Reims to Rathfinny, shandy with a twist and a giraffe called Gerald. JEMIMA NELSON mixes her drinks around the summer fires

LANSON

Founded in 1760, Lanson is one of the oldest champagne houses, with its roots firmly in France in the heart of Reims but enjoyed in more than 80 countries around the world.

Lanson is an official supplier to the British Royal Family and since 1977 has been the official champagne of the Wimbledon tennis championships. It also supplies champagne to Arsenal FC.

Lanson champagne pairs exceptionally well with fire food, and Robert Rand, managing director of Lanson International UK, recommends Le Blanc de Blancs to accompany grilled fish or shellfish.

“Lanson Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay. Its delicacy and finesse are enhanced by a very pure, mineral finish and by the freshness that is the hallmark of the Lanson style,” says Rand.

“As a gastronomic champagne, its ample texture and persistent finish will pair perfectly with fresh, minerally dishes. Grapes are blended from the best Crus from two very different regions, offering a unique balance to the wine, the Côte des Blancs producing fine and elegant grapes and the Montagne de Reims giving fleshy and rich grapes.”

Lanson recommends pairing with scallops carpaccio with lime and yuzu lemon, or a croque madame with Reims ham.

Another BBQ choice is Lanson’s Le Rosé, if you are looking for a champagne to go with a range of meats, be it chicken, pork, or especially lamb, served with a fresh, zesty dressing.

Both wines, says Rand, can also pair nicely with vegetarian dishes on the grill, such as courgette, cauliflower and squash.

“The subtle additions of red wines from emblematic Crus such as Bouzy and Les Riceys, the exclusive use of rosé reserve wines and the original vinification method, gives Le Rosé a unique pale, salmon colour and a fruitiness and a finesse.”

Le Rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier sourced from over 100 Crus. A pink salmon colour – and try it with salmon in a sesame crust – it has scents of raspberry, pomegranate and blood orange, while the notes on the palate are floral and fruity – strawberry, redcurrant and pomelo.

“With Wimbledon coming up, it goes without saying that Le Rosé also pairs delightfully with strawberries and cream.”

RATHFINNY

Recently B Corp certified, Rathfinny is the Sussex family-owned winery established in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Mark and Sarah Driver, dedicated to producing fine English sparkling wine.

Once a working farm, the Rathfinny wine estate near Alfriston in East Sussex planted its first vines in 2012. Over 10 years later, the vineyard on the South Downs now takes in more than 230 acres of primarily Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier grape varieties. All vintage wines, the Rathfinny portfolio comprises the 2018 Classic Cuvée, 2018 Blanc de Blancs, 2018 Blanc de Noirs and 2018 Rosé.

Alongside producing wine, Rathfinny attracts plenty of wine tourism, offering vineyard tours and wine tastings, as well as outdoor dining experiences, barbecues and indulgent feasts.

This summer, Rathfinny is hosting Dine in the Vines, celebrating seasonal produce from the land, sea, and gardens of Britain. The events provide feasting experiences on long tables within the vines, with wine flights and menus prepared by The Tasting Room chefs. Dine in the Vines includes a Celebration of Sussex Farmers Feast, a Lobster Feast and a Barbecue Feast, with meat cooked on Big Green Eggs.

“Our Sussex sparkling wines are super food-friendly and what better way to enjoy than at a gathering with friends and family for a barbecue. Our portfolio includes four different sparkling wines which can be accompanied throughout a meal,” says Rathfinny brand ambassador Abi Reid.

“You can start with Rathfinny Classic Cuvée 2018 with a vegetarian dish like a cauliflower steak cooked over coals with almond cream, white raisins, capers and wild garlic. Then move on to seafood with Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs 2018, or steak with Rathfinny Blanc de Noirs 2018. For dessert, it has to be Rathfinny Rosé 2018 with some influence of red English berries, which will really taste like summer in a glass.”

Reid says a sirloin of Sussex beef pairs beautifully with a Blanc de Noirs, or maybe try a Blanc de Blancs with barbecued Cornish lobster.

“The acidity in our sparkling wines helps to cut through rich and fatty dishes and the fruit-forward characteristics also add depth to meat and fish flavours.”

The Blanc de Noirs is a fruity style match for the umami sweet flavours from the likes of steamed barbecue pork buns, or crispy duck with hoisin sauce.

SHANDY SHACK

Shandy Shack, in the Cotswolds village of Bampton, was founded in 2018 by Ed Stapleton, Tom Stevens and Fred Gleadowe, three friends in their late-20s, to ‘enable moderation without compromise through a range of fun, delicious low-alcohol alternatives’.

“We are all active outgoing people, often finding ourselves hankering after a lighter option to high ABV beers. It was here the shandy revival started,” says Tom Stevens.

The trio toured UK festivals with a concept and a hand-built, pop-up bar and Shandy Shack is now available nationwide, including Sainsbury’s, and winning two Great Taste Awards along the way.

Stevens say the lighter option of shandy is ideal for long summer evenings in the garden, perfect to serve ice cold at a barbecue or with a picnic on the beach.

“Our IPA Shandy and Ginger Beer Shandy are brilliant companions to darker or spiced meats, such as pulled beef, peppered steak, jerk chicken and smoky burgers,” said Stevens.

“The lighter Elderflower Lager Top and Rhubarb Lager complement more delicate cuts like grilled chicken and salmon.”

Shandy Shack’s Elderflower Lager Top is a light, crisp pilsner topped with a splash of elderflower cordial – ‘summers on the village green’, while the IPA Shandy is a golden, hop-packed session drink, together with fresh lemonade. “Think afternoon beside the sea,” says Stevens.

The Rhubarb Lager is ‘the first long walk of spring’ while the Ginger Beer Shandy, a malty pale ale, ‘tastes like cosy nights by an open fire’.

THE UNCOMMON

Meet Gerald, Eleanor, Alfie and Peggy.

The Uncommon does what it says on the can, delivering English sparkling wine and botanical spritzers with delightful, playful, anthropomorphic branding.

The Uncommon, founded in 2018 by Henry Connell and Alex Thraves, uses only the finest varietals – Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay – and Bacchus grapes, England’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc, grown and hand-picked from vineyards in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, producing aromatic, sparkling wines that thrive in cans.

“The can format is not only better for the wines, keeping out air and light so they are fresher for longer, but also for the planet, with a carbon footprint 75% lighter than a traditional glass bottle,” says Connell, with The Uncommon now certified B Corp.

Recyclable, quick to chill and a single serve option, the Uncommon is a practical accompaniment to any al fresco dining, be it BBQ, beach, picnic, campsite, or back garden.

First up is Gerald, an English sparkling, dry and refreshing with notes of elderflower, green apple and freshly cut grass and to be opened alongside freshly shucked oysters.

Eleanor is a bubbly rose with strawberry notes to pair with smoked salmon. Alfie is a white wine spritzer with elderflower and cucumber botanical extracts and Peggy a rose wine spritzer, smelling of mint and jasmine.

Old friends Connell and Thraves quit their corporate jobs in New York and London respectively with ‘a dream of creating a modern, sustainable English wine brand’.

Connell left the world of property investment to retrain in viniculture, while Thraves used his design background to create the brand.

“Our ambition is to be the most sustainable wine brand in Europe, and the go-to for premium canned wine. We don’t just do what we do as a trend or fancy; we wholeheartedly believe that our format and small footprint has a part to play in the future of the wine industry,” says Thraves.