Wine Bar - Best of 2017 Published Mar 23, 2017 For the best selection of sips, where do you go to enjoy the best of the vine? 1. InVINtions, A Creative Winery Nominee for: Wine Bar, Wine Shop Nominee for: Bookstore, Wine Bar 3. Kingman Estates Winery Nominee for: Wine Bar 4. Lala's Wine Bar + Pizzeria Nominee for: Wine Bar, Pizza, Italian 5. Waters Edge Winery 6. Kates Wine Bar 7. Indulge Bistro & Wine Bar 8. Vinue Food & Wine Bar 10. The Village Cork 10. Sienna Wine Bar and Small Plates 14. Vines Wine Bar & Tapas 15. Caveau Wine Bar 16. The Blending Cellar 16. Trilogy Wine Bar 16. Bistro Al Vino Nominee for: Wine Bar, Romantic Restaurant 19. Ambli Gourmet Eatery and Wine Nominee for: Art Gallery, Wedding Venue, Wine Bar Nominee for: Wine Bar, Beer Selection BESO Tapas and Wine Bar Nominee for: Pizza, Wine Bar Nominee for: Wine BarFrom picnics to festivals to the trusty barbecue, we British treat outdoor eating and drinking as a seasonal competitive sport.

Climatic conditions are as carefully monitored as the going is by racehorse owners, with weather apps consulted and the chance of rain relayed to other al fresco planners on an hourly basis in the run-up to the event. Dry routes and wet routes will be mapped to take in different stopping points on walks. Barbecuers are expected to have the grit and indefatigability of a triathlete. It’s always good to pop a cork when celebrating the fact that you’ve actually managed to beat the weather and be outside The kit is also equal to that of a sport with Olympic status. The keen al fresco eater might have super-lightweight waterproofs, a barbecue he spends as much time tending as keen cyclists do reconditioning their bikes, a hamper with special straps to hold in the plates, waterproof rugs, cool bags, bottle carriers, Govino glasses, special plates… frankly it’s a miracle that anyone has the time, let alone energy, to think about the food or drink. This is one reason why I like to keep it simple when it comes to outdoor drinking.

The other is that casual wines are often better suited to the occasion. True, there are times when a special bottle and a particular spot create magic. food and wine best vegan recipesA bottle of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne that I had carried in my checked luggage to Bordeaux, and then drank on a sunlit balcony there was one such moment.cases of wine for sale uk But, unless you have a fridge or aircon to hand, warm weather can wreck even red wine – a friend complained that the bottle of Margaux he drank (not on his own, presumably) in his garden during the recent hot spell tasted mostly soupy. wine bar new york musicNot the expectation you have of a fine bordeaux. top 30 us wine companies 2014

Best bottles - or boxes So: good wines for outdoors? In the case of anything that requires carrying your stuff much farther than the distance between the car and the house, then wine in a box is a great plan: no corkscrew needed, there’s no heavy glass, and once you’re there you can pour a glass as and when without faff. best spanish white wine 2015As I wrote about wine boxes a few weeks ago, I’ve reprised my favourite in the recommendations.red wine glass gift box Light reds that can take a bit of chilling also work: think gamay, bright, berry-scented pinot noir or a cabernet francI like the incredibly pale, crisp freshness of rosé from Provence. Cheers Wine Merchants in Swansea, £12.75; The Bottle Bank in Falmouth, £12.90). I had some poured for me in a garden the other evening; an apparition of summer in a glass.

Rosé with bubbles is even better. My favourite sparkling rosé of the summer is one imported by Berry Bros & Rudd from Touraine but it sold out after appearing on this page. , £9.95) – another Loire sparkler, this one made with cabernet franc. It’s always good to pop a cork when celebrating the fact that you’ve actually managed to beat the weather and be outside. Champagne usually feels too heavy; I prefer to opt for lighter fizz such as prosecco, Crémant de Limoux or sparkling wine from the Loire. For reds, a simple, fruity wine is all you need. Light reds that can take a bit of chilling also work: think gamay (from the Loire, Beaujolais or the one from New Zealand), bright, berry-scented pinot noir or a cabernet franc. Conventional wisdom says that heavy and spicy wines are best at a barbecue. Big reds do work, but these light reds have a zest and lift that’s a pleasing contrast to charcoal-cooked food and spicy marinades. READ: The best picnic baskets As for whites, on a hot day I do like the scythe of a bone-dry white that tastes of citrus or grass;

