RAISE A GLASS

My thoughts are turning to Easter. The year’s milestones are coming around oh-so quickly. Where does the time go?

I would be very happy if this English red wine appeared on my Easter dining table.

Denbies Pinot Noir 2018 (£24.95, online at Denbies and £22.50 online at hawkinsbros. co.uk) is a ruby red wine. The wine’s fragile, delicate colour is practically translucent.

Ah, but don’t be fooled by this elegant lightness. The wine is fruitladen with raspberry and cherry. The wine was aged in oak, bringing in touches of vanilla and a hint of spice.

It’s one of the tastiest English reds I’ve sipped in a long time.

I’ll stay on the subject of homegrown wines.

A social media challenge is to take place on Easter Saturday in aid of The Drinks Trust and Hospitality Action.

Wine lovers are being encouraged to raise a glass of English or Welsh wine and share a photo, between 7pm and 8pm, using the hashtag #Bigenglishwineeaster. Wineries involved will be donating a percentage of their profits to the charities. There’s more details online at greatbritishwine.com. Maybe you’d like to raise a glass of English white wine.

If so, it would be a pleasure to do so with The Society’s English White 2020 (£8.50, The Wine Society).

The wine is made for the society by renowned English producers Three Choirs under the watchful eye of award-winning winemaker Martin Fowke. It’s a wine which cries out to be sipped in a springtime garden. It has pronounced aromas of gooseberry, green apples, zesty lemon and a springtime hedgerow. Gooseberry and apple are palate partners, together with a vibrant acidity. I love it.

I’ll turn more thoughts to Easter. I love a dessert wine to sip with any sweet dessert and especially chocolate. One of my favourites is this one, and it’s always great value. Tesco Finest Dessert Semillon is £6 for 37.5cl.

That means you’re not paying a fortune if you’re nervous about trying a sweet wine for the first time.

(A tip on sweet foods is to pair them with a wine which is as sweet, or sweeter, than the morsel on the plate.)

This Australian wine has notes of peach and apricots with a refreshing citrus zest and acidity. That means there aren’t cloying sweet overtones and the flavours are in balance with the sweetness and the acidity.

Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.