Holiday wine made easy...

According to consumer research by a number of travel companies, over 45% of us are planning a holiday in the UK this summer, with the South-West of England sharing the top popularity spot with Scotland.  Hotel bookings are down, with more and more of us opting to go self-catering. The popularity of holiday cottages, camping and glamping is on the up, as we choose to enjoy our summers on native shores and rural escapes, regardless of the weather.

All well and good, but self-catering holidays take a bit of planning, whether you’re heading to the Cornish coastline, the Yorkshire Moors, or the Highlands. Apart from the obvious – tents, wellies, trekking boots, surf-boards - lots of us are packing up our cars with rations and staples for a week or two, especially if we’re heading to remote areas.  Local village shops are useful for a pint of milk, or a loaf of bread, but too many of us end up meandering along 10 miles of narrow, twisting lanes to find a decent supermarket, to stock up supplies to feed the family.

From a wine perspective, it’s even worse! After a long drive, and the general upheaval of unloading the car and settling in, it’s chill-out time, and there is little more needed than a relaxing glass of wine... except the nearest village shop is shut and the closest supermarket is 10 miles away.  It should be an unwritten rule that any packing checklist for a self-catering holiday would include ‘wine for arrival’, but somehow that gets overlooked… and even if you do have a shop close by, it’s a bit of a lottery as to whether you’ll find anything decent or not.

Step forward the Great Western Wine ‘Holiday Cottage Case’ an ingenious little idea, devised to take one extra layer of stress out of holiday planning.  Twelve bottles; holiday themed; to be picked up from the shop before you travel, if you happen to be local to Bath, or, even better, to be ordered and delivered to your home, or ideally, your holiday address. At £100 for the 12, that works out at a very reasonable £8.33 per bottle, for some very decent wines, so one thing less to worry about - wine sorted.

Summer holidays aren’t about serious wine, they’re about wine to enjoy, with family, with friends, and not take too seriously.  Wine is the support act, not the star, on these occasions.  Keep it fun, keep it light.  If you’re holidaying with friends, this is a great idea to get you through the first couple of days; if you’re having a family holiday and looking forward to relaxing once the kids have gone to bed, there’s a summery style wine in this mix, which will suit most moods, and will keep you in wine for the week.

So here’s the deal – 2 bottles of each wine, to suit pretty much every holiday occasion. Kick off the shoes and relax with the first sundowner of the holidays in the form of a refreshing glass of Le Stelle D’Italia Prosecco, served well chilled, either on its own, or as a cocktail base.  Fresh, fruity and gently crisp, it’s a friendly glass of bubbles to help take that first inch of stress out of the shoulders. Mix it with fresh orange, cranberry juice, or any manner of other juices to lighten and freshen.

Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2014 is a bit of a no-brainer in this holiday case.  From one of New Zealand’s most pioneering and award-winning wineries, this passion fruit and gooseberry-stashed white is mouthwateringly crisp, with a squeaky-clean lime juice zestiness.  It ticks all the boxes – flavoursome, lively, zesty, and above all, refreshing.  Really versatile, it works well with lunchtime salads, as an aperitif, and is perfect with a platter of the freshest local seafood, and garlic and chilli-spiced barbecued prawns. And if you can’t be bothered to cook, and fancy a take-away on the beach, it’s the perfect wine for good old fish and chips.  If you love this wine, and happen to be staying in Cornwall, you’ll also find it snuggled on the wine list of Nathan Outlaw’s restaurant.

There’s another, slightly richer and spicier white wine in this holiday mixed case, which would be perfect as an easy, evening barbecue white – The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2013.  Named after fossils found in the vineyards of Australian wine producer D’Arenberg, it’s a ripe, gently-spiced dry white, based on a Rhone blend of Viognier and Marsanne; bursting with warm, smooth, nectarine and peach-drenched flavours, it has a lovely fragrance of Mediterranean fruit and fresh ginger. Smooth and enticing, it has a richness of flavours, balanced with a delicious streak of citrusy acidity.  This is a great barbecue white, as it will cope with just about any spice, or herb-infused marinated fish or meat.

A sholiday wouldn’t be complete without a bottle of two of perfectly chilled Rosé – and nothing shrieks summer more than Cotes de Provence. La Vidaubanaise Cotes de Provence 2014 is one of my favourites, and in my mind, one of the best value Southern French pinks out there. It’s delicately pale in its gentle peachy hue, and is full of sunshine flavours of strawberries, raspberries and freshly-cut herbs, laced with a streak of lemon juice. Chill it right down, keep it on ice, then stash it in the cool-box for a summer picnic treat, or crack open a bottle after a day on the beach.  If you’re cooking tuna, prawns or salmon, this is spot on.  For Provence Rosé you want to be drinking the freshest 2014 vintage now, at its best, and this one does the job. If you run out of this one, and happen to be in Truro, head for the Rising Sun, and you’ll find lots more of it on ice!

Red wines are an important part of holiday drinking too, but lighter, fresher reds need to be the order of the day. There’s no better time in the year to drink Pinot Noir, as it’s soft, supple fruitiness and low tannins work perfectly with the summer trend.  Viña Leyda Pinot Noir Las Brisas 2012 is a great choice for holidays – chill it down to bring out the best juiciness of this wine, and serve with lunchtime platters of charcuterie and cheese. It’s exuberant and juicy, with beguiling scents of violets and raspberries, and is jam-packed with ripe cherry, and summer pudding berry fruits. Soft, velvety, and deliciously fresh. It would also work beautifully with oriental or Indian spiced barbecue chicken and lamb – again , served lightly chilled. This is a great Summer favourite at the Greenbank in Falmouth.

The final gem in this holiday case is the bright and youthful Vallobera Pago Malarina Rioja 2012 – Rioja is always a popular holiday favourite and extremely versatile. This one’s very modern in style, with far less oak ageing than traditional Rioja, which means that it keeps its freshness and vibrant fruitiness. Bursting with opulent, but soft strawberry and cherry fruit, it has hints of vanilla, and a smooth velvety style, which makes for the ultimate in relaxed evening drinking, with a slab of local cheese, or with steak, burgers, sausages and lamb.

My final tips? Invest in a couple of wine chiller sleeves, and stash them in the freezer as soon as you arrive at your destination. You can chill wines quickly in the freezer, but keep an eye on the clock and only do so for 15  minutes or so (never put sparkling wines in the freezer – it will only end in tears, shards of glass all over the ice cream and a horrible mess to clear).  Take a ball of string to the beach, or to that riverside picnic for emergencies – tie the string securely around the top of the bottle, and to an overhanging tree or rock, and let it cool in the river current, or the waves. Finally Summer wine drinking is all about fun – chill your reds; if you want to add ice cubes to white or Rose, that’s fine, it will dilute the wine slightly, but there’s nothing wrong in that; and yes, it’s absolutely fine to drink summer wines out of plastic glasses, plastic cups, or even paper cups if things get desperate. No rules. Summertime. Holidays. Enjoy.

By Angela Mount