The Social Drinker

Perfect drinks for picnics

IF the last few summers are anything to go by, we will be enjoying a good deal of sunshine over the next two months. That means plenty of opportunity for picnics or just a spot of outdoor eating and drinking in our parks, countryside and at the beach.

Given that a picnic is generally an open-air, spontaneous, afternoon affair, it seems wise to buy any drinks now; then, you can just get straight out into the sunshine when it appears.

The first rule when it comes to food or drink and picnics is to bring provisions with you that have a strong taste that works well in the fresh air. This sometimes means chosing food or drink with a more powerful taste than you would normally favour. The other rule is to avoid the sort of heavy wines that knock you out for the rest of the day.

One variety of wine that generally fits the bill is the sort of refreshing German rieslings that generally have less than 10pc alcohol, and can often be found in Lidl and Aldi at excellent prices, as well as most other stockists. Rieslings are particularly suitable for salads and Asian food.

An excellent alternative is a bottle from the Vinho Verde area in northern Portugal, which produces hundreds of wines with a citrus quality — these are often but by no means always, made more refreshing by the addition of a light fizz; ideal for picnics.

A really memorable picnic should end with a fruit salad or strawberries, and a half-bottle of refreshing sweet white wine from the Sauternes region in France — or an effervescent Moscato d’Asti from Italy, which is a particularly good match for strawberries. Like riesling, the often forgotten Moscato d’Asti also has the added benefit of weighing in with low levels of alcohol.