Tasting Terroir: Wakefield ‘Jaraman’ Chardonnay

They say the more you know about a subject, the more you enjoy it and nowhere is this more true than with the wonderful world of wine. Understanding what makes a Chardonnay (for example), from one region of a country different to one from another is not just the key to finding  - and remembering - your favourite styles of wine; it is the thing that turns wine drinkers into wine lovers. Chardonnay is never just Chardonnay. Cabernet is never just Cabernet. The exact combination of natural elements in the vineyards where the grapes were grown such as soil type, topography and climate, will add a unique characteristic to the final wine, be it in aroma, flavour, texture or all three. The word that sums up all these unique elements is ‘terroir’; a word that once understood, opens up a world of delight to anyone who enjoys wine as they explore grapes and bottles from all over the world. 

Wakefield Wines and their terroir

Australia is well known for its wine making prowess with numerous, diverse wine regions, each with its own distinctive style thanks to its unique terroir. One family-owned, Australian wine producer called Wakefield, has long understood the importance of this and have created a range that showcases the distinctive characteristics of some of Australia’s iconic wine regions using the grapes that region is well known for. This is their Jaraman range, named after the Indigenous word for ‘seahorse’, as fossilised seahorses were found in Wakefield’s Clare Valley property from when the area was submerged by an inland sea eons ago.

What is the Wakefield Jaraman range?

The Taylor family, based in the Clare Valley with their own vineyards, have owned Wakefield for three generations. For their Jaraman range, the winemakers source parcels of the best fruit available from their vineyards in Clare Valley, but also from other iconic regions such as Coonawara and Margaret River, gently hand crafting them into wines that preserve and enhance the distinctive characteristics from those places. 

The Jaraman Chardonnay

The Jaraman Chardonnay takes grapes from Margaret River and Clare Valley and blends them to create an unbelievably delicious drink when the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts. With a searing, lime citrus, freshness and intense aromatics of ripe melon, nectarine and pineapple together with an almost flinty, mineral core, this is an incredibly complex wine that manages to say so much, but quietly. Elegantly. The Clare Valley fruit offers a characteristic fleshiness, while the Margaret River Chardonnay throws in moreish, guava and fresh figs notes. A gentle amount of oak brings everything together and adds a light, creamy texture and a hint of warm spice.

Find it at Majestic for £17.99 (£15.99 mix six price).

Read about the Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon here. 

Father's Day Gift Ideas For Drinks Lovers

Words by Helena Nicklin

Every dad is different as is every son or daughter. What can you give him that showcases his personality or yours? Here is our pick of some delicious drinky gifts that will suit the wine lover dad, the beer explorer or spirits connoisseur. Bottoms up and Happy Father’s Day!

The Wine Lover

A selection of half bottles

If your dad is like mine, he will eye you suspiciously when presented with a 75cl bottle of wine as he’ll expect it’ll need to be shared! Show your dad his gift is just for him with a pair or selection of half bottles of wine. Louis Jadot makes some beautifully approachable Burgundian Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs (available in Tesco), or you can take your pick from a range by half bottle specialist, the Little Fine Wine Company. 

The English Fizz Fanatic

Roebuck Estates Blanc de Noirs, 2015

Roebuck is one of the newest English wine estates who stormed onto the scene with their inaugural, classic cuvée 2014. This new wine from the Estate located near Petworth in Sussex, is made exclusively from hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes from the 2015 vintage that were grown in their Roman Villa vineyard. With its smart, hand drawn black and gold label, it looks as good as it tastes with an alluring perfume of red berries and apple skin with beautifully balanced notes of orchard fruit and brioche. Exceptionally poised and elegant. Drinking now but will keep for several years. 

Find it for £45 from Roebuckestates.co.uk

Monthly Wine Delivery

Feel Good Grapes

How about a wine club where each bottle has been handpicked by the team for being not only delicious, but organic or biodynamic and sustainable too! Feel Good Grapes are keen to only work with producers who understand their impact on the earth and they are so dedicated to the cause that they also offset the carbon footprint from all their deliveries AND plant a tree for every bottle of wine sold. The buying team are expert tasters too, so you can feel extra good about the wines you're drinking.

