​Pink wine and sunshine, please!

So said Lord Tennyson and perhaps this was true in his day, when the very merry month of May was characterised by rolling green pastures bathed in golden sunshine and inhabited by lusty squires performing feats of strength to impress the comely maidens. Indeed, I seem to remember the Springtimes of my own boyhood being similarly idyllic.

And yet, this year, despite all the terrible warnings about global warming, with only a very few exceptions my temperature gauge has struggled to reach double figures. Gazing out the window of my study, the view from my lovely home, Rose Cottage, has predominantly been one of grey clouds, wet flowers and an unrelentingly bleak, forlorn landscape. And with the exception of my darling wife, the enigmatic Madame G., there has been a dire shortage of comely maids or even maidens. In short, miserable!

To soothe my sorrows, I have been sipping upon perhaps one too many glasses of today's Wine of the Week, the rustic, superbly rounded and satisfyingly savoury 2021 Porta 6 Lisboa (£7.50, Tesco). A light-bodied, lubricious palate with plenty of berry and cherry flavours which are nicely balanced by soft tannins before a lingering finish with hints of black pepper, this Portuguese red will benefit from being served very slightly chilled alongside pork or poultry. Those of us who refused to succumb to the despair that the inclement weather of March and April encouraged, who fondly remembered the long hot summers of their youth and trusted that the clouds would one day part should finally this week have had our reward. Just as surely as the sap rises in the tree each year, so we told ourselves shall the sap rise in us. So what shall we drink now that these glorious days have arrived?

Although we tend to think of rose wine as a summer drink, despite our awful climate it continues to be the fastest growing wine category in the U.K. with sales increasing by an average of 24% each year. Admittedly, you don't see too many men ordering a splash of pink in our bars and restaurants but my own informal and strictly off-the-record survey of friends, family and colleagues reveals that quite a few gents are happy to sink the pink at home, behind closed doors. On Sunday past, I joined them.

Madame G. and I raised a toast to our forthcoming sojourn in la bella Italia with several large glasses of the delicate, deliciously dry salmon-pink 2022 Taste the Difference Dolomito Pinot Grigio Blush (currently £7.50, Sainsbury's). Teeming with bright redcurrant, raspberry and strawberry flavours this is, to quote my very eloquent Madame, a vibrantly aromatic, veritable mouthful of summer in a glass. Or you may prefer the zesty, elegant, thoroughly refreshing and upbeat 2022 Moschofilero Assyrtiko (£10, M&S). This crisp and complex Greek rose made from highly distinctive, indigenous grapes has a fulsome floral bouquet which leads to soft red berry and forest fruit flavours. Nicely balanced with hints of sharper citrus on a rich palate before a brisk, tingly and mouth-wateringly fresh finish. An ideal match to poultry or seafood and will be perfect for any picnics or garden parties you may have planned this weekend. Please stay away, rain!

Lovers of white, you are not forgotten. Today's final selection is the lively, intriguing and mineral-rich 2020 M&S Classics Gavi (£8). This is a versatile, food-friendly wine, ideal for seafood or salads. Made from Cortese, perhaps Piemonte's finest white grape, this smooth, citrussy and impressively tart drop is just one of an impressive range of popular wines at affordable prices- M&S Classics- well worth checking out.

All this talk of wine and sunshine and comely maidens has made this not so young man's thoughts lightly tend towards love, the great rejuvenator! As Yeats once opined, the only things worth writing about are sex and death. I assume he was including love in both spheres. Ponder on that over your red, white or even pink wine. Which seems like the most appropriate time to take my leave of you today. Till next week, tipplers, sante!