This summer, we’re taking you on a tour of some of our favourite wine regions via their cultural riches. Next stop: South Africa.

For a country covering so much landmass, it is hardly a surprise that the climate in South Africa is diverse. Yet even within the narrow realm of the winelands, the variation in weather from one region to the next is really quite extreme. I remember visiting Richard Kershaw a few years ago, who makes delicious cool-climate Chardonnay and Syrah in coastal Elgin. His property is around a 40-minute drive over the mountains from Franschhoek, yet the climate is often worlds apart.

He would drive from his winery wearing trousers, jumper, a raincoat and a hat due to torrential rain and a cold wind to visit a friend in Franschhoek — where the sun would have been shining all day, workers in shorts and t-shirts mopping their sweating brows. His friend would normally greet him with a quizzical look and “Richard, are you quite well?”

I noticed this drastic shift in weather when visiting Constantia. To the south of Cape Town, and sticking out into the ocean, it has its own microclimate: cool with frequent cloud cover and rain showers. This spit of land has numerous wineries but also Simon’s Town, famous for its penguin colony. I often joke to wine students when teaching them about South Africa that there’s a reason there are penguins here; it can get astonishingly cold. And whilst the temperature may not quite dip as low as Antarctica, even in summer there is a near-constant cool breeze.

For those of us enjoying summer in the UK this year this is heartening to know, I think. It doesn’t, in fact, need much imagination to transport ourselves to South Africa – albeit one of the cooler, coastal regions of this diverse country.

What to drink

2022 Constantia Glen, Sauvignon Blanc

The microclimate in Constantia has two key effects on the grapes in this region, resulting in higher acidity than fruit grown inland, and also fresher fruit flavours. The result is mouthwatering wines that are ideal with food.

This beautiful Sauvignon Blanc from Constantia Glen has all the refreshing character one would expect from this grape, but none of the overtly herbal and leafy flavours that can sometimes dominate in Sauvignon Blanc. A tiny proportion of Semillon in the blend also adds a touch of richness to the wine, making it a joy to savour on its own, as well as with food.

What to eat

Of course, if recreating the South African experience in your back garden, the only food to really consider is braai. Being brought up on traditional English barbecues – rain, supermarket burgers, and disposable BBQs used too hastily, leaving the food scorched on the outside and undercooked in the middle – I am unable to add much insight here. Fortunately, friends from Durban take on this important responsibility, diligently tending to the grill and providing stacks of perfectly cooked strip steak, chops, and boerewors.

Spicy and tannic red wines, such as Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon, often pair nicely with such spreads. But whilst we wait (and wait, and wait) for the food to be cooked to perfection, there is always plenty of spicy biltong to snack on; for me, a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc contrasts with this beautifully.

What to read

The Smallest Kingdom, Michael & Liz Fraser (2011)

Potentially an unusual choice, this is neither insightful political history, nor a rip-roaring page turner of a novel. Instead, it is a beautifully illustrated overview of one of the most important, but arguably least understood plant kingdoms in the world (and, as the title suggests, by far the smallest).

The soils and climate in the Cape have resulted in a truly unique ecosystem of plants, one that has beguiled botanists for centuries. It’s no coincidence the fynbos display won best in show at Chelsea this year. For anyone interested in the environment of South Africa, and how vines fit into that, this is a unique and beautiful book.

What to listen to

Matthew Mole

A singer and songwriter from Cape Town, Mole describes his music as folk with an electronica influence. However, that arguably pigeonholes him too much. There’s an indie feel to his music, and a wonderful humour woven through as well. On top of this, he’s a multi-talented artist, playing guitar, piano, drums, ukelele and banjo, among others.

His songs span from upbeat at a jogging tempo (for example Run, at 107bpm, perfect to listen to on a light lunchtime lap of the park) to more mellow with electronic beats woven through (Light, ideal music for a lazy afternoon in the garden, Sauvignon Blanc in hand).

Buy the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from Constantia Glen here

When it comes to picnics, there are few if any rules. Here, Charlie Geoghegan sets out why that’s a very good thing. 

