Summer Sips: Discover Olly Smith’s Favourite Wine & Food Pairings

Whether you’re firing up the barbecue, packing up a picnic basket, or hosting a sunny weekend get-together, nothing elevates a summer meal quite like the perfect wine. To help us celebrate the warm season in style, TV presenter and wine expert Olly Smith has hand-picked his ultimate summer favourites from our award-winning Morrisons The Best wine collection. From crisp whites to sparkling pinks and barbecue-ready reds, Olly shares his tasting notes and delicious pairing ideas with food straight from our Market Street counters.

Sparkling & Celebration Bubbly

Nothing says summer celebration like popping the cork on a chilled bottle of fizz. Whether you’re setting up a spread in the garden or enjoying tapas with friends, these sparkling gems are guaranteed to bring the sunshine.

Morrisons The Best Prosecco Rosé DOC

• Olly’s Take: "Ripe and fruity as a wild strawberry in a sparkling sunbeam, this bright fizz is a delight to chill with all summer long. With freshness that soars over the palate, this colourful bubbly is spot on to serve with light bites from picnics to parties. Pop this liquid party!"

• Perfect Pairing: Ideal for charcuterie boards, outdoor picnics, and light party nibbles

Morrisons The Best Marqués de los Ríos Cava Brut

• Olly’s Take: "Imagine a coil of lemon peel springing from a bottle and you’ve got this dazzling Spanish sparkler. A wine of lively bubbly brilliance, it cascades over the palate with the crunch of citrus sherbet. Packed with appley refreshment and thrilling zing, it’s ace with tapas and light bites."

• Perfect Pairing: Pair with hot tapas dishes and 3 for 2 party snacks.

Morrisons The Best Crémant De Limoux Rosé

• Olly’s Take: "Seriously fun bubbly that’s top quality as well as great for entertaining. Think strawberries, cherries and redcurrants all bursting with beautiful vitality! Crisp with a fresh finish, pop this fizz for a summer celebration or to pair with light bites."

• Perfect Pairing: Serve chilled with a classic pork pie from our Market Street Deli or fresh outdoor summer salads

Sunshine Rosés

Light, vibrant, and bursting with berry charm, rosé is the quintessential drink of British summer.

Morrisons The Best Pale South African Rosé

• Olly’s Take: "Peachy and bright with aromas of red fruit finesse, this rosé is superbly silky for sharing on warm days. Elegant and vibrant, it’s instantly appetizing and gorgeous to serve cold with snacks and picnics. With moreish depth, it’s awash with freshness that’ll keep your palate refreshed in the heat."

• Perfect Pairing: Brilliant alongside cured meats, cheeses, and crusty bread.

Morrisons The Best Touraine Rosé

• Olly’s Take: "This easy bright zinger has aromas of raspberry and pops like a redcurrant flashbulb every time you sip it! Dynamic and delicious, it’s the freshness of this French gem that pairs so beautifully with fish and shellfish. Top notch rosé with long-lasting flavours to keep your tastebuds tantalized."

• Perfect Pairing: Pick up fresh garlic butter prawns or dressed crab from our Market Street Fishmonger.

Morrisons The Best Marlborough Sauvignon Blush

• Olly’s Take: "Pale as a sunbeam’s glance, this rosé feels like a strawberry in a passionfruit disco. Zinging, fun and refreshingly fruity - if you already love Marlborough Sauvignon, you’re going to love this. Great to share with friends in the summer, it’s a wine that’s packed with exotic flair."

• Perfect Pairing: Fresh seafood bowls and light, crunchy summer salads.

Refreshing Whites

From lunchtime sips to rich bottles built for barbecues, these whites showcase the very best of summer produce.

Morrisons The Best Vinho Verde

• Olly’s Take: "A tropical zinger with a gentle spritz and lower alcohol, this is the ultimate lunchtime summery white! Fabulous with lighter dishes such as shellfish, the scented bright character of this fresh Portuguese refresher is key to its charm. Easy and breezy, it’s a top crowd-pleaser to sip in the sunshine."

• Perfect Pairing: Light picnic snacks, grazing plates, and fresh shellfish.

Morrisons The Best Picpoul

• Olly’s Take: "A great wine to pour with fish and shellfish, since the grapes for this lemony white grow so close to the sea! Zesty, pure and with slinky texture, keep it on standby in the fridge all summer as it makes such a thrilling aperitif. Fresh as a cool sea breeze!"

