We’ve invited Ben Franks FRSA, from Bath-based Novel Wines, to offer his expert advice to suggest a few treats for mum and dads over the weeks ahead. After all, we grown-ups need a little me time too…
As we start to emerge from months of lockdown, it’s one of life’s little pleasures to pop open a bottle of wine as we reunite with friends and family. It reminds us that wine always tastes better in good company.
When the sun was shining and a few of my friends braved a barbecue (it is England, after all), I took along a bottle of our brand-new Pizzato ‘Fausto’ Tannat (£14.99, Novel Wines), a deep and full-bodied red wine from Brazil. Most of the people I know opt for a spicy rich Shiraz with a barbecue, but I find this can often overpower the food, especially if you’re drinking it with grilled veg or smoked slices of halloumi. The Tannat is leaner but still packed with character. Ripened under long sunshine hours in Dois Lajeados, the Fausto is full of pepper, blueberries, hints of caramel and vanilla spice.
Of course, barbecues aren’t just the realm of red wines – it’s also where a great rose can shine, too. We do some amazing rosé wines locally because the west country is full of clay soils, which help with water retention at the roots of the vines, resulting in juicy grapes. This means English wines like Aldwick Estate Mary’s Rose (£13.49, Novel Wines) and Dunleavy English Pinot Noir Rosé (£15.99, Novel Wines) are plush with summer berries and zippy lemon citrus. Perfect for cutting through the salts and fats on barbecue meats or complementing the veggie options.
Should the weather do the typically British thing of pouring for days and you’re stuck indoors, you can still liven up the everyday by opting for a wine that’s just a little bit different. Simple pasta dishes with a tomato sauce are home favourites, but they sing when paired with a plummy easy-drinking Sicilian red wine like Colomba Bianca’s organic Nero d’Avola (£9.99, Novel Wines).
One of the best summer food and ‘wine’ pairings I ever experienced was at The Bath Priory. The sommelier was a lady called Francesca Martusciello and she paired poached salmon with a pale ale that had been frozen and then crushed, like a slush puppy. It was so refreshing! I’ve since recreated it, but instead of a pale ale I’ve gone with a glass of iced Brannland Pernilla Perle Cider (£6.99, Novel Wines), coming from the sub zero orchards of northern Sweden. This cider, the brainchild of cidermaker Andreas Sundgren, is 100% pure pressed apples and I’m sure it would turn anyone into a cider fan.
For those readers who don’t like wine or cider, my spirit of the month is Burning Barn Honey & Rum Liqueur (£29, Novel Wines). I have been looking for a sipping rum that doesn’t break the bank for a while now – don’t get me wrong, some of the premium top flight rums are stunning but I really wanted to have something great at an accessible price. This rum liqueur is exactly that; smooth and sweet nectar over smoked applewood, vanilla and milk chocolate. Serve it neat with a cube of ice!
A Little Novel News
- Wine, cider and spirits tasting events have started up at Novel Wines’ shop on Cork Place in Bath again. Their first event back centred on the new range of Mexican and Brazilian wines, while a tasting on English fizz is/was held on 4 September. See their latest events online here [add link https://www.novelwines.co.uk/collections/our-events]