Standing up to the smoke – wines to go with the barbecue

Fiona Taylor, of Christopher Piper Wines, discusses wine to go with the barbecue

Come the beginning of June, as twilight falls, our village turns into a modern day Indian reserve, with plumes of smoke rising up into the sky from each garden and a haze of tempting, sizzling barbecue meaty smells surround the houses.

At weekends we have been known to light the charcoal for bacon baps for breakfast (spot the alliteration you keen GCSE English examinees) and sit on the dewy outside bench, listen to the birds and watch the mist rise.

Or we wrap them in tinfoil and take them to the beach for a post-swim brunch.

However or whenever you cook over charcoal you need a wine that's going to stand up to the smoke, the herbs or marinade and the blackening of the meat (or fish).

My favourite at the moment is Passieno; an Italian red produced by the world famous Lamberti winery at Tenuta Preella, (less than 10 minutes drive from the shores of Lake Garda) but using grapes from the sun-drenched south of Italy. It's a beautifully smooth and velvety wine with a fresh acidity - perfect for sausages of all shapes, sizes and flavours.

Another red worth a try is Altivo Classic Malbec from Finca Eugenio Bustos in the Uco Valley, Argentina.

Made in a classic way using state of the art technology and with deliciously ripe plummy fruit, this won't set you back a fortune but you'll probably need more than one bottle - it's that drinkable.

A good white that sticks up for itself is Stablemate Chardonnay from Excelsior winery in Robertson, South Africa.

Bright lime green in colour with an aroma of peach, marmalade and orange blossom and flavours of green apple fruit and a full creamy palate.

This is a Chardonnay for everyday drinking and is only very lightly oaked.

Roc du Gouveneur Blanc is a slightly formidable white from Côtes du Roussillon.

It has an enticing fruity freshness, a floral bouquet and a surprisingly complex flavour (Macabeo/Grenache Blanc/Vermentino).

With food, this white really comes into it's own.

So light up those fires and discover the wines for the barbecue.

All of these wines are under £10 and available at Christopher Piper Wines, online or in their shop in Ottery St Mary.

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