From £20 a month to £200 at Feel Good Grapes

The Gin Genie

Fifty Pounds Gin

This super smart bottle houses a rather exceptional London Dry Gin. Triple filtered, it’s incredibly smooth with a range of complex flavours that jump out, as if wrapping the juniper in a delicious, scented scarf from sage to lemon peel, gentle spice and liquorice. The name alludes to the 1736 Gin Act in London, when if you wanted to produce and sell Gin, a 50 pound tax was levied. It’s not surprising many went underground! 

RRP £34.45 from Master of Malt

The Beer 

The Original Small Beer Company

The Small Beer Company have brought back the old tradition of Small Beer, which used to be drunk instead of water as it was safer, back in the London Streets of the 1700s. Brewed to a maximum of 2.8 percent as it always used to be, Small Beer is isotonic with trace elements left in rather than dehydrating so it’s actually rather good for you (can we say that?!) There are four styles to choose from: Lager, Session Pale, Steam and Dark Lager, but you can also try a handy four pack of 330ml bottles - and it makes the perfect gift.

Find the gift pack for £15 from the originalsmallbeer.com

The Spirits Aficionado

Glencairn Crystal Glassware

The ‘Glencairn’ has become to-go to glass not just for whisky, but most neat spirits nowadays. Endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association, its unique shape was crafted to allow the fullest appreciation of the whisky from the nose to the palate.. The glass now comes in many styles, uncut or hand cut, a price that will suit all budgets. Enter the code DADSDRAM20 to receive a Father’s Day 20% discount too!

RRP from £6 a glass, go to Glencairn.co.uk

The Cognac Connoisseur

Cognac Frapin Millésime 1992 -26 years old 

With a limited release of just 3000 bottles, this stunning 1992 vintage is the latest addition to Frapin’s collection of rare vintage cognacs, where it has been gently ageing in the dry cellars on the Frapin estate. Bright in colour with an elegant, floral nose and palate of prune, apricot and liquorice, this is an elegant, complex cognac and an excellent ambassador of the Frapin house style.

Find it for from £145 to £160 from Master of Malt

The Rum Romantic

Drum & Black Spiced Rum

The new generation of dark rums on the scene are to die for and England is knocking it out of the park with some new brands! Dad will love this one from Drum & Black with its eye-catching bottle and brooding, sweet notes of coffee bean, vanilla, honey, dark chocolate and orange peel. Try it alone over ice or as a ‘Mule Noir’ with a sprig of mint and some ginger beer (The team recommend Fentimans).

Find it for £33.75 from Master of Malt. 

The Whisky Collector

Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Buffalo Trace is a much-loved, American distillery that has been making Bourbon whiskey the same way for more than 200 years. It has a deep, rich, amber colour with a complex aroma of vanilla, mint and molasses. Sweet but not cloying, with notes of brown sugar and spice, subtle oak, toffee and dark fruit, it’s a warming, easy-going whiskey with a long, smooth finish. There’s a competition too! You can enter your father to win a Buffalo Trace home bar! See their social platforms for details @BuffaloTraceUk.

Find the whiskey for £23.99 from Master of Malt.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Years Old

Glenmorangie is one of our all time favourite Scotch distillers and is renowned for pioneering the art of extra- maturation. For this single malt, the whisky is first aged in bourbon casks, then finished in ruby port pipes and barriques from Portugal. Quinta Ruban is a bold and velvety, 14-year-old Highland whisky, with unctuous flavours of orange and dark chocolate.

Find it for £49.95 from Master of Malt

John Crabbie & Co, single cask 1994 25-Year-Old Island Malt (247 bottles only)

SPLASH OUT! Appealing to top-end collectors particularly, this special, sherry-cask whisky is dark gold, with rich notes of fruitcake, orange peel, dark chocolate and smoky spice. It comes with its own elegant presentation box too. Distilled at the Tobermory Distillery, the Crabbie 1994 Island Single Malt has been matured for 25 years in an ex-sherry hogshead. Each bottle is non-chill filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at 46.2% ABV.

RRP £300. Please email john.kennedy@johncrabbie.com for enquiries.

For more drinks round ups, check out Best Bang for Buck Sipping Bourbon, The Best Wines to have Chilled and 7 Great French Rosé Wines for Summer.

Wakefield Wines 'Jaraman' Cabernet Sauvignon

Words by Aidy Smith

You know what I love seeing? A winery that has a built a global reputation of success and is still very much family owned. That’s the story of Wakefield Wines, who in 2017 when this particular wine was produced were given the title of ‘World’s Most Awarded Winery’. A testament to the hard work they’ve put in over three generations and a stamp of approval for their delicious wines with which have now graced our glasses for over fifty years.

