Drink of the week: Mumosa

Yes, it’s dead cheesy and the colour is a bit Peppa Pig but I suspect it would bring a smile to your mother’s face: M & S’s special Mother's Day version of a mimosa or Buck’s Fizz as it’s more commonly known - a blend of sparkling wine (well, actually still wine with a bit of CO2) and orange juice

The colour, I suspect, comes from the added concentrated raspberry juice and - weirdly - concentrated black carrot juice which you can't pick up btw.

It’s a touch sweet for me but you could always tweak it with a little pink grapefruit juice or pimp it with an extra dash of prosecco (it’s only 4%) And it does save you having to make a Mother’s Day cocktail.

When I picked it up in an M & S store the other day it was a fiver but may have been reduced. Or if you've got an Ocado delivery lined up for the weekend it's on offer at £3.50 and just ££2.50 if you buy 6 bottles from M & S online which you probably wouldn't get by Mother’s Day but you never know.

3 roses from Aldi to drink right now

At the first sign of spring we all think rosé but ironically, when it comes to cheaper bottles at least, now is not the best time to buy it.

That’s because the 2020 vintage from the northern hemisphere - countries like France, Spain and Italy - is now tasting a bit tired while the new 2021 vintage has only just been bottled and hasn’t quite settled down.

That can mean you get an aroma of acetone (the solvent that is used in nail varnish remover) which disappears after a few weeks in the bottle.

Not all wines exhibit it though and there are still some 2020s around that are drinking well so here are a couple from the recent Aldi tasting that represent particularly good value for money

Aldi Specially Selected Côtes de Gascogne rosé 2021 £6.99 12%

Slightly fruitier and a touch sweeter than your average Provence rosé but still what most of us would regard as dry this clever 7 grape blend of merlot, marselan, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, tannat and colombard would make for a lovely spring aperitif.

Winemaker’s Lot Côtes de Provence rosé 2020 13% £7.49

From the 2020 vintage rather than the latest 2021 this has had some time to settle. Made from grenache, syrah and cinsault it’s bone dry and quite savoury with a really nice creamy texture I can see going really well with shellfish or fish soup. (And a couple of quid cheaper than Aldi’s Specially Selected Provence rosé though that is good too)

Diora La Belle Fête Californian Pinot Noir rosé 2020 12% £9.99 (can’t find this online so may only be in store)

I normally run a mile from Californian rosé which tends to be far too sweet for me but this much drier rosé is really rather appealing and beautifully bottled which would make it a good buy for Mother’s Day. As well as pinot noir it includes a smidge of grenache, syrah, chardonnay and malbec. Drink it with a summery spread of cold meats and salads or maybe baked or poached salmon.

Wine of the Week: The Society’s Exhibition Rioja Reserva 2017

There are apparently only low stocks left of The Wine Society’s Exhibition Rioja Reserva 2017 which should encourage you to snap up a few bottles if you're a member.

You might say with some justification that you can’t get a rioja for less than the £16 it costs but this is a particularly good buy, made for the Society by La Rioja Alta which normally charges a good bit more for its wines (Their 2015 Viña Ardanza Reserva, for example, is just under £26 at Lay & Wheeler)

It’s made very much in the traditional mellow oak-aged style and is drinking really well right now. It would be the perfect wine for Easter if you’re having planning to have roast lamb or beef.

The best food pairings for rioja

If you're looking for another wine to make up a case I really like the latest vintage of the Society's Exhibition Santorini Assyrtiko at £14.95, a bright zesty white that would be great with taramasalata, olives, tsatziki and other meze as well as spanakopita, pretty well any kind of seafood and grilled lamb.

Two cheap South African Fairtrade sauvignon blancs

If you want to do your bit for Fairtrade projects during Fairtrade fortnight the good news is that you can do yourself a favour in the process. The Co-op which has consistently been the greatest supporter of Fairtrade wines has two well-made, well-priced South African sauvignon blancs which any savvy blanc lover should snap up

The first is the irrepressible Bruce Jack’s Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Breedekloof 12.5% which they’re currently selling at £7 a bottle. It’s bright zesty and citrussy - the kind of crowdpleasing white you could take along to a party or drink with your Friday night fish and chips.

But if that’s not inexpensive enough for you try their own label Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc 2021 12.5% which is on offer at £5.50 until March 15th and, better still, £4.50 if you’re a Co-op member. Again it’s fresh and citrussy though maybe a fraction smoother, rounder and less punchy than Jack’s. Brilliant at the price though and a good all-rounder with all kinds of seafood and salads

You must wonder though, as I did, how much money goes to Fairtrade projects? The back label says that the wine “has funded a range of social projects in South Africa ranging from crèche facilities for pre-school children through to the renovation of an old people’s home and drug awareness facilities.”

The Co-op adds

• Vineyards that are Fairtrade certified receive at least the Fairtrade Minimum Price when they sell their wine (grapes) to a trader on Fairtrade terms. This protects against sudden price shifts and enables producers to plan beyond the next planting and harvesting cycle. The Fairtrade Minimum Price for wine (grapes) varies depending on the cost of living and business in each origin area and on its cultivation method (it is higher for organic than for conventional cultivation).

• The Fairtrade Premium – extra funds paid on top of the sales price – enables small-scale farmers and vineyard workers to invest in social, economic and environmental improvements.

It can’t be a lot per bottle though I imagine the volume of sales the Co-op generates on Fairtrade products must be considerable.

Oh and while you’re in the Co-op I would also buy the Fairtrade red I recommended last year, the 2019 Don David Blend of Terroirs Malbec-Malbec from Argentina, a delicious full-bodied red which is tasting really well at the moment and well worth £9.