Good Pair Days | June’s Box

This post is a little later than planned, but I’ve genuinely only just finished the four bottles in this box, and I’ve had another box arrive since then. Needless to say, with holiday season coming up, I’ve had to pause my next box – a shame, but it needs to be done.

If you saw my introductory post to Good Pair Days, then you’ll know I upped my contents from three bottles to four – which I think is much better value. A three bottle box cost £30 (plus £5 delivery), or you could pay £40 for four bottles and delivery included… so the way I see it, I’m getting than fourth bottle for a fiver, which is an absolute barg! I decided to order one bottle of sparkling wine, one rosé and two bottles of white.

Let’s take a look at the wines…

Wine #1: Cortese
Araldico – Piedmont, Italy

These days, I think I actually prefer white wine to rosé and I loved this wine, which was very fresh – with notes of green apple and citrus. I found it made a great aperitif and don’t remember what I ended up pairing it with, food-wise. The recipe card suggests a fried goat’s cheese salad with almonds which sounds simply dreamy and a perfect light bite for summer. As I enjoyed a glass (or two) pre-meal, it would definitely be suited to snacks or a tapas-stye spread.

Wine #2: Macabeo
Delincuente – Aragon, Spain

Another crisp and easy-drinker, this white wine had notes of citrus and peach. It’s not a grape I’ve had before – it certainly doesn’t ring a bell, and perhaps isn’t as mainstream – but it was pleasant on the palate and went with so much! I paired it with this Spanish-inspired traybake, as well as a sweet chilli salmon and vegetable rice dish. I’d definitely buy this wine again. The recipe card also suggested pairing with chicken – for a chicken & mango salad, which is definitely a bit of me (I’m loving a salad, at the minute, and also love the addition of fruit in salads, so interesting) and something I’d make and eat – with or without wine!

Wine #3: Rosé
Borsao – Campo de Borja, Spain

This was quite a dry rosé – despite the predominant notes being red fruits, like strawberry –but again I found it complemented so many different kinds of dishes: white meat, red meat, seafood, snacks… again, even as a cheeky aperitif! Or even just a glass for fun in the bath! I do love a Spanish wine and I also love the sound of this food pairing – a Hawaiian-inspired tuna poke bowl. I’ve got a lot of mealtime inspiration, that’s for sure!

Wine #4: Italian Sparkling
Bacio Della Luna Blanc de Blancs – Veneto, Italy

I love me an Italian sparkling wine, whether it’s prosecco or not, it doesn’t matter. I wish I could remember when I drunk this now and what I paired it with, but for the life of me, I cannot remember! What I do know is the bottle shape was just gorgeous and I loved how this was a lightly sparkling wine which left a little fizz on the tongue, but was packed full of fruity flavours, despite being dry – think fruits such as apple, pear and peach – which also meant it was an easy-drinker. Apparently, sparkling wines are well suited to picnic-style feasts and even fast food (who knew fried chicken and fries would go so well?!) – so it was no surprise to see the food pairing was for Korean Fried Chicken (the only KFC I want).

I was really happy with the selection of wines this month – although for July’s box, I decided to mix it up and receive two bottles of sparkling instead. I’m enjoying trying different grape types and can’t wait to do more of the palate and preference quizzes! I do wonder if I’ll ever find my actual favourite, or if I am just a wine lush…

If you’d like to sign up to Good Pair Days, then visit the website and if you use my referral code CHILI549821, you’ll receive the fabulous, branded cheeseboard cooler (worth £50) with your first box. Perfect for summer barbecues, picnics and parties – even if I do say so myself! And don’t forget to download the app to accumulate points to spend in-store.

Love, Lucy xx