For those less familiar, located in the heart of Clare Valley, Wakefield Wines was founded in 1969 by Bill Taylor Senior, a publican turned wine merchant who took his love of the grape to a whole new level. With his knowledge of the area, Bill began to plant vines in the perfect limestone soils for this cool climate region. Decades later, what was originally just 178 hectares of vineyards has continued to grow, allowing the winery to become one of the most highly esteemed producers in Australia.

The Jaraman range: a taste of terroir

This brings us to the Jaraman range, one of the more recent additions to their portfolio and in this case, the rich and juicy Cabernet Sauvignon. The word ‘Jaraman’ means seahorse in the Indigenous language and refers to when the family discovered tiny seahorse fossils found buried within the vineyards of Wakefield’s Clare Valley properties. Completely submerged by an inland sea for millions of years, the discovery of these little fossils when creating their dams on the property became the inspiration behind the company’s emblem.

This bespoke collection of wines was created to showcase a unique sense of terroir and regional expression. Australia has a massively diverse make-up of wine regions, so Adam Eggins, Wakefield’s winemaker of over 20 years decided to take grapes from two exceedingly quality driven areas – Coonawarra and Clare Valley. Doing so has allowed the family to blend the sumptuous ripe fruits and fine tannins of Clare Valley with the fine tannins and velvety mouthfeel we have come to associate with Coonawarra.

The result? A touch of French oak when ageing lends way to flavours of dark stewed plum, blackberry and blackcurrant with a smooth milk chocolate and tobacco. Great structure meets delicate tannins before the story comes to a finale with its soothing blackberry finish. This is my wind down wine at the end of the day, eagerly awaiting that moment of pure satisfaction as the first sip touches your taste buds. It helps that this wine goes wonderfully with just about anything you’re eating, meat, fish or vegetables, too.

Winery: Wakefield Wines
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
ABV: 14.5%
Size: 750ml

Buy now from Majestic £17.99 a bottle of £15.99 (mixed case deal)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Three Drinkers (@thethreedrinkers) on Jun 18, 2020 at 11:41am PDT

The Best Red Wines To Have Chilled

Some red wines are perfect for chilling in this warmer weather. It’s certainly true that some wine grapes and wine styles work better than others when it comes to what goes in the fridge, so here’s what you need to know:

Tips for drinking chilled red wine

• Chilled, not cold. No red wine will sing when it is too cold, so really, you want about 45 mins max in the fridge. Avoid ice cubes in your glass too. 

• Avoid heavy, dry tannic wines and oaky wines.

• Fruity styles of wine work best.

Some grape varieties are naturally more fruity and less tannic than others, so get to know them and the styles of wine they make. Here are some to look out for: 

Pinot Noir 

A Pinot Noir (the grape) from just about anywhere will be a good shout for a chilled red wine thanks to its high acidity and thin skin that gives very little tooth-drying tannin. The lightest styles tend to come from the Burgundy region (aka Bourgogne) and the likes of Germany, where it's also known as Spätburgunder. Richer styles will come from warmer climates such as Casablanca Valley in Chile or Sonoma in California. Try these:

Bargain: Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir, Chile, 2019, £8 from CO-OP
Juicy, concentrated blackcurrant and plum spice with a cool, raspberry leaf tang.

Splash out: Bernard Moreau, Bourgogne, 2019, £18.
A brilliant, entry level red Burgundy with ripe strawberry, crunchy red berry fruits and a touch of spice and earthiness. 

Gamay

The Gamay grape is not that well known, though you will have certainly heard of the French wine region that specialises in wines made with it: Beaujolais. Gamay is even thinner skinned than Pinot Noir and can make some very fruity, juicy wines that can taste of bananas and strawberry bubblegum. If you want something a little more serious however, you can move up the Beaujolais quality ladder from Beaujolais Nouveau at the bottom, up to Beaujolais, then Beaujolais-Villages and finally, the top of the tree, one of the 10 Beaujolais ‘Cru’ villages. These ‘Cru’ are a little more savoury and serious - more akin to a Burgundian Pinot Noir, but a touch lighter and more raspberry-scented and leafy. They each have their own subtle differences and offer excellent value for money. From North to South, look for these ‘Cru’ names: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Try these:

Bargain: Chiroubles Beaujolais Cru 2018, £10 from CO-OP.
Lovely, crunchy wine with raspberry compote spice and a subtle hint of grilled meat. 

