InterWined recently received a series of private messages from the United States asking for some wine-buying guidance.

Many of the wines InterWined reviews are not easily obtained outside the UK: This is not due to a traditional supply/demand model, but rather based on fat cats in board rooms thinking they are better equipped to make our wine choices for us, based on where we live and how we spend.

In response to the messages from the States, InterWined recommended some wines from a Houston wine retailer called Specs — mainly white wine such as Albariño from Spain and Riesling from the Mosel and Rhine in Germany. These wines are great served slightly chilled and very versatile with food.

In fact a recent, celebratory dinner at Back to Basics in London proved the versatility of the Spanish Albariño, as it managed to compliment a diverse assortment of dishes from oysters on the half shell, parmesan-encrusted crabmeat served on a mushroom bed, halibut, and a mixed seafood platter to an exceptional and grassy steak.

For more on food pairings, be sure to read InterWined.com’s new weekly food & wine post, called ‘Blow the Bank’. Beginning this Friday and continuing each week, InterWined will surf the ‘net, dig out the old cookbooks, call its mother, and scour the supermarket shelves in a bid to pair one great, easy-to-prepare dish with one, fantastic wine.

In the meantime, here’s a recommendation for those hot summer picnics:

Get a bottle of Beringer Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (or similar California Sauvignon Blanc), £7 at Tesco, and widely available in the US. Pour a glassful into a tall tumbler over ice and sip through a straw. California Sauvignon Blanc is often filled with melon and citrus, but does not have a very enjoyable aroma in this price range, so it’s best to ‘keep it real’. But don’t go adding strawberries or lime wedges…it’s not a cocktail.
Simply pour the California Sauvignon Blanc over ice and sip…simple, refreshing, enjoyable and relaxing.

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