Only in England. It could only happen in England , in an English summer ; a mini short-lived  heatwave in the south (as soon as the barbeque is lit the summer's gone), floods in the northwest, highest July rainfall for years , a hosepipe ban, a foreign national football team manager, cricket failure (with attendant disparaging critical press) quickly followed by cricket success (understated plaudits from the press), football disappointment in South Africa, annual disappointment at Wimbledon but no rain (the expensive state-of-the-art weather-proof roof has not been required since it was built) and, for added interest,  the country  saddled with a pushme-pullme coalition government. Never a dull moment. Bah to the Costas' daily sunshine - so warm, so reliable, so predictable. Where's the struggle in that?

But, hey, what an excuse to mix and change and try all sorts of drinks to fit the day's conditions. And what an impressive selection, variety and range of wines we now have. When I first arrived in England in 1955 there was little more than cream sherry and the like of "Rocamar" red table wine at the affordable end and everything else was mostly for the privileged few with the wherewithal. Now everything is possible and a great deal of it within most budgets. The supermarkets now carry very extensive and impressive ranges of wines from all over the World and the high street wine retailers offer superb knowledgeable service. I hope you find something to like in the following, and there's quite a choice.

Henley Regatta came and went and in super sunshine. This quintessential English festival, with its aura of Edwardian elegance, superb athletes and one of the best loved stretches of the Thames is perfect for a traditional glass of Pimms or champagne. Whilst the rowers gave their all (and there's no prize money at stake, it's for sporting camaradie and glory) we, of less physical prowess, settled for lunch by the riverbank. A Viognier Leduc Languedoc 2009 (look for it at about £8.00) went well with a terrine of salmon and crayfish with saffron.  This is a fresh and lively example of Viognier, light acidity, perfect for summer. My rating 80.  

We followed this with a Chateau Reynier 2006 Bordeaux (cabernet sauvignon and merlot) to accompany thyme and rosemary roasted chicken with artichoke. This is the club claret which I favour for its pleasant soft ripe fruit easy-drinking quality (£8.80). My rating 85.

Post-Regatta but in the same town and with the sun still shining, I tried another good summer white. Trebbiano IGT Rubicone Poggio della Quercia Emilia Romagna Veneto, Italia, NV. (£5.80) I can't resist giving you the whole name. Try saying it aloud and give it your best Italian lilt or, better still, sing it. Who cares what the wine is like? How could you not like it with such sing-song poetry? From the banks of the Rubicon river (yes, you know it from the Roman Caesars' crossings). A non-vintage easily quaffable fresh, dry, fruity, citrusy white. I know it's sacrilege, but I make it into a spritzer with good (Hildon) sparkling water, a couple of cubes of ice and the thinnest sliver of lemon. Great on a summers' day. My rating 75.

A bit of business got me out to Gibraltar for a couple of days, so I took the opportunity to look around and sample the local food and drink. I don't want to do any disservice to their tourist office but, my, what dismal food almost everywhere. So the exceptions easily stand out. Even some of the waiters I chatted to said they saved going out for a meal for when they were over the border in La Linea. I took a walk to the impressive modern marina in a great setting with its myriad bars, clubs and restaurants, largely carved out of land reclaimed from the sea. Visually it's stunning and at night it is full of twinkling lights reflected on the gently lapping sea. Wonderful beautiful yachts, against a hint of the dying sun as it disappears below the horizon, wafting music, chat and laughter. I tried a couple of the bars but didn't last long once inside; all indifferent service and poor interiors. What a waste of excellent  restaurant sites, all noisy, low ceilinged, with mishmash decor, over-fussy menus, top prices and rock bottom cooking. I even went back next day to ensure it wasn't me being fussy. But no improvement. At Bianca's restaurant, a noisy place with sound ricocheting from the low ceiling (and on my visit there was a gaggle of noisy shrill girls enjoying a reunion).We were three for dinner and all three meals were left hardly touched. We tried to keep the order simple (a vegetable lasagne, a vegetable risotto and fish cakes with parsley sauce. Uck to all three. I ordered a glass of Rioja and was served a barely drinkable plonk (and I drink most anything!). And just when things couldn't get worse, it did. A dreadfully out of tune trio just about topped it.

