Words by Marianna Hunt
Gone are the days of stuffing oneself with cheap, lukewarm booze and pork pies: Brits are becoming more particular about their picnic habits, investing in stylish wine coolers and ergonomic cutlery sets.
A quality picnic setting requires quality food and wine pairings, and from English sparkling wine and caviar egg mayonnaise to orange wine and halloumi salad, here are 10 of the best gourmet pairings to impress your friends and family.
Cosmetics Palacio Blanco Reserva Rioja 2018
This Spanish white wine isn't just for summertime sipping: the grapes are hand-selected from vines that are over 40 years old, giving it a richness and fullness that younger vines just can't match.
Produced in one of Rioja's finest sub-regions, it is aged for 24 months, including 10 months in oak barrels, giving it extra texture and richness.
Smell the sweet, buttery aroma and you'll be transported to the door of a Spanish bakery, with visions of little old ladies bringing in trays oozing with freshly baked goodness.
Finish off with a rich, buttery pastry – De Nadas' cheese-filled empanadas (available for nationwide delivery) are perfect, or failing that, their homemade cheese quiche will do the trick.
Price: £25.99
Buy from: vinofandango.co.uk
Orange natural wine Cramer Recas
Orange wine and natural wine are both experiencing a bit of a boom, so this beautiful wine from Romania is right on trend.
Orange wine is made from the juice of white grapes, but (unlike white wine) the skins are left intact for much of the winemaking process, giving it the structure and richness of a red wine.
Sharp and zesty, with prominent flavours of orange, quince and pear.
Serve with a fresh, tangy salad of carrots and fresh orange, topped with chunks of grilled halloumi for a creamy, salty finish.
Price: £12
Buy from: ocado.com
Chateau Peyrassol 'XIIIE' Organic Rosé 2023, Cotes de Provence
Forget Whispering Angel: this classy Provencal rosé wine has a history that dates back to 1204, when the vineyards were first established by the Knights Templar.
It has all the finesse and freshness you'd expect from a great Provençal rosé wine – rose petals and fresh red fruit – but there's enough structure to keep it from being bland, and the slightly salty finish means you can practically taste the Mediterranean breezes blowing in from nearby St. Tropez.
For structure and savory flavour, good seafood is essential, and Wright Brothers, the online fishmonger beloved by Michelin-starred chefs, boasts the freshest selection: try the mackerel pate, dressed crab and jarred shrimp.
Price: £23.99
Buy from: majestic.co.uk
Burn Valley Vineyards Chardonnay 2022
Sparkling wine in the UK is booming, but the real improvement in quality is in still wines.
This Chardonnay, from Burn Valley in North Norfolk, won the gold medal for Best Still Wine at this year's Independent English Wine Awards, and it's easy to see why.
Winemaker Matt Abbey describes 2022 as “an ideal vintage.” Ripe fruit reveals aromas of honeysuckle, white peach and nectarine. The wine will be aged in oak for a period, which will give it a slightly smoky richness.
The oak notes are a perfect match for a smoky, umami dip (ideally with an eggplant base), and the wine's acidity complements the creamy texture — Pelagonia has a great selection — and both are best mopped up with the spongy flatbread.
Price: £24.99
Buy from: burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk
Champagne H Blanc Rose de Saigner NV Brut
No big celebratory picnic is complete without a glass of pink champagne, and this one from Maison à Blanc is very special: it's limited edition and made from 100% Pinot Meunier grapes, which is unusual, but it's a shame considering how good the wine made from it is.
It is then aged for several years (minimum 12 months for Champagne) on the yeast left over from fermentation, which gives it those classic biscuit notes. It tastes like an indulgent Black Forest cake: creamy, moody and bursting with red fruit.
As good as most foods are, a sumptuous chocolate dessert is the perfect choice for an indulgent picnic: luscious and velvety, but not too sweet, and, like the wine, full of fresh red fruit, the ideal dessert.
Price: £59.99
Buy from: adnams.co.uk
Jardin de Rose AOP Languedoc Rosé
When you think of salmon-pink rosé wine, you probably think of Provence, but perhaps just as delicious (and often less expensive) pink wines can be found further west in France's Languedoc region.
Take a sniff and you'll find yourself in a beautiful cottage garden with early-flowering roses and the first strawberries and raspberries starting to peek out from the trees.
It's currently on sale at Waitrose so be sure to take advantage of this great price.
For a more delicate flavour, a bagel with lightly smoked salmon (again, Wright Brothers is a good choice) and a dollop of cream cheese is perfect.
Price: £10.99
Purchased at: waitrose.com
Albariño Mar de Frades 2023
This wine scores extra style points with its slim, ultramarine-blue bottle, which has a heat-sensitive label that reveals a tiny boat illustration once the liquid inside has reached the ideal temperature (helpful when deciding whether or not to grab it out of the icebox at your picnic).
Albariño from Galicia, on the northwest coast of Spain, tastes like a fresh sea breeze.
The taste is very refreshing, with aromas of green apples, but also light floral notes and a slightly salty aftertaste.
Galicia is famous for its seafood, and this white wine is the perfect match for fine, plump shrimp slathered in garlic, herbs and plenty of zesty lemon.
Price: £20.95
Buy from: vinissimus.co.uk
Majestic English Sparkling 2019, Kent's Definition
No English picnic is complete without English sparkling wine. This is not something the beginner should “try.” Majestic has partnered with top winemaker Nick Lane, who has worked for Dom Pérignon and Cloudy Bay. The grapes come from a corner of Kent with similar geology to Champagne, and are the classic Champagne varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier).
Rather than going for the overly biscuit flavors of vintage French sparkling wines, Lane went for a lighter, more summery style with Granny Smith and fresh lemon.
Use its tartness to counteract the richness of the creamy egg mayonnaise spread on the sourdough, and if you're feeling really indulgent, add a little caviar, too.
Price: £29.99
Buy from: majestic.co.uk
Secret 2020
No matter the weather, there's always that one friend who asks for red wine, and that's totally okay.
This elegant red comes from Ribera del Duero, a wonderful region of Spain known for its full-bodied wines. This particular wine is packed with high acidity and bright fruit flavors (ripe blackberry, blackcurrant, plum) that keep it from feeling like a heavy winter wine.
Perfect with smoked meats and cheeses, The Artisan Smokehouse's Continental Hamper has you covered – owners Tim and Gill make a delicious juniper smoked duck.
Price: £19
Buy it at: thewinesociety.com
Domaine Belle Avenir Fleury “Poncey” 2022, Beaujolais
If you want to drink red wine but it's too hot for something heavy, Beaujolais is the place to go. Wines from this once-scorned region of France have been getting better and better and (for now) still offer great value.
Wines made from the Beaujolis crus are generally light, low in alcohol and best served chilled, making them the perfect wine for a summer picnic.
Wickham's has an excellent selection of Beaujolais crus from the village of Fleury, known for producing delicate, floral wines of the highest quality, with silky tannins and subtle hints of spice that pair perfectly with fine French charcuterie such as pates and terrines.
Ocado has a good range and we particularly like Findlater's duck liver.
Price: £17.50
Buy from: wickhamwine.co.uk