Splash-out: Fleurie Clos Vernay Domaine Lafarge Vial 2014, £33
The most floral and perfumed of the Crus, this Fleurie boast violets, rose and raspberry notes. A little more grippy than some Fleuries, the extra age on this wine has softened it just enough to make it work well when chilled.

Cabernet Franc

This is a grape that is coming back into fashion with a bang. In its Old World Home in the Loire Valley, France, it makes crunchy, light reds with notes of redcurrant and, I kid you not, pencil shavings! This Loire style tends to be better for chilling than its New World versions, (which pack a lot more power and tannin), though they can be a bit austere for some. Some appellations in the Loire are famous for Cabernet Franc, so look for those on the label as the grape may not appear: Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Cabernet Franc is also a fixture in Bordeaux, but you will rarely see it as anything other than a relatively small part of the blend. Try these:

Bargain: Chinon, Lulu Lalouette, 2019, £12.99 (£9.99 mix six price) from Majestic.
Of a style, but if you know what you’re getting with Loire Cabernet Franc, you will enjoy this for its fragrant, smoky notes and dried redcurrant palate. 

Splash-out: St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Graviers Domaine du Bourg 2018, £17.25 from Corneyandbarrow.com
A touch fuller in body than the Chinon with riper, red fruit, this is a classy, old school, French red with smoky, graphite notes. Delicious.

Sparkling Shiraz

You cannot think about chilled reds and barbecues without thinking of sparkling Shiraz. This is a style of wine that tends to come from Australia only and it works so well thanks to the richer, fruitier styles of Shiraz that come from here. They are full-bodied without being too tannic and full of jammy, spicy plum fruit and liquorice notes. This is the wine you should reach for when pairing with flavoursome, grilled steaks and beef burger etc. as it has a little grippiness. Try this:

Majella, Sparkling Shiraz, £28.50 from Vivino
Lush, velvety and chocolatey, this wine is like a bar of fruit and nut in liquid form. Beautiful balance and not too sweet,  it's serious as well as quirky. Definitely the best we’ve tasted. 

Red Lambrusco

No, don’t turn away! This is not the Lambrusco you are thinking of that harks back to the sweet and syrupy wines of the early Spice Girls days. Lambrusco is a lot more serious now - and a lot drier. Seek out an artisanal red one for a lighter-bodied, frothy vino with moreish, yeasty notes that’s an epic match with Italian cold cuts, buffalo mozzarella and the like. Try this:

Vecchio Moro Lambrusco, Grasparossa, Rinaldini. £12.50 from The Wine Society
Deep purple and packed with ripe fruit flavours and dried herb notes, this has an intriguing breadiness and tastes drier than it smells. A lovely frothy fizz really refreshes the palate. An excellent lunchtime red for summer. 

For more mouth-wateringly good wine content, including our one-minute wine guides to the different grape varieties out there follow this link!

One Minute Wine Ace: Cabernet Sauvignon

You can generally presume that all professional, male rugby players have certain elements in common: they are full in body, fairly heavy and well structured. There are forwards who pack a slightly bigger punch and backs who are a tad more refined and lean, but generally speaking, you can always tell a rugby player a mile off, no matter where in the team they play. It’s the obvious build and all those purpley-black bruises that do it! And with all their years of training and experience, you can take a bet that their playing quality is going to be pretty reliable, no matter which country it is that they play for. They also tend to need a few years to chill out and mellow…

Yes, Cabernet Sauvignon is the professional rugby player of the wine world. This heavy-duty grape variety has the thickest skin of all the grapes, giving it lots of tooth-drying tannin and plenty of brawn! ‘Cabernet’, as it’s often known, is a hardy, well-structured grape that makes pretty reliable wine just about anywhere. This is why you can find it all over the world now. When at its very best, it can sometimes take a few years to mature, so bear that in mind when you’re picking one out. Look for a concentrated, dark blue-black and purple colour with distinctive, spicy blackcurrant and cedar flavours. In some cases, you’ll also spot a telltale minty or eucalyptus note, which is often a hint that it’s from a warmer climate.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON TASTING TOUR

Cabernet Sauvignon makes pretty reliable wines from many places globally, but here are four key styles to start your journey with,

Cabernet 1: Be prepared to spend some cash and head to Bordeaux, France: the Old World home of Cabernet, where it’s usually blended with Merlot among other grapes. Look for one from the Left Bank of the river Gironde for a classic earthy, cedary number that’s Cabernet dominant. Heard of Chateau Margaux? That’s a Cabernet-dominant, Left Bank Bordeaux wine.

