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Andy Baker uncorks bottled Europe
Taking a Euro jaunt and wondering what to sip while you sup? Wise up on the perfect tipples for at home and away, with Andy Baker
BARCELONA
If Gaudí is a good reason to see Barcelona, Capçanes is a great reason to taste it. This wine, produced just outside the city, is perfect for balmy evenings lingering over platters of cured meats and Manchego cheese. If you’re having a night on the town and can’t decide what to eat, go for tapas, aka ordering everything. Nibble on olives, fresh bread with tomato, and grilled tiger prawns. Celebrate summer with a Freixenet cava, one of Catalonia’s best-known exports.
Spain in su casa - Capçanes Cabrida 2000
Virgin Wines: ‘A hard wine to describe. We came across it at the end of a trying day tasting some pretty rustic Spanish reds, and it just blew us away. Pure power in a bottle, blessed by a winemaker with enough skill to keep it in balance.'
EDINBURGH
Get all fruity with Scottish raspberry wine. This fresh and juicy medium red is the perfect accompaniment to traditional haggis, and should get you in the mood for ceilidhing till the wee hours. If your tooth isn’t quite that sweet, try an oaked wine with a difference: Spring Oak Leaf wine is made (unsurprisingly) with spring oak leaves from the woods of Sidlaw Hills, north of Dundee.
Scottish takeaway - Dorrien Barossa Shiraz 2001
Virgin Wines: ‘You won't be surprised when we tell you that the Dorrien Barossa Shiraz is an intense spicy beast that can lock horns with the best of them, giving game and haggis a great peppery taste on the palette.’
HAMBURG
There’ll be plenty of meat on the menu in Hamburg, so an oaky red like a Spanish Rioja is an obvious choice. But don’t be shy of trying local varieties. A rich and luscious Riesling, known by many connoisseurs as a superior grape for its versatility and longevity, is also the perfect booze to complement your bratwurst.
Hamburg at home - Carrizal Rioja Reserva 1998
Virgin Wines: ‘What's so special about reserva wines? Well, in a nutshell, they've been hanging around in oak for longer than an OAP squirrel. This leaves the wine in an extra-nutty state, with lashings of the oaky taste that makes Rioja so delish in the first place.’
FLORENCE
Find a shady terrace and become acquainted with Italy’s most relaxed grape, the pinot grigio. Under the hot Tuscan sun, you’ll be after something cool and refreshing. Combine it with smoked salmon, and your tastebuds will be eternally grateful. Whether or not you succumb to a rich Tuscan pudding, a chilled vin santo will ensure maximum palette pleasure. Or if you want to stay true to your geography, a Chianti with your second course of red meat is a must.
Forever Florence - Piccolo Demonio Pinot Grigio 2003
Virgin Wines: ‘This little devil is exclusive to us, and made with native Italian grapes. In contrast to the output of some so-called winemakers who bundle goodness-knows-what in with their pinot grigio, this wine is 100 per cent PG, with all the creamy lemon fruit taste you'd expect. Deceptively pure and devilishly delicious, this is a wine for enjoying outdoors with rocket salad and grilled fish.’
MILAN
If you're a fan of pinot noir, limber up your lips with some local pinot nero, a local Lombardy region wine. With the vineyards on mountainous slopes, the pickers work harder than most to ensure that only the best wine graces your mouth; and it's also a lot cheaper than what its counterpart would cost in France. When you tire of perfect pizza, get back to basics with a classic risotto alla Milanese.
Open your door to Milan - Vallis Agri Pinot Grigio 2003
Virgin Wines: ‘If the vineyards where this great pinot grigio come from were much further north they’d be in Austria. As it is, the grapes benefit from the cool sunny climate of a breathtakingly scenic area carved out by glaciers. Enthusiastically fruity, with a hint of apples and pears, this is a frisky, refreshing wine for all kinds of poultry and fish.’
MONTE CARLO
You’re on the Riviera! Order lashings of champagne without asking how much it is. Or leave that to rich Eurotrash, and sample some cheap and cheerful Monégasque barbagiuan (vegetable pastries) and a bottle of Côte d’Azur rosé. If lady luck has been smiling on you in the casino, get even merrier and pay a visit to the Chocolaterie de Monaco (www.mchoc.com), a favourite of the royals. Round the evening off in style, toasting your new-won wealth with a glass of sweet red Banyuls.
Monaco chez vous - Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve Brut 1998
Virgin Wines: ‘There are bottles of bubbly and there is champagne. This is the real deal, with the full-on taste of nutty pears. It might just be us, but the bubbles in real champagne always look so much tinier than in other bubbly. These little guys tickle your nose like nobody's business, and leave you so giggly that you just know you've been pampered and champered by the genuine article.’
PARIS
Enjoy the Parisian lifestyle and watch the world go by as you relax in a café with a glass of Chablis. To get truly Gallic, match your wine wiith some escargots from the Burgundy region, known to be the tastiest little critters in France. If univalves aren’t your thing, play it safe with a traditional croque-monsieur and a bottle of dry chenin blanc.
You’ll always have Paris - JM Delacroix Chablis 2003
Virgin Wines: ‘Steely, flinty, crisp, dry and refreshing - there’s no mistaking the Chablis taste. This is one of the best we've tasted in ages, so crack it open, sit back and relax. It promises not to show you up at dinner parties.’
PRAGUE
Once you’ve got used to the beauty of the city of a thousand spires, get in touch with your boho-chic side and taste some wine from the Bohemian region, just north of Prague. While you’re at it, ditch the diet and enjoy traditional Czech cuisine: fruit-filled dumplings, sauerkraut, potato soup… all jam-packed with calorific goodness.
Czech up on your wine rack - Three Gables Shiraz 02/03
Virgin Wines: ‘A delicious bramble-fruit number, bought exclusively, where we managed to get the heads-up on the opposition. A South African wine that’s becoming more popular than the Australian shiraz, it’s great as a relaxing evening bottle to snuggle up by the fire with as you flick though your holiday snaps.’
ROME
After a busy day visiting the Vatican, getting a few wishes granted at the Trevi Fountain and, more importantly, shopping, you’ll need some good food and wine to revitalise you. Chow down on a solid Roman steak, while enjoying either some Montepulciano from the ancient Tuscan village of the same name, or a drop of sangiovese, made using a grape most famous for its use in Chianti.
When not in Rome - Tenute de Angelis Anghelos 2001
Virgin Wines: ‘A great big Italian master that would give Michelangelo’s David a rush of blood to the head. This powerful blend of Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Cabernet is a dark, rich spicy Goliath of a wine that smells slightly coconutty and won't take long to chisel its way into your heart. Give it a shot with steak, or beef lasagne and it'll bring you to your knees.’
VENICE
After you’ve spent a month’s wages on a gondola ride, you might need something to help put some fizz back into your holiday. How about trying some prosecco? It’s fresh, fruity and bursting with local flavours (it’s a speciality of the Veneto). If you want to drink like a Venetian, go for the local aperitivo and sip on a Spriz: Campari with dry white wine and soda.
Venice to go - Ombra Prosecco Frizzante NV
Virgin Wines: ‘Prosecco is a deliciously light sparkler with hints of grapefruit, that you can quite happily pop a strawberry in and enjoy on the lawns in summer. Ombra is Venetian dialect for shade, which is where the locals dip into on a work break to avoid the heat and cool off with a sneaky tipple, so if you fancy learning some Italian, treat yourself.’
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