
Without a doubt the best hour of the day!
I love the European tradition of a light snack and a glass of something nice at the end of the work day. That’s Aperitivo Hour. The time before dinner, winding down, catching up on news with friends and family.
In Spain families walking home from work will stop and lean on the outside window of the neighbourhood bar drinking a small glass of beer or wine and eating some patatas fritas (chips to you!) or a handful of olives.
In Italy you might sit down for a spritz made with a bitter aperitif like Aperol (there are many, many more!) or if you’re in Rome you might have a refreshing glass of one of the local fruity reds, topped up with lemonade!
In Germany or Austria it might be a white wine spritz (light, fruity white wine and soda water) – maybe from an Austrian Heuriger wine – the traditional, rustic, small scale wineries from the villages around Vienna.
And on the list goes…
This lovely tradition is something I’d like to see more in New Zealand, but it takes some shifts in not just our habits, but our attitudes to wine.
There’s often horror expressed at tastings when I suggest that a dash of soda water or (god forbid!!) an icecube in glass of wine might be a good idea for a lighter, refreshing drink. I distinctly remember a holiday in Marseille, going to gorgeous cliff-top bars for an afternoon drink and having my rose served with a big chunk of ice. I too was horrified – till I realised it was how everyone drinks the wine in the afternoon. It’s hot, the wine warms up quickly, and if you are going to have a couple watering them down a little is not a bad idea for the stroll to the restaurant afterwards.
Things like a Negroni – that great bitter, orange aperitif of northern Italy, a vermouth in Spain or even a good old G&T – are great ways to end the work day and whet your appetite for a relaxing dinner.
Be a little less precious about your wine: add a dash of soda or lemonade; try a nice chilled glass of vermouth; make up a refreshing jug of fruity white Sangria with whatever white wine and fruit you have on hand, even throw in a handful of mint from the garden – relax and enjoy!