The Winery Angel Rodriguez of Rueda of Castille-et-Léon

According to lifestyle and happiness guru Gretchen Rubin, you ‘bring your own weather to a picnic’. Ms Rubin, I’d suggest, has never shivered under a tree watching raindrops turn her fish-paste sandwich to mush because the weather forecast was wrong. There are, it’s safe to say, picnics and Picnics. It’s a term that takes in everything from a rubber baguette in a French ‘Aire’ off the Autoroute du Soleil to a four-course spread while listening to opera at Glyndebourne. What’s definitely true is ...

Severe drought and heatwaves have provided challenges for wine producers across Europe in 2022, from maintaining vine health to concerns about – and the impact of – wildfires. Early harvests have been a feature of the vintage and reports emerged this week of records being broken at some white wine-producing estates in Bordeaux. Spain’s Caserío de Dueñas estate in DO Rueda said it began a record early harvest on 16 August this year. While drought and heat have put pressure on yields in some regio ...

In a year when travel was almost impossible, wine has been a fine companion. In terms of varieties I have been drinking a vinous A to Z: everything from Albillo (Cebreros) to Zibibbo (Pantelleria, Italy). Specifically I have been enjoying Cariñena from Priorat and Rioja, plus Garnachas – white, red and hairy – from Terra Alta, Rioja and Gredos, as well as Greek Xinomavro from Naoussa and Xarel.lo from Catalunya. Scroll down for Sarah Jane Evans MW’s top 10 wines of 2021 Not forgetting Menc ...