I love the ad hoc nature of a good picnic. With a dinner party, you’ve got timings and a plan and consequences if things go awry. Picnics are looser; the details are fluid, flexible and up for debate. Your friend neglecting to mention that they’re bringing their dog (or their spouse or their child) is really not that big a deal when it’s a picnic. Often, it’s those very deviations – the unexpected guest, the last-minute change of location – that make for a memorable occasion. 

The best picnic I can recall wasn’t supposed to be a picnic at all. I was on a wine holiday in Tuscany with my friend Mark, the summer before Covid. We were flitting between poky city hotels, Airbnbs in the middle of nowhere and – for this one night only – the luxury guesthouse of a leading Brunello di Montalcino producer. We had intended on having a slap-up dinner in the nearby town of Montalcino, and to make the most of it, we wanted to leave the rental car behind. It turns out that last-minute taxis in the Tuscan countryside don’t come cheap, however; the 15-minute journey each way would have cost us more than our dinner budget. The only solution: an emergency picnic. 

We took the car to town, stocked up on supplies and enjoyed an al fresco feast back at the deserted winery. We sat at a picnic table eating and drinking, listening to Van Morrison and Jeff Buckley albums on Spotify, totally uninterrupted but for one inquisitive deer and the occasional howling of the winery’s resident wolves. The sun set slowly and a low moon lingered just out of reach, undulating hills of vines all around us. Better than an overpriced ristorante any day of the week. 

If you’re not reading this from a Tuscan vineyard, worry not. The principles of a successful picnic remain the same whether you’re in Montalcino or Mile End: nice food and drink, good company and the great outdoors. There are few, if any, rules, but I have found that some things work better than others. 

The food 

You’re not putting together a tasting menu here; things don’t necessarily need to fit thematically or work in sequential order. It’s probably better if they don’t, actually. People will graze. Some will have had a big lunch, others might have dinner plans. Let them come and go at their own pace – and give yourself a break. 

The best picnics are an eclectic mishmash of different bits and pieces. Don’t let the distinction between homemade and shop-bought bother you too much. Something made with a little bit of TLC at home will typically be both tastier and cheaper than something grabbed from the supermarket fridge, but needs must. 

If you eat meat, charcuterie of some sort is a good bet. Buy a full chorizo or salami if you can, though pre-packed slices will do just fine. This stuff is pretty robust, generally, making it more suitable than a platter of sushi or sliced chicken. 

Cheese works well, too. Beware soft cheeses on hot days, but a St Nectaire, Comté or cheddar won’t melt away under pressure. Bulk things out with some olives, dips and crisps. And don’t forget some vegetables: bell peppers or carrots are great raw and chopped up, for example; or grab a jar of something pickled or brined from the shop. 

People sometimes bemoan a salad, and there are few sights more uninspiring than a Tupperware full of wilted, tepid lettuce leaves and sweaty Feta, just sitting there uneaten in the sun. You might find that something colourful attracts a crowd in a way that a standard green salad may not, though. Consider a tangy pineapple chow or a little beetroot-and-cumin number. Bread I can take or leave, personally, but a baguette or two will rarely go to waste among a crowd. Whatever you do, make it a team effort and encourage everyone to bring something. 

The wine 

Your food is a mixed bag, with all sorts of different flavours and textures going on; don’t get hung up on food-and-wine pairings. What you’re looking for is versatility. The weather will also be pretty good (hopefully), so you’ll want something refreshing rather than heavy or cloying. When choosing a wine, this might point you towards bubbles or acidity – or both. 

Acidity is one of those funny words you hear sometimes in wine. To most normal people, talk of “acid” might suggest something corrosive, dangerous or otherwise unpleasant. Not so here. The acidity we talk about in wine and food is a structural component that has the effect of providing mouth-watering refreshment. It is crucial to providing balance in many wines; without the requisite acidity, a Sauternes would taste too sweet, or a Barolo too tannic. Wines with high acidity work well with most foods. The acidity will famously “cut through” the fatty character of your chorizo or cheese, and it’ll have a positive (or at least a neutral) effect on your enjoyment of most other picnic foods. 

Sparkling wine is hugely versatile, and a good one will work well with just about any food. Our Own Selection Crémant de Limoux is a consummate crowd-pleaser. From England, Hambledon Vineyard’s Première Cuvée Rosé would add a little colour to the proceedings. A magnum of Leclerc Briant’s Réserve Brut Champagne would make it a party. 

