RAISE A GLASS

We have 70 reasons to raise a glass this week as the Platinum – yes, amazing – Platinum Jubilee is celebrated.

You may be reading this before, after, or during the celebrations marking the 70 years of the Queen’s reign. Whenever it may be, I hope you’ve been enjoying a right Royal tipple or two.

Drinks’ producers have definitely had the planning wheels in motion for quite some time now.

One of the most famous Provence rosé wines – Whispering Angel – has a jubilee edition available at £20 in Waitrose up until June 7. It’s a wine with its own place in wine culture.

The limited-edition bottles have the Jubilee Pageant logo on an embossed, platinum-shaded Whispering Angel label.

Another icon in the wine world is Moët & Chandon champagne; and it too is marking the jubilee.

The delicious brioche, toasty, apple-laden Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial has been released in a special Jubilee Edition, as declared on the front of the bottle.

It is made from the three allowed champagne grape varieties pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay and is available at Clos19. com (RRP £43).

English sparkling wines are delicious and a shoo-in for this occasion. How about Nyetimber, which was served on board the Queen’s Royal Barge during the Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

It has also released a special jubilee bottle to mark the occasion (RRP £37.50, nyetimber. com). It’s lovely, lovely wine.

An English wine such as Asda’s green-apple-crisp, sprightly Asquith Gardens Traditional English Sparkling Wine is very much worth the celebratory “cheers” factor. Especially as it is reduced from £18.99 to £9.99 until June 6.

Shout-outs also go to the appleladen Tesco English Sparkling Wine (£21) and the ever-reliable Wine Society and its crisp, zesty, moreish The Society’s Exhibition English Sparkling Wine (£24).

Or perhaps a celebratory gin takes your fancy? One making a triumphant jubilee bottle statement is Whitley Neill Jubilee Gin (RRP £26 at The Drop Store, Morrisons and other major supermarkets).

And the Whitley Neill team even suggests a Jubilee G&T could be this: Add 50ml of gin to a highball glass filled with ice. Top up with tonic water and garnish with a slice of fresh orange. Have fun.

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