Your Village Hordle April May 19

NOTES FROM THE SOLENT CELLAR
Seasons Change……..
Spring is one of our favourite times of
year, with the lighter evenings and new
exciting locally grown produce becoming
more available. Easter is on the horizon
and we look forward to catching up with
friends and family, and this turns our
minds towards what wines we will be
drinking and sharing over the next few
months. Most of our wine choices are
influenced by what we will be cooking or
eating, below is just a snap shot of what
we will be enjoying –
Spring Salads – Gruner Veltliner is a great
alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and
becoming increasingly popular with its
easy drinking style and versatile nature in
terms of food matching. It is a wine that
pairs to Asian flavours and also asparagus
which is notoriously hard to find a wine
match for. The white and pink grapefruit
notes in the wine mix with citrus running
through and it finishes with its signature
touch of white pepper.
with its lemon and lime notes plus its
trade mark acidity make for an enjoyable
match particularly if there is any spice in
the dish. The citrus notes in the wine also
act like a squeeze of lemon or lime on the
seafood.
Rhubarb – The relatively tart flavour of
rhubarb is often off-set by a nice sweet,
nutty crumble topping. We like to pair this
to a sweet Chenin such as a Coteau du
Layon or Sauternes. The sweetness of the
wine calms the acidity of the fruit and
pairs to the crumbly topping nicely!
New wines for Spring arriving in the shop
include the latest 2018 rosé vintages,
sparkling Petillant Naturels and some
fantastic Hampshire sparkling wines from
Cottonworth.
Lamb – It’s always a treat to have new
season lamb and it’s nice to pair up the
delicate, sweet, gamey flavours with a nice
red wine. We tend to choose a classic such
as Rioja. When the wine is delicately
oaked the juicy, fresh flavours along with a
touch of vanilla from the barrel ageing
make it an ideal match.
Squid – Dan from Coral Bay seafood on
Lymington market often has squid for sale
at this time of year. It is quick and easy to
cook and is delicious! Young, dry Riesling
If you need any help with your food and
wine matching this spring, pop into the
shop, or send us an email for more
bespoke advice!
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