August

It ’s been a pretty erratic summer to date and as it’s worn on, so we have hung our hope on later and later reprieves: the promise of an Indian summer is desperately sought. To be fair it hasn’t all been drizzle, they say that has been warmer than average, ultimately though it has been irritatingly unpredictable. A thankless task for the weatherman, but whatever the weather: one thing’s for certain, that come rain or shine many among us will be partaking of an outdoor seasonal feast or two, perhaps even a bbq!

Bbq’s are great, they happily reaffirm stereotypes: men turning meat and gleefully donning aprons, ladies tossing salad and laying the table. We can also feel contented by our quintessentially English refusal to bow to the weather’s vagaries: all mucking-in together in waterproofs, under a billowing gazebo, attempting desperately to draw solace from damp charcoal and charred sausages.

Planning and packing for our outdoor fiesta is of the utmost importance: we can often take too much or remember too little of what we really need, for me there are two essential props: the booze and the means to open said booze. Cans of lager obviously offer little obstacle to those lucky enough to possess opposable thumbs, for a classier tipple cork-closed wine bottles require a little more foresight. Screw-cap wines on the other hand offer the easy balance of convenience and sophistication.

End of the story you might say, sadly not; the screwcap debate is the most convoluted and contentious subject in the wine industry. The truth is that with everyday wine and everyday corks you can expect between 4 and 5 bottles in every hundred to be affected by cork failures, if the same was true of pints of milk there would be a national uproar. The manufactured precision of the stelvin closure may save us a few quid in the long run, but just like disposable bbq’s they are not recycled, they also create carbon in their manufacture. The existence of screwcaps may even jeopardise the maintenance of 2.7 million hectares of carbon reducing, European cork forests and the 63,000 jobs they support. Screwcaps better preserve the wine, but a wines ability to age and mellow under cork is very important also. And on it goes….

Honestly, aren’t there too many little things to remember? and so often it is the most important thing that is lost completely; the enjoyment. It is however easy to exercise our conscience at the same time as having fun. Why not have a quality, non disposable Bbq and rather than the meleé of miserable value meat opt for the finer, happier alternatives. Once the banquet is assembled; meat, veggie kebabs, salads and dips, the wine has to be fun, versatile and fruity. Rosé’s are crowd pleasers and always thirst quenching, with fruit a plenty and hopefully a dryness that offsets the food. My wine for the month is the Organic, Camino Los Robles Tempranillo Rosado, a great fun wine, with great structure and a snip at £4.59.