Thankfully, and now quite late, to the timeless elegance of the Rock Hotel. Impeccable service, impeccable cocktails and a light snack of fresh lovely food served al fresco high up on the Rock with wonderful views of the gardens below and across the bay of Algeciras and the sierras beyond. As we'd been late and not given it the attention it deserved, we returned next day for a fuller meal. We were immediately served a complimentary glass of Manzanilla ( a type of dry sherry with a salty tang) , a perfect aperitif before our starter of roasted sea scallops with pata negra (a wonderful cured ham) , garlic pommes purée and  a caper velouté , followed by slow braised pork belly with roast garlic and chorizo. With the starter we drank Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut, Cava; crisp, very dry clean tasting with low acidity and a good alternative to champagne. £6.64 at Waitrose Direct. My rating 80. 

With the braised pork we had Ribera del Duero "Crianza" Pesquera 2006 Tempranillo, by Alejandro Fernández. Wonderful silky smooth lightly oaked with forest fruit .I've seen it retail at up to £18.45 but it is widely available at about £16.70. My rating 92.

Once last attempt at finding decent local restaurant food in Gib took me to the lovely La Mamela restaurant (from a derivative Spanish word for breast- so named after the rock formation at the end of the beach resembling said mammary) an excellent, atmospheric fish eatery at the southern end of the beach in Catalan Bay.

Old fashioned courtesy and service, superb menu and reasonable wines. We had local fresh gallo, a type of dory, superb garnish and salad. A tad expensive, but real food to be highly commended.

I couldn't resist popping over into Spain for the couple of spare hours I had. I just have to recommend "La Velada" (at No.6 Calle Oviedo La Linea) a wonderful local tapas bar (more properly a meson - a sort of inn/tavern) run by Alicia and Andres, both of whom are excellent hosts. No tourist here, just regulars, where I was taken by my cousins. All manner of lovely local delicacies, fresh fish, tapas and a super selection of (predominantly Spanish) wines. If you're in the area, a worthwhile visit. I was so delighted that I promised Andres I'd give them a mention.

One of the pleasures of writing this blog is having to try new wines, something I relish. Another pleasure, most welcomed, are the comments, messages, recipes, samples and suggestions from friends (with occasional criticisms). Recently, for instance, my friend Pav staying with me recently, brought along a selection of bottles as a gift. These included wines from the award winning winery, Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Shiraz 2008, Australia (red), inexpensive for such quality, easiest to find on the internet at about £7.09. Medium bodied, subtle oak and spicy red berry fruit, with a long finish, a powerful partner for BBQs and lamb; and Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Chardonnay 2009, Australia (white) £6.50, an excellent chardonnay at an excellent price.

Another golfing friend, John from darkest Somerset, who offers comments from to time (some of it unprintable) sent me a bottle to try from his winemaker friend (www.latourdechollet.com), La Tour de Chollet 2007, cuvee classique, Sainte-Foy Bordeaux (12.5%).  I loved this wine, even if you allow that I'm a great fan of Bordeaux, a fruity un-oaked wine, predominately merlot with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. A bargain. Price for 6 bottles £47.94 direct from info@latourdechollet.com. My rating 92.                    (They also make a premium version 'Prestige' predominantly cabernet sauvignon and aged in oak barrels, but I've not yet tasted this).

My wife's cousin Guy, who lives close to the New Forest (I don't think it's in a tree, but who knows? The wife's family are a bit funny that way) hid a bottle for me to try , in the huge box of chocolates he brought her .But that hasn't been drunk yet, so I'll tell you about it next time.

One of my cousins in Spain handed me some local bottles, all of which he stressed were inexpensive, some of which I have now been consumed. Difficult to find in the UK but widely available in supermarkets across Spain:

Ojogalla El Clarete rose Bodegas los Tinos SA 11.5%. A decent rose which I enjoyed during our recent warm weather with a light al fresco lunch. Less than €5. My rating 80.

