RAISE A GLASS
My family and friends are giddy at the prospect of meeting up again soon. Our first steps towards togetherness will be in the outside world. In the fresh air, in the spring sunshine (fingers crossed on that one).
I’m sure you’ll be feeling giddy too. How about a sip of something to enjoy the moment? Wines in a can are perfect travelling companions if you’re walking to an outdoor meeting place; they’re lightweight.
They’re more eco-friendly than bottles and very sensible when it comes to watching how much wine you drink.
The cans’ brand Nice, left, (£2.65 each) are available in sauvignon blanc, a malbec from Argentina and a pale rosé style.
The rosé is a baby blush pink with notes of rosehips, lemon and strawberry and a zesty finish. The malbec is ruby red with aromas of dark plums and blackberries, with a nod to a fresh breeze. It tastes fruity and spicy and is perfectly sippable. Find them at Sainsbury’s and Amazon - oh, they’re vegan too.
Pablo Y Walter (£3.69, online at ndjohn.co.uk) is another malbec in a can. I enjoyed the wine’s black fruit juiciness with a good fleck of spice.
Hun Wine (£2.50, Tesco, Amazon and hunwines.com) has a vegan rosé in its range. The pink colour tends towards pale salmon. The wine hails from South Africa and the aroma pops with grapefruit, green apples and red fruits. It tastes of grapefruit and has a zesty finish.
Also in my glass … Tesco Finest Falanghina, right, (RRP £9) is a refreshing springtime Italian white. It is ripe with stone fruit, with breezes of honey-suckle and citrus. The wine has some body and creaminess on the palate from a little lees aging. Try it with a simple roast chicken or maybe a Good Friday fish dish. Yes – it’s a wine to tuck behind your ear for Easter. As is this red wine, which I enjoyed with roast beef. Viña Leyda Reserva Syrah 2019, left, is new at the Co-op (reduced from £10 to £8 until April 6). The wine delivers black plums and spice. It also speaks of an ethereal herbal note from grapes which grow in the cool coastal climate of Chile. It’s not a punchy syrah, but an elegant one.