• Perfect Pairing: Salmon fillets or shellfish cooked fresh from the Fishmonger counter.

Morrisons The Best Grillo

• Olly’s Take: "Scented as orange blossom, this Italian white is spot on to pair with warm days and simple dishes. Delicious! With floral flair, it’s a great choice to sip outdoors in the garden with light bites and simple dishes. Flourishing with freshness, it’s a bottled sunbeam of a wine."

• Perfect Pairing: Seafood linguine, light pasta dishes, or garden appetizers.

Morrisons The Best Grenache Blanc

• Olly’s Take: "Aromas of apple and honeysuckle and flavours of fulsome apple with subtle spice, a total winner with bold barbecued meats. A white that’s stacked with fruity richness, it can handle spicy dishes as well as the smokiest meats – try it with spicy pork for a match made in heaven."

• Perfect Pairing: Barbecued pork belly or spicy grilled pork ribs from Market Street Butchery.

Morrisons The Best Adelaide Chardonnay

• Olly’s Take: "Hunting a white for a barbecue? This peachy bottle has the right richness for pairing with the entire outdoor feast. There’s a subtle savoury depth that feels deliciously moreish and the texture of the wine has a luxuriant satin finish. Loaded with mellow refreshment, it’s this summer’s hidden gem."

• Perfect Pairing: Grilled chicken skewers or smoky pork steaks on the grill.

Summer Reds

Who says red wine is just for winter? From chilled fruit-forward reds to big, bold barbecue pairings, Olly shares how to bring out the best in red wines when the sun is shining.

Morrisons The Best Beaujolais

• Olly’s Take: "Soft, light and ripe, this light red is ideal for serving chilled to pair with light bites from the deli. Chilling it enhances the wine’s fruitiness and makes it feel like a ripe squishy blueberry. Especially lush with charcuterie, it’s about as summery as red wine gets."

• Perfect Pairing: Pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes and serve alongside Market Street deli meats and cured cheeses.

Morrisons The Best Gran Reserva Chilean Pinot Noir

• Olly’s Take: "Top level Pinot Noir has elegance, silkiness and memorable finesse. This one from Chile has all that and more, with extra perfume, intriguing spice and a lift of freshness all rolled into one. Some of the grapes for this wine are from a famous vineyard."

Perfect Pairing: An elegant evening red to enjoy with roast duck or grilled mushroom skewers. Morrisons The Best Carmenere Reserva

• Olly’s Take: "A treat with barbecued meats, this red has plenty of welly with subtle spice and dark rich fruit. Enjoy its spicy scent and scrumptious intensity – unique to this grape variety that was once thought extinct! Just the ticket for smoky barbecued meats, it’s also great with spicy rubs and marinades."

• Perfect Pairing: Rump steaks or marinated spicy beef ribs straight off the barbecue.

Morrisons The Best Californian Zinfandel

• Olly’s Take: "Zinfandel with a massive fruity character - this one feels a bit like a blueberry the size of the Moon! With full ripeness as well as hearty spice, it's a wine that's superb with barbecued dishes and can take on the biggest flavours on the menu. Unleash this exuberant red!"

• Perfect Pairing: Gourmet beef burgers topped with cheese and smoky grill marinades.

Olly’s Top Pick: Morrisons The Best Fitou

• Olly’s Take: "A real favourite that's nothing short of epic in its sense of harmony. Rich and peppery with a delightful hint of perfume, it's a red that's well worth decanting into a jug before you serve it in glasses - it’s like turning up the volume on all those tantalizing aromas and flavours."

• Perfect Pairing: Decant and pair with rich, savoury meat dishes and hearty summer roasts.

Olly’s Top Tips for Summer Wine Serving

1. Chill Your Light Reds: Don't hesitate to give lighter reds like Beaujolais a brief 30-minute chill in the fridge before serving. It draws out the juicy berry notes and makes them hugely refreshing on hot days!

2. Decant for Max Flavour: For richer reds like Olly’s favourite Fitou, pouring the wine into a glass jug 20–30 minutes before serving allows oxygen to unlock deeper aromas and smoother textures.

3. Match Weight with Food: Pair crisp, acidic whites (like Picpoul) with delicate seafood, and save full-bodied whites (like Adelaide Chardonnay or Grenache Blanc) for smoky, glazed meats from the barbecue grill.

Explore the full range of Morrisons 'The Best' Wines in store and online today, and pair your bottles with fresh produce straight from our Market Street butcher, fishmonger, and deli counters!