Dolce Prima 5 % Muscatel. A Moscatel wine, a naturally sweet wine, served very cold it's delicious on a sunny day, served at room temperature it's a decent dessert wine. Malaga is an excellent area for this wine type, of which is a good example. My rating 85.

Codorniu Herencia 1551 cava 11.5%. Produced by small family businesses with a small production. An excellent Sparkling Cava from Cataluña, pale straw yellow colour, unmistakable aromatic Chardonnay notes excellent balance between acidity and sugar. My rating 88. About €27, but free to me courtesy of cousin Paco. What a wonderful man!

As a Spaniard, I think that by now my compadres paisanos  would have expected me to celebrate Spain's wonderfully successful summer of sport and maybe gloat  the glut of  glory (with good grace of course) of the World Cup, Wimbledon, Tour de France and even the odd Formula 1 Grand Prix . What's to brag about? We didn't win any Golf majors. How about it Miguel Angel Jimenez? You only ever manage number 2.  But, hey, just all the above tastings should be celebration enough. It never ceases to amaze me just how much choice there is out there. And with the supermarkets outdoing one another it's easy to try something new inexpensively.

Went to Sunday lunch en famille with said friend Pav above. I had opted for a Greek restaurant, the Green Olive of which there are several in the South East. As Pav is of Greek origin we left the ordering to him, on the basis that speak the lingo and you get the better service. It didn't disappoint from the first ouzo to the last dregs of the wine. I've often had their Gaia Notios Agiorgitiko, 2008 Crete (red) and can recommend it. Very fruity style, bursting with ripe plum flavours. Greek friends tell me they like it chilled to go with a cold picnic (the restaurant price of a bottle is £25). But on a recent return visit, as I was going to be driving a few hours later in the day, I opted for water and a small glass of the house red. Now, house wine can be great and is usually great value, but this one was left after the first tentative sip. Instead I asked for a replacement, a rioja. And, presto, a new discovery for me ,so I asked to see the bottle and  it was an excellent Bodegas Artesa 2007 Rioja Crianza (13%).(restaurant price £20 bottle). In the shops at £7.75. My rating 85. I've since looked at their website where they list their menus and wine list (an excellent idea - which should be adopted more widely by restaurants) and they have an interesting eclectic list including wines from many countries. Well done Green olive.

One last addition: at a recent golf dinner (where the wine is usually supplied rather than chosen) I was taken by the red Esperanza Merlot Mendoza (13%) Argentina 2009. Impressively smooth, with salient spice, red fruit and a good longish aftertaste. A great drink at £4.79 at Majestic.

To those of you, friends and all, who've sent me comments and suggestions for inclusion, you're not forgotten. Please keep them coming, I'll get round to it all eventually.

We're in mid-summer and as temperatures start to recede it's time to think about replacing the light lunches- try this:

Chicken breast fillets with a rich sauce of peppers and tomato puree.

    2 chicken breast fillets.

    25gms cured ham (jamon).
    1 onion.
    1 green pepper
    1 red pepper
    1 aubergine (medium size)
    3 tablespoons tomato puree
    1 teaspoon chopped parsley
    1 tablespoon olive oil
   Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Dice the ham into small pieces, peel and chop the onion and peppers.

2. Peel the aubergine and cut into squares.

3. Season the chicken.

4. In an earthenware dish - fry the fillets in the oil, both sides.

5. Add the ham and sauté for a few seconds.

6. Add the onion and peppers and sauté for a few minutes.

7. Add the aubergine and sauté briefly.

8. Cover the pan and cook over low heat.

9. When the vegetables begin to brown add the tomato, salt to taste, and stir the mix a little.

10. When the sauce is well reduced serve, adorn with the chopped parsley.

Accompany with your choice from a chardonnay, a Chianti, Rosso di Montalcino, Rioja, or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you've made the dish tomato-rich go for one of the reds