What wine to drink with all this?

After weeks of glorious weather and warm nights, the barbecue has barely cooled. Last night, thanks to my local farm shops at Holton and Wangford, the flames licked salmon, squid and prawn kebabs, venison sausages and corn-on-the-cob. I like to marinade meats or fish, the marinade tends to caramelise deliciously, and the oil helps to seal in moisture. Chopped garlic, ginger, home-grown chillies (not quite ripe yet, but wield a fiery kick), olive oil and soy sauce makes a tasty accompaniment and lent a spicy, oriental tang to the fish.

There’s lots of strong and competing flavours in a barbecue, so Grenache / Shiraz blends usually feature frequently, but this evening, I fancied something lighter, especially as fish was headlining. Green Point Rosé (from Domaine Chandon – the Australian faction of Champagne superstars Moët et Chandon) was a perfect match, and lent a celebratory air to the whole thing.

The bottle had been jiggled from the Southwold Cellar & Kitchen store all the way back home, and had barely an hour to recover and cool in the fridge before I unleashed its crown cap, so I ended up giving the kitchen worktop a fizzy treat. Lively in the glass, it’s a pretty pink in colour with rose-gold hues. It really is very Champagne-like on the nose (it spent 18 months on its yeast lees and is made from the famous three grape varieties of Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). Aromas of toast, cream and vanilla (from lees ageing) marry seamlessly with ripe, red fruits. The palate is clean and fresh with pink grapefruit and raspberry flavours – the fizz makes everything that much more spikey and refreshing.