RAISE A GLASS

OK. Here’s my latest lockdown life report. I realise its difficult to get out and about as much as we did so there’s not much point me saying “Buy this! Buy that! Go there! Go here!”

But, by sharing some of things I’ve been sipping, I hope it inspires you to keep calm and carry on. And if you can get hold of any of the wines I mention here then that can only be a good thing.

Along with the rest of the world, I’m spending much of my time on Zoom. I’m videochatting about wine and, occasionally, I’m sipping it ,with the people who create it. Which is exactly what I did with Philip Cox – a Brit and co-owner of Romanian winery Cramele Recas.

The winery – the biggest in

Romania by volume and turnover – is behind some very pricefriendly wines here in the UK. Philip explains: “We try to make all our wines over deliver quality at all price levels. We treat all the grapes with much care and attention.

“Romania isn’t a famous country and we have to over deliver to get anyone to buy it.

“That’s a good philosophy to have in good times and bad times. People eventually see there’s good

value for money in our wine.”

And so here’s a handful of them. Arriving soon into Waitrose is Sorcova Pinot Grigio 2019 and it’s so new I can’t even tell you what the price will be, but I can tell you that when it arrives it will fill your glass with honeysuckle, grapefruit, lemon and pears.

If you like sauvignon blanc, I bet you’ll like this.

Atlas Feteasca Regala 2019 (Asda, £5.25) is aromatic and sprightly. It is lemony and peachy with a tiny bit of spice.

One of Cramele’s success stories is Incanta Pinot Noir 2019 (£7.99, or £5.99 in a buy-six deal at Majestic). Black fruits and raspberries are supported by herbal and savoury notes. It’s great value for a pinot. Selene Feteasca Neagra 2018 (online at Tanners Wines, £16.50) is dusky, with damson, cherries, blackcurrants and subtle violets. It’s a delight with a steak (I know this first hand!).

Elsewhere…. I cooked a shepherd’s pie and sipped it with a new kid on the block, Elegant Frog Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon (£8, Sainsbury).

The red is a blend of malbec and cabernet sauvignon, with the malbec just taking the upper hand in percentage terms. I cooked comfort food and took additional comfort from the wine.

It’s ruby red, with heaps of black fruit, and a gentle shiver of spice from some ageing in American oak.

FINALLY, I’ve continued to make lockdown cocktails using what I have to hand. This one is the simplest so far: A gimlet – 60ml of gin and 15ml of lime juice. I’d been inspired by an Instagram post I saw and used 15ml of Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial.

That was it. I shook it well in my cocktail maker, with ice, and then strained into a glass with a couple of cubes of ice. Very tasty indeed. Remember – if you don’t have a cocktail maker you can just as easily use a jam jar (oh, and I use my old tea strainer). Stay safe and healthy.

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