Vinya Carles Priorat Crianza, Spain 2012 (£5.79, Lidl)
Even if the sun doesn’t come out next weekend, the air will be filled with the smoke of thousands of hopeful barbecues, not least in Notting Hill, where the sweet spices of jerk chicken seasoning mingle with the charcoal to provide the smell of carnival. Red Stripe may be the classic partner for that great Caribbean dish, but red wine will do just as well – so long as it’s as robust, smoky and spicy as the food itself. A couple of recent additions to Lidl’s ever-changing range will work: Les Terrasses des Dentelles Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret 2014 (£6.49) is warming and peppery; the more rugged, chewier Catalan Vinya Carles blend, with its wild brambly fruit, is great with any meaty dish, barbecued or otherwise.
Mission Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah, New Zealand 2014 (£10.95, The Wine Society)
Syrah or shiraz – the grape is the same, but the style of wine tends to be very different. When it comes to barbecues, the more sinewy, fresher wines labelled syrah would be my choice for straightforwardly seasoned white meat and sausages. For red meat, try wines such as the beautifully perfumed, red-and-blackberry-fruited succulence of Mission Estate’s example from New Zealand’s North Island red-wine region. For darker meat and sweet and/or spicy marinades, the richer, bolder, sweeter fruit of a classic Aussie shiraz such as McGuigan Family Reserve Shiraz, south-eastern Australia 2015 (£8.99, Waitrose), is a plump and satisfying foil.
Mission Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah, New Zealand 2014 (£10.95, The Wine Society)
Syrah or shiraz – the grape is the same, but the style of wine tends to be very different. When it comes to barbecues, the more sinewy, fresher wines labelled syrah would be my choice for straightforwardly seasoned white meat and sausages. For red meat, try wines such as the beautifully perfumed, red-and-blackberry-fruited succulence of Mission Estate’s example from New Zealand’s North Island red-wine region. For darker meat and sweet and/or spicy marinades, the richer, bolder, sweeter fruit of a classic Aussie shiraz such as McGuigan Family Reserve Shiraz, south-eastern Australia 2015 (£8.99, Waitrose), is a plump and satisfying foil.
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