ONLINE WINE TASTING - Wham Bam, Uncle Sam! USA 4th July Special

July the Fourth is American Independence Day, a very special day for those on the other side of the pond, so why don’t we raise a glass or two and join in with their celebrations?

The USA has been making waves with its wines for many years, and they regularly outperform more established European names in comparative tastings. Demand for the top wines is such that they command stratospheric prices – anyone for a bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet at £2,500? Or for one of their Sauvignon Blanc at (yes) twice the price??

Thankfully there are many wines at more affordable levels, and we’ll be sampling two for this tasting. The white is a Chardonnay full of the warmth of the Californian sunshine, but reined in by some cool Pacific breezes. And the red is a Zinfandel, a grape that is European in origin but which excels in this part of the world, making wines that seem to be tailor-made for barbecues.

I would recommend buying in advance:

1 bottle of Californian Chardonnay – ideally head to Sainsbury’s and buy either Chateau Souverain (£9.50) or the Taste The Difference Californian Chardonnay (£10). Dark Horse is more widely available but not as good. If you’re a Majestic customer, go for the Bread & Butter Chardonnay.

1 bottle of Californian Zinfandel – and the red stuff, not the pink! Again, the Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference wine is decent, other names to look in supermarkets include Brazin (Waitrose) and Carnivor (widely available).

A WORD OF WARNING: good US wines don’t come cheap, so don’t be tempted to buy cheaper versions…

Both are big bold wines, so you might want to lay in some big bold food to accompany – lobster with the Chardonnay and a burger with the Zin would be perfect!

One ticket will entitle everyone in your household to attend this tasting – make sure you have enough wine to go around!