enjoy them at their best outdoors, chill them in advance in the fridge and pop them into “rapid ice” wine sleeves to take to the picnic. Alternatively wrap them in wet newspaper or find a running stream near your picnic – liquid cools faster in running water.”

Click through the following pages to find out more about which wines Brown, and other wine writers in the UK press, have recommended this week.

Finca Constancia 2010

This wine comes recommended by Terry Kirby in The Independent, as one to enjoy with a “midweek meal”. He wrote: “A wonderfully elegant and powerful wine from the Castile–La Mancha area of Spain, made from a blend of local grapes such as Graciano and Tempranillo and internationals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Complex and spicy, great for midweek steak or chicken in a Catalan romesco sauce.”

Cuvée Fleur Rosé 2012

This wine is Kirby’s “bargain basement” recommendation for this week. He wrote: “Bliss: this is what high summer is made for. A timeless, refreshing, cheap and cheerful Syrah-based rosé from the South of France that should, ideally, be glugged out of Duralex tumblers in a garden on sultry evenings and accompany picnics and barbecues or a proper fish soup with rouille and aioli.”

Tapada de Villar 2012

In the Sunday Telegraph, Susy Atkins featured Vinho Verde wines, and this was one of her recommendations. She wrote: “Green apples and tangerines burst out of this sunny, summery white, which makes a fine partner for barbecued seafood and fish (including sardines).”

2010 Stonier Pinot Noir

In the Daily Telegraph, Hamish Anderson featured wines that would work well with grouse, to mark the start of the shooting season last week. He wrote: “The perceived wisdom with grouse is to crack open your finest aged Pinot. Even with a young bird, barely hung (what you will get so soon after the Glorious Twelfth), I find the subtleties of older wine lost. Try this glorious mid-weight Pinot from Stonier, all bright-red fruits, perfume and a dusting of spice.”

Château Pigoudet La Chapelle Blanc, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence

This is the wine that David Williams described as a “zesty summer white” to his readers in The Observer. He wrote: “Sauvignon Blanc isn’t the first grape variety that springs to mind when I think of Provence. But it’s used to good effect here, sharing the blend 50-50 with the more local Vermentino. The result is a zesty summer white, where the green Sauvignon character comes out more as wild herb, along with white flowers, peaches and citron-pressé.

Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Tinto

Williams also picked out this wine, writing: “Portugal is second only to Italy for diversity of native varieties, and Baga, from the central region of Bairrada, is one of several now showing its potential. It can be rough, tough and rustic, but in the skilled hands of Luis Pato, this red is Pinot noir-like in its cherry-scented silkiness.”

2011 Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, Les Millères, Domaine Gardiés

This wine is recommended by Matthew Jukes in the Daily Mail. He wrote: “I used to slavishly follow this estate but then for some reason lost touch with it. I am thrilled that Oddbins now stocks this awesome cuvée. The class and richness of spicy, briary fruit is jaw-dropping. Make sure that you seek out a bottle – Les Millères is a stunner.

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Pic Saint Luop 2011

Olly Smith chose this as his “wine of the week” in the Mail on Sunday. He wrote: This meaty wine is brimming with powerful, dark flavour, boosted by a spicy crackle. Barbecued-steak banquets, step this way.

Robola 2012 Gentilini

This is the wine picked out by Rose Murray Brown in The Scotsman, as “an unusual Greek to spice up your picnic.”

She added: “A French entrepreneur first planted vines on this large Greek island in the 19th century, attracted by the rocky limestone soil and cool slopes of Mount Ainos – and the Gentilini family is continuing the tradition. The high quality Robola grape makes very spicy citric whites with spicy pear and almond notes, gripping acidity and a gentle spritz, which I found so refreshing quaffing on a hot summer’s evening.”

Picpoul de Pinet Prestige 2012 Domaine Guillaume Cabrol

This wine was also picked out by Brown, who wrote: “Otherwise known as the “lipstinger”, the Picpoul grape is ideal for summer quaffing with its extremely high vibrant acid balanced with a lightly creamy, leesy palate. Close your eyes and imagine you are sitting by the Med with a bowl of oysters.”