Braving the BBQ this upcoming Bank Holiday weekend? Sam Wylie-Harris rounds up some lip-smacking reds

With the May Bank Holiday on the horizon, our thoughts turn to the great outdoors... and a barbecue of course.

No doubt scores of us will be firing up the grill in the hope of some summer sunshine and these food-friendly reds will enhance BBQ sauces, marinades and just about anything from the pit... or a Sunday roast if the clouds let us down.

SUNNY WINELANDS

A top-value, crowd-pleasing red, Nederburg 56 Hundred Shiraz 2014, South Africa (£5.75, Morrisons) will complement all the earthy flavours of a sweet and smoky BBQ sauce with its crushed blackberry and black cherry fruit, soft and juicy mouthfeel and a touch of smoky spice on the finish.

RUSTIC CHARM

Ideal for a mixed grill, you can build your meal around Saint Auriol 2014 Corbieres, France (£6.99, Waitrose) - a medium-bodied red from the Languedoc that marries dark berry fruits with notes of thyme, rosemary and herbal spice that will play nicely against sweet and smoky potatoes and veggies.

ITALIAN FLAIR

Great with barbecued meat, the montepulciano grapes in Finest Montepulciano D'Abruzzo La Francese 2014, Italy (£7, Tesco) are aged in oak to produce lush and woody sweet berry fruits with a hint of vanilla and a touch of mocha on the short, smooth finish.

SPANISH GEM

A delicious young Rioja, Ramon Bilbao Single Vineyard Rioja 2014, Spain (£9.49, Majestic) is an easy drinking blend of 70% tempranillo and 30% garnacha to spice up the plummy flavours and bring some richness to the party. With ripe aromas of sweet cherries and savoury red fruits, it's a perfect match with barbecue smoked pulled pork.

ACE AUSTRALIAN

Barossa is a powerhouse for shiraz and this intense black beauty is ripe and generous with enough spice, succulent sweet black fruits and toasty vanilla to enjoy on its own, or pair with juicy lamb cutlets on the barbie. Try Ebenezer & Seppeltsfield Shiraz 2013, Barossa Valley, Australia (£15, Marks & Spencer) and let your taste buds do the talking.

STAR PERFORMER

Michel Rolland Clos de Los Siete 2013, Mendoza, Argentina (£15.75, Sainsbury's) is a joint venture from Rolland and a handful of winemakers to produce a blend that reflects the very best of their bodegas. Malbec based with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and petit verdot, it hits all the right notes with seductive aromas of violets and spice leading to blackberry and plum laced with peppery spice on the velvety smooth palate. A must for an Argentine themed asado.

TOP TIER

If you fancy pushing the boat out this Bank Holiday, Numanthia 2011, Spain (£35.05, www.ocado.com) is a wine to swoon over. Made from old vine tinta de toro (part of the tempranillo family), this voluptuous red graces wine lists across the world and is powerful yet elegant and the perfect match with rib-eye steak. Rich and deeply perfumed, it's a symphony of blackberry, cedar and spice with lovely complexity and a luxurious long finish.

And if you're looking for more inspiration to reach for the charcoal and get saucy, try Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze (£1.99, supermarkets nationwide), the newest addition to the Jack Daniel's range of barbecue sauces.

BEST BUY

It's a wrap... Sailor Jerry's cult spiced rum is on a roll with four new bottle wraps being released this year. The first two limited edition designs have just hit the shelves and on a slick black bottle you can buy the Sailor Jerry gypsy design which represents good fortune; or the homeward bound ship (£20, 70cl, major supermarkets nationwide).

LIQUID NEWS

The naked truth... Majestic's beer loving customers have voted Twickenham Naked Ladies (12 x 50cl bottles, £29.40 a case/£2.45 a bottle, Majestic) the winning beer from its first ever Oktoberfest event held last October - and available in stores soon.

Craft beer is a rapidly growing category at Majestic and Naked Ladies is a "glorious golden ale flavoured with hops from England, Slovenia and America to give it a wonderful citrus edge and long bitter finish".

"Well done to Twickenham Fine Ales," says Matt Pym, head buyer, Majestic. "Naked Ladies is a fantastic, full-flavoured golden ale. As our Customer Beer Team has discovered, Majestic isn't just about wine. We have a better selection of craft beer and local beer than anyone else and the best people to guide customers through the range."

Twickenham Naked Ladies will be going into all Majestic stores nationwide from the summer.

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