For white wine, Riesling is the poster child for high acidity. Loved by wine-trade types and still not having fully shaken an unfair image of it all being sweet and insipid, you can often find very high-quality Riesling that offers real value for money. Our Own Selection Mosel Riesling is a case in point. Unoaked white Burgundy, notably from Chablis, also works well. The Petit Chablis from Guillaume Michaut of Domaine 47°N 3°E is a good choice. Northern Italian whites, something like our Own Selection Gavi, will also fit the bill nicely. 

There are some things to consider with red wines. Warm weather and big, full-bodied red wines aren’t a natural pairing for most people. Big, beefy reds can feel a little blowsy or overly alcoholic, and are probably best avoided. A picnic is probably not the time to pull the cork on something very old, either; the setting and the variety of food are likely better suited to something with immediate and apparent fruit character rather than the more ephemeral nature and leathery, savoury notes of an old Bordeaux. Something light- to medium-bodied, with plenty of fruit concentration and balancing acidity, is the sweet spot. You needn’t look much further than a Bourgogne Rouge from a top producer like Benjamin Leroux, though take your pick of red Burgundy. For a value alternative, try Denis Jamain’s Reuilly Rouge, Les Pierres Plates (a Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley) or something from Beaujolais. 

You can’t go too far wrong with these, though keep temperature in mind. A cooler bag will help, if you have one. Otherwise, err on the side of caution and throw everything – reds included – into the fridge for an hour or so beforehand. 

Browse our range of wines for warmer evenings. 

Centuries of history, tradition and critical acclaim have ensured Dom Pérignon is, today, one of Champagne’s most-loved premium brands. With its 2015 vintage now released, we spoke to Dom Pérignon’s Cellar Master, Vincent Chaperon, to find out more about the story and philosophies behind the iconic name.

Dom Pérignon is one of Champagne’s most recognised names. Its history spans nearly 400 years; throughout that time, it has been one of the leading pioneers in quality Champagne production. To this day, its wines are praised as amongst the finest to emerge from the region.

A legacy of mastery

Upholding such a legendary reputation isn’t without its pressures – something not lost on current Cellar Master, Vincent Chaperon. Yet, as he recalls, his childhood prepared him better than most.

“Wine has always been in my blood,” he says, as we begin our interview at No.3 St James’s Street. “I grew up in Bordeaux; my father’s family has always been in the wine business. The Chaperons were négoce in Libourne from the 15th century, and my grandmother used to have an estate in Pomerol, Château Nénin.” His earliest memories, he reminisces, were of running through these esteemed Right Bank vineyards.

What caused him to uproot from Bordeaux and venture into the world of Champagne? “It was quite surprising,” he muses. A chance opportunity, to work at Moët & Chandon in 1999, set him on a trajectory that would last a lifetime. “In my head, it would only be for two or three years, to discover this fantastic world of bubbles. But I stayed.”

Now, it’s been 25 years since he moved to the region – 20 of which he has spent at Dom Pérignon, and the last five of those in his role as Cellar Master. “The role isn’t easy to describe,” he says, when asked what an average day looks like. “It’s very ‘complete’.” Vincent oversees every stage of the wine’s cycle, from vineyard, to harvest, to cellar. “There is no one day which is similar.”

Heritage and individuality

With a heritage as long and respected as Dom Pérignon’s, there comes an inevitable question: as its Cellar Master, how has Vincent put his own mark on the wine?

“Of course, this is an important question, when it’s not your own business,” Vincent says. “But you have to lead it as if it was your own. It is a challenge, to find the right balance between the heritage of Dom Pérignon, between the personality of the wine and your own sensitivity – what you could, and should, bring.” He believes that this element of individuality, seamlessly blended with tradition, is vital. “You need to bring something, to make the wine alive, and modern in its time.”

For this, he says, a Cellar Master needs to have a solid understanding both of the brand they work with, and of their own skill. “Dom Pérignon started over 300 years ago, so there’s a very profound heritage – you have to understand it perfectly. And you have to know who you are, and what you can add to this fantastic, beautiful trajectory.”

