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Fellow Wine Lovers,<\/span><\/p>\n Babies get born, there\u2019s an enormous fuss in the press, followed by a couple of rusks here and there, Lego, scooters and suddenly\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Schools out, summer\u2019s here (?) and thoughts of escape weigh heavy.\u00a0 But you\u2019re not alone \u2013UK residents made 55.5 million visits abroad in 2011.\u00a0 So where did we go?\u00a0 Using figures from the Office for National Statistics (2011), the list is not altogether surprising: Spain, France, Irish Republic, USA, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Netherlands and Turkey.\u00a0 <\/b>Add in a few other favourites: Great Britain, Egypt, Thailand, Australia<\/b> and we have a nice mix of destinations.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Fast forward to the escape itself, planned with near military precision, airport parking organised, flights booked, villa chosen, two weeks of sunshine, great food and fab local wine all beckon.\u00a0 The first four should look after themselves, the food will be great, as much because someone else is cooking it as because it is all fresh and local, and the wine…. not so sure?\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n The first approach would be to stick with what you recognise:\u00a0 in Spain, drink Rioja; in France drink Bordeaux; in Egypt, drink beer.\u00a0 As we said, thoroughly reasonable and safe.<\/span><\/p>\n Our approach would be to go native.\u00a0 Local wines are always made with local specialities in mind and very often you can uncover some real gems that you wouldn\u2019t normally consider in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n So, taking our preferred holiday destinations into consideration, what would we recommend you give a go whilst on your travels?<\/span><\/p>\n SPAIN <\/span><\/b>\u2013 a huge country with masses to offer beyond the realms of Rioja.\u00a0 In whites, look out for Verdejo <\/b>and Albari\u00f1o<\/b>.\u00a0 Verdejo is a fantastic, slightly fruitier, alternative to Sauvignon Blanc.\u00a0 Albari\u00f1o from Galicia is arguably the best wine to go with seafood \u2013 ripe slightly tropical fruits, medium weight body and lovely crisp acidity.\u00a0 In reds, I would thoroughly recommend old vine Garnacha, and for the Rioja fans, wines from Toro are made from the same grape but can carry a bit more punch.<\/span><\/p>\n FRANCE <\/span><\/b>\u2013 Many, many wine choices here but for me pick of the bunch: from the far south, where the oyster beds are, Picpoul de Pinet <\/b>has a lovely fresh but rounded lemon tang whilst Pinot Blanc<\/b> from Alsace is very food friendly and a great switch for those Chardonnay lovers. In reds, Malbec, <\/b>from Cahors, has a more savoury edge (and indeed blacker colour) than its contemporaries in Argentina and the reds (Gamay<\/b>) from Beaujolais offer similar light red fruit characteristics to red Burgundy, but without the price tag.<\/span><\/p>\n IRELAND<\/span><\/b> \u2013 er, Guinness…<\/span><\/p>\n USA<\/span><\/b> \u2013 look outside of California, investigate the Pinot Noirs<\/b> from Oregon and Washington state, and if you get the chance, ice-wine<\/b> from Virginia.\u00a0 All the states now produce some wine, so there is no excuse for not drinking local.<\/span><\/p>\n ITALY<\/span><\/b> \u2013 like Spain and France, wine is produced throughout the country so local works well \u2013Fiano<\/b> for zesty fruit with a bit of minerality in Campania, Pecorino<\/b> if you\u2019re in Abruzzo and fancy a really local variety that again will keep the Chardonnay crew contented.\u00a0 For reds, the rustic Cannonau <\/b>(local name for Grenache) in Sardegna, Primitivo <\/b>in Puglia.\u00a0 Lagrein<\/b> for a sort of Pinot Noir-a-like up in the Northeast, Barbera<\/b> in the Northwest and Moscato<\/b> just to cleanse your palate.<\/span><\/p>\n GERMANY<\/span><\/b> \u2013 if you\u2019ve not enjoyed a glass of Bernkastel Riesling Kabinett<\/b> on a warm summers day you\u2019ve missed a trick. Low in alcohol at around 9% with just a little sweetness for texture they are perfect afternoon wines. Further south walking in the Black Forest? Try a Sp\u00e4tburgunder<\/b> (Pinot Noir) or Grauburgunder<\/b> (Pinot Gris) from here.<\/span><\/p>\n PORTUGAL<\/span><\/b> \u2013 massively underrated, and with so much more to offer than Mateus Rose and Cliff Richard\u2019s Vida Nova.\u00a0 Grape varieties are hard to pronounce and remember but for your fish course Alvarinho, <\/b>for the same reasons we suggested Albari\u00f1o from Spain, and in the reds, wines from the Dao take a lot of beating.<\/span><\/p>\n GREECE<\/span><\/b> \u2013 there are some truly world-class wines coming out of Greece these days, the local wine is clean, fresh, and fruity too. If you\u2019re on Santorini do try local speciality white Assyrtiko<\/b> – Hatzidakis and Gaia are good producers.\u00a0 In the north, near Thessaloniki, perhaps try the spicy reds from Naoussa.<\/span><\/p>\n NETHERLANDS<\/span><\/b> \u2013Genever really needs to be tasted, partly to show how different it is from Gin.<\/span><\/p>\n TURKEY<\/span><\/b> \u2013 hmmmm…we\u2019ve no experience, so you\u2019re on your own here.<\/span><\/p>\n GB<\/span><\/b> \u2013 plenty of people practice the staycation option, and why not.\u00a0 Devon and Cornwall offer up an array of really great vineyards, personal favourites being Sharpham<\/b> just outside Totnes and of course the fantastic success story that is Camel Valley<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n EGYPT<\/span><\/b> \u2013 as discussed before, beer here!<\/span><\/p>\n THAILAND<\/span><\/b> \u2013 there are wines here \u2013 Monsoon Valley being the most famous, but they are made from international varieties and can sometimes suffer from the heat and humidity.<\/span><\/p>\n AUSTRALIA<\/span><\/b> \u2013seek out dry Riesling<\/b>, a grape that has really thrived in the cooler parts of South Australia and makes for a fantastic aperitif.\u00a0 In the red corner, you\u2019ve not lived until you\u2019ve given Sparkling Shiraz<\/b> a go \u2013 a classic Aussie invention, Shiraz with bubbles serve it chilled with a barbecue or a full English if you\u2019re feeling brave!<\/span><\/p>\n Tasting this weekend<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n So in the spirit of holiday beverages we\u2019ll taste Beyra Branco (\u00a310.99)<\/b> from some of Portugal\u2019s highest vineyards (700m), so far up the Douro they\u2019re nearly in Spain!<\/span><\/p>\n On the reds we\u2019ll be flying into Bari and heading out to taste Telero Negroamaro (\u00a39.99),<\/b> a velvety red, full of flavour and fantastic with tomato dishes!<\/span><\/p>\n