Try: Château de Lamarque, Haut-Medoc, 2015 for £22.95 from Corneyandbarrow.com.

Cabernet 2: Compare your Bordeaux with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra in Australia for a fuller-bodied, juicier version with tonnes of ripe blackcurrant and a characteristic mint and eucalyptus twang. Coonawarra is one of Cabernet’s classic, New World homes. 

Try: Wakefield Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon for £17.99 or £15.99 mix six price from Majestic.

Cabernet 3: At a similar price and standard to Bordeaux, you could also try some serious Cabernets from Napa Valley, California for a style that is somewhere between the two above: big wines made in a Bordeaux style, but with a pleasing extra dollop of fruit.

Try: Illustrious Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, £36 a bottle or £32.40 mix 6 price from Laithwaites.

Cabernet 4: For something a little more entry-level price wise, check out what they can do with Cabernet over in the warm Colchagua Valley in Chile. Here, Cabernets are about full-on, sweeter, blackcurrant-scented wines with a savory, smoky kick. You can get some great ones for £6 or so but there are also some super-serious wines coming out of Chile too. 

Try: Montes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile, £9 from Coop.

Like this? Try our other One Minute Wine Ace articles on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cotes du Rhone and Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine Gadget: Coravin Model Six

Those of you who read our previous article on the Coravin Model Eleven and Coravin Moments, will want to know about the new Coravin Model Six. 

Coravin, as you may know, is the ultimate wine preserving system that works by injecting inert argon gas into a bottle via the cork, which then reseals itself. The gas pushes the wine back up the needle, out the spout into your glass. What’s left is perfectly preserved for weeks, months and even years. 

Coravin Model Six

The new Model Six is the only system in the Coravin range with a selection of three colours: Candy Apple Red, Silver or Piano Black. Boasting SmartClamps technology, it is easy to use, comes with some awesome accessories and with its chrome accents, is a great blend of elegance and technology. 

Accessories

The Model Six comes with a range of accessories, depending on the package you go for: 

• Argon Gas Capsules: All packages come with spare Coravin Pure capsules.

• Coravin Screw Cap: Simply quickly unscrew your wine cap and replace it with this. Then, use your Coravin as normal.

• Aerator: A click on ‘shower head’ style attachment that aerates your wines as it pours, helping it become smoother and more flavoursome.

• Needle Kit: Change your needle for old, vintage corks or for a fast pour…

• Premium Pedestal Base: Smart, solid base to keep your Coravin upright and looking great in your cabinet.

• Carry Case: Soft, black carry case allowing you to carry your system with you wherever you go! 

Model Six Package Options

Coravin Model Six ‘Core’ - £289

Includes 2 Coravin Pure Capsules, 1 Coravin Screw Cap

Coravin Model Six - £329.

Includes 3 Coravin Pure Capsules, 2 Coravin Screw Caps, and 1 Carry Case

Coravin Model Six ‘Ultimate Wine Lover's Pack’ - £449

Includes 12 Coravin Pure Capsules, 8 Coravin Screw Caps, 1 Carry Case, 1 Aerator, 3 Needle Kit, Premium Pedestal Base

Coravin Model Six ‘Ultimate Wine Journey Pack’ - £549

Includes 3 Coravin Pure Capsules, 2 Coravin Screw Caps, 1 Carry Case, 1 Aerator, 3 Needle Kit, Premium Pedestal Base, 1 12-Pack of Capsules, 1 6-Pack of standard Screwcaps

Mindful Drinking: Fine Wine in Half Bottles

If you’re anything like me and my other half, you may be looking at your lockdown alcohol consumption over the past couple of months and thinking ‘oops!’ When did a glass of wine a night become a bottle? Or more sometimes, if we’re honest.

