Helen McGinn Yes, that is a pea in my drink. And it was delicious, sipped in the Seedlip bar at the Chelsea Flower Show where I spent yesterday afternoon enjoying a slice of horticultural heaven. The gardens on show were beautiful, giving me serious garden envy. I mean, I can just about manage a few herbs, even the odd pot plant. Beyond that, I’ve a lot to learn. But at least I can recreate this drink at home given the number of frozen peas we’ve got lurking in the bottom of the freezer drawer.
Current white in the fridge: Ascheri Langhe Arneis
Price: £13.50 - Buy From Marks & Spencer
Arneis is the name of the grape, meaning ‘rascal’ in Italian. Gives you a clue as to what winemakers think of this little beast: difficult to grow but ultimately loveable. It’s quite subtle with lemon and pear flavours. Really fresh too, with a kind of floral hit. And there isn’t that much of it about, either. This is one of my favourites, from a great producer in northern Italy, not far from Barolo in Piedmont. Perfect summer lunch-in-the-garden wine.
Current red in the rack: The Society’s Beaujolais-Villages
Price: £7.50 - Buy From The Wine Society
Lighter styles of red like this one completely come into their own once the weather gets warmer. Made from the juicy-fruited Gamay grape, this is soft, supple and fresh with raspberry and blackberry fruit flavours. And the tannins (the stuff that clings to your teeth in red wine) are there but not so much that they interfere with the fruit. A glass of this with a plate of beetroot houmous on rye (I know, such a cliche) was a proper delight.