A tradition of vintages

Producing vintage Champagnes has always been a key feature of Dom Pérignon, and is certainly a unique approach in the region. As Vincent explains, Champagne growers typically favour non-vintage production – for good reason.

“That comes from the fact that the climate is very harsh, very inconsistent,” he explains. “It’s very difficult to grow vines in such a northerly position. We go through hail, through frost, through rain.” The majority of Champagne’s producers prefer to pick the best grapes from each year and blend them with those from previous vintages, ensuring steady production and a consistent style.

This isn’t the case at Dom Pérignon. Here, only grapes from each specific vintage are used, and only in the best years. It’s one of the key reasons their wines are viewed as being some of the most premium, expressive Champagnes on the market.

“It makes it a challenge, a real challenge, to make Dom Pérignon every year,” Vincent says. However, he believes understanding this is key to understanding his wines. “Making vintage Champagne is something classic, like Bordeaux or Burgundy.”

The team may only declare three out of ten vintages, if conditions are poor, yet every one of these three would be seen as a success. “I think that releasing a vintage is always something very special,” Vincent continues. “It’s a joy, to be able to share it with the world.”

Looking to the future

Given the impact of Champagne’s climate on its wines, Vincent is firm about the fact that vintage winemakers must work within nature’s boundaries, recognising what conditions have given them to work with each year. “Then, you have to be ready to orientate it in a direction which is your own,” he says. This intervention should work in tandem with the impacts of nature: “a double movement,” Vincent says, “which must be a seamless dynamic.”

He remains mindful, though, of keeping tradition front and centre. We speak briefly of the “out of the box” innovations sweeping through the Champagne world: of wines aged underwater, in gold, or in space; of new blends; and increasingly inventive bottles.

“I think that experimentation has always been at the core of luxury fine wine,” he says. “Especially for Dom Pérignon. Our founder, Dom Pierre Pérignon, the Benedictine Monk, changed the trajectory of Champagne drastically. He is considered as a spiritual father of Champagne today. The skill he really had was a permanent sense of experimentation.”

However, he’s wary of straying too far from the path. “The idea is not to explore directions which are not about us; our idea is really to understand our heritage, our tradition, and to push the boundaries of what we are doing within the direction of our precise vision.”

A precise vintage

Dom Pérignon’s latest vintage, the 2015, has just been released. As Vincent recounts, the vintage came with its own challenges – which tested the team immensely.

“2015 tells us about the evolution of Champagne,” he explains; this is a vintage that points to the future of what we can expect from the region. “It was a very warm vintage, but more precisely, it was very sunny. Most of all, I would say it was dry; we certainly had the longest drought we have ever had in Champagne, in modern times.”

Yet, Dom Pérignon was prepared. “We work with 900 hectares of Grand Cru and Premier Cru land,” says Vincent. “So, we could go to the plots which were not so affected, and select the best Pinot Noir and the best Chardonnay.”

All these factors have resulted in a truly special wine. “There is density in 2015,” Vincent describes. “A lot of concentration and richness, and because of the drought, a certain assertivity, a certain authority.”

He likens it to wines from 1995, 2003 and 2005: all wines needing a little time to “unfurl their true personality”. Yet, with time, he feels these are the wines that truly represent the future of Champagne. “It’s a very solid, very direct, linear wine.”

The 2015 vintage of Dom Pérignon is now available to buy on bbr.com.

With a delicious wine, a good book, an immersive film and some excellent music, you have everything you need to feel transported to warmer climes – even if you’re just in your own garden. This summer, we’re taking you on a tour of some of our favourite wine regions via their cultural riches. First up, we stop for a taste of the Mediterranean in Italy.

Summer, the season of adventure and escapism. Perhaps there’s a literal escape involved, hopefully to a sun-soaked beach or a verdant hiking trail – something emphatically pleasant. But I’m firmly of the belief that you don’t need a holiday lined up to indulge in a little escapism. Adventure is a mindset.  

Every time we drink a delicious wine, we are transported – however fleetingly – to the place it comes from. Just as a book can take us by the hand, gently revealing another world that we never knew existed. Alongside wine, art and culture have a unique power to take us out of our everyday routines, transport us somewhere new, bring us back with new perspectives.  

