Northern Monk Ronseal Medium Oak best bitter

I have to say it was pure genius for Leeds brewer Northern Monk to come up with this collaboration* with Ronseal which of course carries the catchy slogan ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’.

The two beers have Ronseal-style branding, and have been colour matched with Ronseal Fence Life colours - ‘Medium Oak’ is a 4.5% Best Bitter and actually does do the job perfectly - it’s a good rich malty bitter of the type of which you feel John Major would approve though being in a can it definitely benefits from being chilled

There’s also a Saison which Saison lovers might not feel reflects the style quite so accurately but who could resist the pun "does exactly what it saison the tin". Not me for one. It’s more like a deliciously citrussy pale ale.

What would I pair them with? The Medium Oak with a good pork pie or a ploughman’s, the Saison with fish & chips (fried in beef dripping obvs)

You can buy them from the Northern Monk website at £4.00 for the Best Bitter and £4.60 for the Saison –- both in 440ml cans

*I presume this was the inspiration of Northern Monk’s ‘Creative Lead’ Thom Archer, which sounds a bit of a dream job. Nice work, Thom.

I was sent the beers as a press sample.

5 wines to buy from Lidl’s latest wine tour (August 2021)

Lidl has just released its latest limited release ‘wine tour’ selection. As I’ve mentioned before these aren’t quite the bargains they once were - only one is under £7 - but they all represent decent value for money, especially if you’re a fan of French wine.

Ventoux Blanc 2020 13% £6.99

If you like a relatively full-bodied white but would like a change from chardonnay this peachy Rhône blend should hit the spot. Would be good with roast or grilled chicken or pork.

Domaine des Deux Vallons Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2019 12.5% £7.49

Absolutely classic muscadet. Dry, fresh and crisp with just a touch of nuttiness from the lees contact. Perfect for raw shellfish (such as oysters), simply grilled fish and - and this may surprise you - sushi

Val de Salis Viognier Reserve 2020 Pays d’Oc £7.99

I wouldn’t have gone so far as to claim, as Lidl does, this is ‘outstanding’ or award it 91 points but if you’re a viognier fan it’s a good buy. Here’s what I’d pair it with.

My favourite food pairings with viognier

The reds are, if anything, even better value

Les Aumôniers 2019 Séguret Côtes du Rhône Villages 14.5% £7.49

A classic generous rich spicy Côtes du Rhône red that will take you into the autumn. Think beefy pies and stews

Collin-Bourisset Morgon Beaujolais 2019 £7.99

I love Beaujolais, particularly Morgon and this is a beaut, just brimming with gorgeous cherry fruit. And you almost never find it this cheap. I’m thinking charcuterie or a big pork chop.

Wine of the week: Maruxa Mencia 2019

I’ve got a bit of a thing about mencia at the moment so this bottle really hit the spot and for under £10 (on Majestic’s mix six deal) it’s great value

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the grape variety mencia is a vibrant juicy cherry-flavoured red from the north of Spain you’ll love if you’re into Beaujolais, or fruitier styles of pinot noir (though it’s not quite as sweet). It’s made by one of the best known rioja producers, CVNE, and has a really cool label too.

It’s great, as I recently discovered, with steak fajitas but also with a lot of Spanish food as you can see from this post.

The best food pairings for mencia

It would be great with a barbecue too.

While you’re in Majestic - and from much the same area - pick up a couple of their Winemaker Series Godello from Monterrei. Again Godello is native to that part of Spain and is generally quite similar to chardonnay but this version, which is made by the Rias Baixas winer Martin Codax, has a lovely fresh citrusy acidity that should appeal if you like sauvignon blanc. (Note it was the 2019 I tasted - I haven’t tried the 2020 yet)

It should go well with seafood as I suggest here, beetroot-cured salmon, and, perhaps surprisingly, caesar salad.

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.