Drink of the week: Quinta da Pedra Alta Pedra no 3 White Port

Given how hot it’s been over the last few days you might have already made yourself a few white port and tonics but if you’re not familiar with Portugal’s answer to the G & T get into it now!

Like ruby and tawny ports white port is slightly sweet in the case of this modern interpretation by Quinta da Pedra Alta quite pronouncedly so. In fact, on the rocks it tastes more like a strong dessert wine or even a slightly orangey liqueur (and a good match for melon and prosciutto, I imagine)

It’s still quite sweet with tonic added (I used an equal amount of Fevertree Light) so I personally like it better with soda - in fact more like 2:1 or even 3:1 with a sprig of mint to counteract the sweetness. Which of course makes it less alcoholic and more refreshing but if you’ve a sweet tooth just ignore that advice and tweak it to your own personal taste

It comes in a particularly pretty 50cl bottle (£18.01 hometipple.com, or £18.95 Master of Malt and would make a lovely present to take someone with whom you were going to dinner or staying the weekend.

Wine of the week: a cut-price Sauternes

If you’re unsure what to buy it’s always tempting to go for a big name but when you find you’ve got an equally good option at half the price it’s mad not to go for that.

Tesco’s finest Dessert Semillon is an Australian sweet wine, made for them by the respected De Bortoli which would be the perfect wine to have with the last of the summer fruit (especially peaches and nectarines). The 2015 vintage is light (just 10%), lemony (with a touch of apricot) and lusciously sweet and incredibly good value at £6 a half bottle.

The Sauternes is good too and will age better but I suspect you’re not going to do that and at twice the price it really doesn’t make sense to buy it just for the name. (There's a great value one coming up in Lidl at the end of the month though.)

Incidentally a half bottle may not look much but will easily serve 4 and even 5 or 6 if you serve it in small glasses. And because it’s sweet it should be really well chilled.

If you’re wondering what else to pair with the semillon it will go with similar food to Sauternes

The best food pairings for Sauternes

Graham’s Blend No 5 White Port

I must confess I’ve picked my drink of the week this week as much for its looks as its taste - though I like that too. It’s the first serious attempt I’ve seen to make port as appealing to the younger consumer as gin

As you can see the bottle is exceptionally pretty - scattered with images of fruit and herbs. It’s sweeter and more floral than most white ports and not as oxidised as the traditional style. I doubt if it’s seen any oak.

The serving suggestion is tonic but I found it a little sweet with a standard Indian tonic water and at the strength I would normally serve a P & T (50/50) I’d go for a slimline tonic and maybe up the proportion of tonic slightly.

At £21.25 (at Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange*) it's gin price too which is clever. It would be a great bottle to take to your weekend host as a gift.

If you're already a white port drinker and/or want a cheaper option, larger branches of the Co-op are stocking the Sandeman’s white port - also rather smartly packaged - for just £10.

* and slightly more in indies like Taurus £24.99

Wine of the week: Booths Manzanilla sherry

Chilled Manzanilla sherry is one of my favourite drinks at this time of year so I was impressed to come across this great value, full-size bottle at the Booths Christmas in July* tasting last week.

It's apparently made for them by Williams & Humbert and recently won the Manzanilla trophy at the International Wine Challenge. I also like the packaging - as you can see it comes in a lightly tinted glass bottle with a modern design. Best of all it’s only £7.75 which is an absolute steal.

If you don’t have a branch of Booths nearby, which you won’t if you live in the south of England, you can order it on Amazon Fresh where they confusingly list it as 'dry sherry red wine'. And that too is is only available in selected locations throughout the UK but if you can get hold of a bottle I certainly would.

What to pair with it? Well, almost any kind of seafood - a selection of fishy tapas would be perfect. You can see a full list of suggestions by clicking on the link below or a wider one in my ebook 101 Great Ways to Enjoy Sherry.

The best pairings for fino and manzanilla sherry

*No, I don’t want to think about it either but all the retailers showcase their ranges around now.