In that spirit, we’re kicking off a new series of summer adventures to see you through the coming months, whether you have a holiday lined up or not. With a good bottle of wine, a book, a film and some excellent music, you can have an adventure in spirit in your own garden. Or if, like me, you’re not lucky enough to have a garden, just throw it all into a picnic basket and make for the nearest Common.

First stop on our cultural adventures: Italia. Andiamo!  

What to drink

2021 Arcurìa, Etna Bianco, Graci, Sicily 

I adore Alberto Graci’s volcanic wines all year round, but their bright energy is perfect for summer. Alberto is a good friend of Berry Bros. & Rudd, and we were joined by him last year for our sustainability forum. I was struck by his rather poetic and philosophical approach to winemaking, how he sees the volcanic terroir of Mount Etna as a gift to work with – a force of creativity, resulting in a constant metamorphosis and an understanding of one’s place in nature. 

This energy translates beautifully into his wines. The 2021 Arcurìa, in particular, is just so fresh and expressive, with uplifting notes of lemon counterbalanced by a subtle nectarine ripeness. It is both floral and flinty, held together with a lively tension, speaking to the dynamic terrain it comes from. I recently enjoyed this wine with a barbecue lunch the other day – halloumi skewers, grilled vegetables and simply roasted potatoes – and it was just beautiful. Who would suspect that from Etna’s ash-cloaked slopes could come something so delicious?  

What to watch

The Hand of God, Paolo Sorrentino (2021)  

I first discovered Paolo Sorrentino while studying my Italian degree, via his film The Great Beauty (2013). Despite its exquisite cinematography, it had an air of jaded disaffection that made it hard to love. This isn’t at all the case with his latest film, The Hand of God.  

This highly personal, autobiographical film – continuing a grand Italian tradition that includes the likes of Cinema Paradiso and Fellini’s 8½ – is rooted in Sorrentino’s upbringing in Naples during the 1980s. It is a poignant coming-of-age tale, featuring a host of quirky family members, as they gather to watch the now-infamous 1986 World Cup event from which the film takes its name. But it’s not really about football, more a portrait of family life anchored in a particular moment in time. Heartfelt, nostalgic and soaked in Neapolitan sunshine, it shines a light on the adolescent stirrings of a great filmmaking talent.  

What to listen to

Fabrizio De André 

I realise that, to Italians, this is about as cliche as recommending Bob Dylan, but I still remember the marvel of discovering Fabrizio De André for the first time. One of Italy’s greatest songwriters, he was a leading figure in the cantautore (“singer-songwriter”) movement during the 1960s and ’70s. His songs draw from the rich tradition of Italian folk music across the country, singing in a range of dialects and telling the stories of marginalised characters and antiheroes – a mid-century troubadour, of sorts – alongside protest songs reflecting contemporary concerns.  

His style is often described as sitting somewhere between Leonard Cohen and Georges Brassens, with a strong pacifist and left-wing ethos. Whatever your stance on politics, his lyricism and musicality make him one of Italy’s greatest cultural heroes – so much so that they’ve named streets after him across the country.  

There are so many great songs to choose from. La Guerra di Piero is a quietly devastating anti-war protest song. The melancholy Via del campo has an old-world narrative feel, telling the story of a brothel street in Genoa. But the one that’ll get all the Italians singing in the piazza is Il Pescatore – and to me, it sounds just like summer.  

What to read

The Dry Heart, Natalia Ginzberg (1947)  

Another of Italy’s great anti-establishment intellectuals, Natalia Ginzberg is known for short, stealthy novels layered with complexity. In little over 100 pages, The Dry Heart is a compact psychological thriller that lays bare the failures of marriage. It begins with a jolt: a woman draws a gun and shoots her husband between the eyes. The rest of the story unspools to take us through the events leading up to the murder – a tale of the everyday and mundane, and the disaffection stirring under the surface.  

Ginzberg is hailed for her unique style, combining a complex emotional atmosphere with a strangely direct yet mysterious voice. If cool and detached Italian noir is your thing, this will be a real treat over the course of a sunny afternoon in the garden – with a glass of Graci’s Arcurìa to hand, of course.  

Buy the 2021 Arcurìa by Alberto Graci here