but I’ll also unfashionably admit that I can’t resist a bit of sugar either. Drinking a white that’s just off-dry feels like biting into a ripe melon or peach, cool from the fridge, sweet from the sun. These are wines that also lift you on damp picnics when you wish you’d packed a Thermos of tea and the freezer blocks in the cool bag seem to be laughing at you. But, as I said, eating and drinking outdoors is a serious business, and you have to lose a few to know how good it is to win. Victoria Moore's favourite wines for al fresco feasts Palataia Pinot Grigio 2015Germany, 13.5% M&S, £10 A very moreish and refreshing white that smells like orange blossom and hard pear. It’s made by wild-haired Gerd Stepp, who worked at M&S before returning to his native Germany to make wines in the style he loved to buy – precise and crisp. The secret of this un-boring pinot grigio is that it contains a small amount of orange-scented pinot bianco. Finest* Bisol Prosecco NV Italy, 11.5% Tesco, £8

Feather-light and gently effervescent with the mildest suggestion of ripe pears, Finest* is one of the best supermarket proseccos around. Torres Viña Esmeralda 2015 Spain, 11% Telegraph Wine, £6.80 down from £8.50 until August 16; Majestic, £7.99 or £6.99 in a mixed six This quintessentially summery white is found in every other tapas bar in Barcelona, and made nearby from aromatic gewürztraminer and muscatel. It smells of fat, ripe grapes and honeysuckle. Lovely with hot prawns dripping with garlicky butter, or tapas. Reichsrat von Buhl Riesling Sekt brut 2013 Pfalz Germany, 12.5% Laithwaites, £18.99 If you’ve yet to try German bubbles then this classy bottle is a very good place to start: a sparkling riesling that is made in the same way as champagne and tastes of wild honey, lime zest, baked limes and apple strudel. We loved it with a chicken, garlic, soy sauce, ginger and chilli salad one sunny Saturday. St John Red 3l bag-in-box  France, 13.5% from St John restaurants and on their website, £31

Some Telegraph readers have already been enjoying this since I wrote about it earlier this year. The red is a cabernet sauvignon-syrah made in the Languedoc. I liked reader Simon Heape’s description: “Lovely generic but good, deep, fruity, French red, the kind that when you stopped by a traditional roadside café/restaurant in France (before they were microwaving all the dishes) you’d order vin du maison, get this and think: where can I buy it?” Kloof Street Rouge 2014 Swartland South Africa, 13.5% Oddbins, £13 A throaty, syrah-based Rhône blend from one of South Africa’s best producers, this contains tiny amounts of grenache, carignan, mourvèdre, tinta barroca and cinsault, all of which act like spice and seasoning – mulberries here, black pepper, liquorice and leather there. A gorgeous choice for barbecues. Tapada de Villar Vinho Verde 2015 Portugal, 10.5% M&S, £8.50 With its gentle spritz and breezy white peach -and-citrus vibe, this vinho verde is a great alternative to prosecco.

Summer in a bottle. Marieta Albariño 2014 Rias Baixas Spain, 11.5% Oddbins, £9.50 You’ll know albariño as the peachy grape from north-west Spain but bear with me while I explain why this wine is so unusual. It’s not entirely dry. It’s also almost effervescent and I’d drink it in place of prosecco, which has a similar level of sugar. I love the combination of marine salinity, peaches and sweetness. Also, Marieta has a screw-cap, making it perfect for picnics. Te Mata Gamay Noir 2015 Hawke’s Bay New Zealand, 13% Lancaster Wine Company, £12.99; SH Jones in Banbury, £16.99; The whole of New Zealand boasts just 7ha of gamay – the beaujolais grape – and when it’s this good you wonder why there isn’t more. An intensely juicy red wine, redolent of summer puddings, but with a savoury graphite edge, too. Enjoy it slightly chilled. Two Paddocks Picnic Pinot Noir 2014 Central Otago New Zealand, 13.5% Haynes, Hanson & Clark, £18.65/19.25 It seems churlish not to recommend a wine that is made with picnics in mind and happily this pinot noir from Central Otago is a good ‘un: styled for immediate drinking, all fresh red berries and roasted cherries with just a touch of old oak.