I know that it's unrealistic - in my household anyway - to think that we are going to give up drinking entirely, but we do realise that we can and should tone it down now and think about more mindful drinking. Yes, we’ll take more nights off booze a week but there’s one thing we know would really help: smaller bottles. If the bottle is smaller in the first place, you really have to think about what you’re doing before opening another and often, just that pause to think is enough. With that in mind, I looked for places to find half bottles of wine, but not just any rubbish wine - really good wine. Thankfully, the half wine bottle world is growing quickly, so the choice is now better than it has ever been. Here are some great wines in half bottle that I found of varying styles and price levels for every budget: 

Half bottles of white wine (37.5cl)

Macon Blanc Villages, Louis Jadot, 2018, £8:30 from Morrisons
Soft, easy drinking, melon-scented Chardonnay with a touch of vanilla. 

Chablis, Louis Jadot, 2018, £10.99 from Wholefoods
Cool, dry, classic Chardonnay from Chablis with a characteristic, savoury tang and a leafy note.

Sancerre, Reverdy Terre de Maimbray, 2017 £13 from Dulwich Vintners
Sauvignon Blanc at its most elegant and understated from its spiritual Loire Valley home. 

Kumeu River Chardonnay, New Zealand, 2017 £15.95 from the Little Fine Wine Company
Full-on, fruity Chardonnay with toasty, smoky oak. 

Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, 2011, £17 from Dulwich Vintners
A glorious, weighty and aromatic blend of white varieties led by Viognier, from the Languedoc. 

Condrieu, Guigal, 2017 £22.50 from the Little Fine Wine Company
Creamy, apricot and blossom-scented Viognier at its finest from its most famous appellation.

Half bottle of Rosé wine (37.5cl)

Côtes de Provence, Whispering Angel, 2019, £10.95 from the Little Fine Wine Company 
Pale and pretty, dry and complex with a saline tang from one of Provence’s famous producers.

Half bottles of red wine (37.5cl)

Beaujolais Villages ‘Combe aux Jacques’, Louis Jadot, 2018 £6.85 from Tesco & Morrisons
Light in its feet with crunchy, strawberry and raspberry notes. A perfect summer red. 

Rioja Crianza, Beronia, 2017, £7 from Ocado 
Brilliant, concentrated Rioja, packed with spicy red fruit with a touch of tobacco-smoke.

Zinfandel, Seghesio, Sonoma County, 2017, £18.95 from The Little Fine Wine Company
A modern, more elegant style of Zin with notes of damson jam and cinnamon spice.

Chianti Classico, Fontodi, 2016, £14.50 from The Little Fine Wine Company
Old-school Chianti Classico with a cool, mineral core, tangy red fruit and fresh herb notes. 

Morey St Denis, 1er Cru, Lignier, 2013, £21 from Dulwich Vintners
Moreish (!), Burgundian Pinot showing some secondary tobacco and leather notes. Delicious.

Half bottles of Champagne  (37.5cl)

Mumm Champagne, NV, £18 from Ocado 
Rich, brilliant value bubbles from a well-loved house.

Bollinger Special Cuvée, NV, £23.99 from Ocado
Weighty, complex Champagne with toasty, brioche notes.

Billecart Salmon Brut Rosé NV, £ 36 from Dulwich Vintners
The benchmark for elegant pink fizz. Delicate colour with red apple skin and patisserie notes.

If you like this, check out our piece on the best no and low alcohol drinks and Small Beer.

Is this the best wine cooler ever?

We’ve finally discovered a brilliant way to cool wine down that solves loads of problems! Heilo is a new company that is taking cooling wine to the next level with its space saving, incredibly efficient coolers.

The Eclipse

The Eclipse (as seen above) is a solid metal structure that cools within a couple of minutes of having ice added to the eclipse section. It stays very cold, bottle after bottle. As there is no messy water, the ice doesn’t melt as quickly, so you use less. Other big selling points are that the bottle doesn’t get wet and drip everywhere and the label stays dry. Designed with the perfect amount of space around the the bottle, cool air hugs it without dissipating too quickly, which means it can be a compact package, taking up less space on your table. So, no water, no mess, space efficient. What’s not to love? It comes in a choice of six finishes and retails for £55 - 59.

The Heilo

The Heilo design is more of a classic cooler, only better. Add just 5 ice cubes at the bottom and pop in your bottle of already chilled wine and it will keep its cool for a lot longer than most. There’s no condensation either, thanks to the raised platform inside which allows air to circulate. The premium finish is super smooth and you can engrave it too for an extra special gift. Heilo comes in a choice of three finishes and costs RRP £49.

Need some wine suggestions for what to put in your cooler? Here are some key suggestions for Summer rosé, Chardonnay and Cotes du Rhone.