The Friday 5 #189

Being a journalist by trade I’m a bit sceptical about trends, the latest, winewise, being chillable reds

First of all these trends are rarely new and secondly if you start from a low base - as light reds probably do - any increase is going to seem dramatic.

My hunch is that most people who like red wine don’t want it light or cold. It’s the people who prefer whites and rosés - who enjoy them.

That said there’s definitely an argument for them at this time of year and I’ve picked seven that I think you might enjoy along with a reminder of which whites I rate from the Co-op which currently has 20% off any two white wines over £7.50 for Co-op members.

You might want to pick a couple up for our next online tasting which is on . . . .well, this was a hard one. Spain and Portugal were neck and neck but as we’ve not talked much about Portugal before let’s do that first. 6.30pm Monday September 7th, just to remind you.

(They’re a free perk for paying subscribers but you can join for as little as £5 if you want to come along)

Another perk is my monthly cookbook giveaway which this month is Nokx Majozi’s South African Cookbook.

You can enjoy a free taster here in the form of her recipe for Chicken Wings with Mango but if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning a copy you’ll need to be signed up as a paid subscriber to access the link.

What else this week?

• A recipe for a gorgeously creamy cheese dip from the same restaurant that brought you the epic Jambon Beurre I wrote about in my last post

• Why you should be making fattoush (see above) if you’re not already. (Spoiler: it’s a fabulously easy lunch for 1)

• And a brilliant way of tackling a reading slump if your summer reading hasn’t got off to the start you hoped.

I think that’s six items rather than five. Never mind, I’m feeling expansive.

Let’s get on with the wine …