Is there one variety you should get to know that can change your view of wine? In the broadest sense no, just be happy with what is in the glass. Yet if you split drinking into units of time some varieties just taste more appropriate than others. A meal based around strong flavours suggests a strong red like Barossa Shiraz.
A picnic day at the beach suggests lighter styles. Two varieties that have enriched our choices are Sauvignon Blanc, the afternoon all-rounder and Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir can be a grand affair though an ordinary vintage from a top cool climate producer is the perfect red for an outdoor lunch. Which brings me to the third variety you need to enrich your choices – Grenache. Grenache is a warm climates variety and can be left hanging and hanging into Autumn and this ripeness may result is a wine as great as any. The skins do not have as much colour as Shiraz so the wine appears lighter and tastes lighter, yet the alcohol can be high.
I’m a believer in the future of warm region Rose and the best variety to use is Grenache. Indeed, I will not drink anything else. So that is the style I would take to a country picnic. For this Rara Avis we are talking about the big style so it needs the long lunch or a grand evening dinner.
