They’re eaten when the weather’s hot when people are stumbling around in a fragrance-filled dusty garden
Posted in General on 28. Aug, 2010
They’re eaten when the weather’s hot, when people are stumbling around in a fragrance-filled, dusty garden. If you’re unlucky, the flavours of the wine have to contend not only with your smoke but with the neighbours’ as well.But does the choice of barbecue libation ever take these extraneous distractions into account? Rarely. It’s either a beer (no bad thing), or a chilled glass of some nice refreshing white, or a similarly frosty flask of rose. Actually, I have a theory about the popularity of rose as a barbecue wine. Everyone secretly agrees with me that you need a fairly substantial swallow in these circumstances But they’re afraid to admit it. So they compromise with rose, which is neither the shamefully longed-for red nor the secretly despised white.So, where is this taking us? It’s taking us in the direction of unseasonably big, powerful reds.
For instance, of Faustino V Reserva 1996, a deliciously smoky and not too gut-crunchingly expensive Rioja from Safeway (pounds 8.99). And of Julio’s Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 (£12.49), which shows what good stuff the huge Gallo organisation can make from good Sonoma county grapes treated with individual love and respect. This is a serious California Cabernet, meaning not just seriously hefty but balanced and enjoyable to drink. And of Barbera d’Alba Fontanelle, Ascheri, 1999 ((£7.99, selected Sainsbury’s), which is tart on nose, lush on palate, and with a vibrant tannic trill that will let it sing right through the carbonised crust on any chicken leg.Are you far-sighted enough to think about a superior barbecue circa 2005? Then ring round Waitrose for one of its August specials, Calera Pinot Noir 1997, the entry-level and deeply wonderful Pinot from one of California’s finest exponents of this grape (pounds 13.99, down from pounds 16.49). Or try La Vigneronne in London, which has a stunning Lirac, Domaine La Rocaliere Cuvee Prestige Mourvedre 1998, reduced from pounds 119 to pounds 83, and a very classy Cotes du Rhone, Domaine des Espiers 1998, at pounds 50 from pounds 71.40.But the final commandment bids me end at Sainsbury’s and Majestic, which both have a few curiosity wines that are much more than mere curiosities. When you think about it, Tunisia should make some great wines in the cooler, maritime regions.
That they don’t is an accident of history and religion, but the vines are there. And at Majestic they have yielded a really impressive bottle called Selian Carignan 1999, from an area officially denominated the Coteaux de Tebourba (£6.99 or £6.49 if you buy two). This has bite and succulence combined, and I love it even more than I love Sainsbury’s Tunisian, Accademia del Sole Carignan 1999 (£5.49), which is a good example of the grape, though lacking the depth and roundness of Majestic’s wine But both are good indicators of excellent things to come I commend them to the house, and to the backyard.. A fourth case of typhoid fever was confirmed yesterday in a south Wales town, where an investigation has begun into the first outbreak of the disease in the UK for almost 10 years. A fourth case of typhoid fever was confirmed yesterday in a south Wales town, where an investigation has begun into the first outbreak of the disease in the UK for almost 10 years.
Three teenagers from Newport, south Wales, are already being treated in hospital for typhoid and the latest case, a child, was admitted yesterday.Health officials believe that the cases are possibly linked and have been investigating since the outbreak was first confirmed on Tuesday.The diagnosis on the child, who has not been identified, comes just days after a shop in Newport closed voluntarily when a possible link emerged between the three teenage victims and the outlet, Sam’s Kebab.A spokeswoman for Newport County Borough Council said: “A fourth case of typhoid fever has been confirmed. The child is being treated in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.”. Spiralling costs of “back-door privatisation” could leave taxpayers contributing up to £24 for every £1 earmarked for lucrative private-sector contracts to run services for British hospitals.