Picking the Perfect Picnic Wine

Well, we’re coming to the end of picnic month here at Oregano. But that doesn’t mean that picnicking season is over – oh no – it is just beginning. Two weeks’ ago we talked to Dawn from TheSampler – a fabulous Islington wine merchant and our top choice for your alcoholic al fresco beverages. This week, we’ll be sharing Dawn’s picks for the perfect picnic wine to go with your pizza. Commence drooling…now!

1) “Passitivo” – Primitivo, Puglia, 2013

Dawn’s first choice comes - very aptly - from the same place as owner Stefano! One of Puglia’s greatest wines, Primitivo is produced using a rare winemaking technique called ‘il giro del picciolo’ which involves twisting the grape bunch stems so that no further nourishment reaches the grapes about days before picking. This causes the grapes to dry out naturally on the vine, thus concentrating the flavours. This Primitivo is a full-bodied, smooth red with an intense plum and blackcurrant nose, perfect for when you’re getting closer to nature!

2) “E Solo” – Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, 2013

A great Italian favourite, you can’t beat a good Montepulciano. The area from which this wine comes is famous for making delicious food-friendly wines and this one is no different! With flavours of cherry, blackcurrant, and plum, this easy-drinker is perfect with a plate of pasta…or a pizza!

3)“Saint Pierre Rosé Tradition” – Provence, 2014

Coming from a château which has been around since 11th century, the wine-makers from this country estate have had plenty of time to perfect this stunning Provence rosé. Pale pink, with hints of spice and white peach, and stronger strains of tropical fruits, we’d say this is your perfect summer wine, right here!

4)"Artuke Pies Negros” – Rioja, 2013

This dark, fruity Rioja from boutique producer Artuke, may seem a little heavy for a warm day, with its dark fruits, cherries, and cocoa, but this wine pairs beautifully with cheeses and cold or roasted meats, making it perfect for a picnic or BBQ.

5) "The Matador” - Garnacha, 2013 

With notes of strawberries, cherries, and raspberries, this flavoursome Spanish red packs a real palate punch, the perfect pairing for your pizza picnic. 

6)"Badoz Benoit” – Cremant du Jura Brut

And we couldn’t have a picnic wine list without including a little sparkle! This fabulous Cremant du Jura Blanc Brut is elegant and balanced, with fine bubbles, and light citrus notes – well-suited to toasting the summer season.

To buy any of these, or other perfect picnic wines – head to The Sampler on Islington’s Upper Street. And don’t forget a little food to go with your booze! Pop along to see us at Pizzeria Oregano and we’ll fix you up your perfect Italian picnic to take to one of Islington’s finest al fresco spots! Picnic perfection. 

Oregano’s Outdoor Cinema Picnic Picks.

Nothing beats a great film. Except maybe a great film al fresco…

 

We love our cinema here at Oregano so we have picked some of our favourite London places to kick back and enjoy a movie, some fresh air, and maybe even a tasty pizza! Of course, our favourite outdoor cinemas are the ones which let us bring our own delicious Italian food, but we’re such film fans we’ve even included a couple of film clubs where you can’t.  

1) Nomad Cinema - CAN bring your own food

• Where: Various locations
• What to see:
• O Brother, Where Art Thou = Saturday 27th June (Paddington Gardens)
• The Coen Brothers – arguably – at their best. Funny, dark, and weird. With George Clooney.
• The Breakfast Club = Friday 10th July (Grosvenor Square)
• The 80s blueprint for Empire Records and coming-of-age films in general. Amazing and wonderful. A personal favourite.

2) Rooftop Film Club: Queen of Hoxton - CANNOT bring your own food

• Where: Shoreditch
• What to see:
• The Lost Boys = Monday 29th June
• An 80s vampire movie with Jack Bauer in it. Good stuff. 
• Empire Records = Wednesday 1st July
• Top-notch coming-of-age, covers-serious-issues-but-is-still-feel-good 90s film. Do not miss.

3) Drive-in Film Club - CANNOT bring your own food

• Where: Alexandra Palace
• What to see:
• 50 Shades of Grey = Tuesday 30th June
• Not for the faint-hearted or squeamish, but maybe good for those who are game for a laugh?
• The Notebook = Wednesday 1st July
• The ultimate slushy romance. Bring tissues and something fluffy you can stroke to soothe yourself.

4) Luna Cinema - CAN bring your own food

• Where:Various Locations
• What to see:
• Labyrinth = Wednesday 1st July (Tooting Common)
• 80s Fantasy film involving hilarious special effects and David Bowie as the Goblin King. We think yes.
• Top Gun = Saturday 18th July (Crystal Palace Park)
• Like Labyrinth, Top Gun was also made in 1986. Just replace Bowie with Tom Cruise and Fantasy with…planes…

5) Kew the Movies - CAN bring your own food

• Where: Kew Gardens 
• What to see:
• Grand Budapest Hotel = Wednesday 22nd July
• Wes Anderson’s lushly colourful comedy on the big screen in the great outdoors? How could you say no?
• Back to the Future = Thursday 23rd July
• An absolute classic. The science fiction comedy extravaganza celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

6) Backyard Cinema - CANNOT bring your  own food

• Where: Camden Lock Market
• What to see:
• Whiplash = Wednesday 29th July
• Drama exploring the fractious relationship between a jazz student and his abrasive instructor.
• Clueless = Thursday 30th July
• Jane Austen’s Emma, re-cast and re-set in 1995 Beverly Hills. Sounds ridiculous and… is ridiculous. But also ridiculously good fun.

 

That looks like the next two months sorted to me! Now get out there and enjoy the fruits of the London summer. Alternatively – why not try hosting your own outdoor cinema night – find a friend with a garden and hey presto! We’ll even help you cater it.

Have we missed off any of YOUR favourites? Get in touch and let us know! 

Fancy wine? We've just the place...

“It’s good fun selling. It’s nice being in the wine business, because you’re selling people things they’re going to take home and enjoy with their friends – the same as with food!”

Couldn’t have put it better ourselves. This week we chatted to the lovely Dawn Mannis from one of Islington’s finest gems: “The Sampler”. This charming wine merchant has been around for 9 years now and is – handily – a mere 10-minute walk away from Pizzeria Oregano, making it pretty much perfect for your picnic beverages.

“We were the first people to have the sampling machines”, says Dawn of the innovative system which gives the shop its name, “we saw them in Italy and loved them. We thought it would be a really good way of getting people to experiment with unusual wines”. The “machines” are enomatic machines, designed to keep wine which has been opened fresh for up to three weeks – “not that the bottles stick around that long!” This clever system means that customers can – and are encouraged to – try before they buy. Simply get a sampling card from the desk and away you go! You can get a single or double measure for a fraction of the bottle’s price, and try a whole range of unusual wines for as little as 50p. “A lot of people end up trying something that they wouldn’t usually and preferring it to their usual Rioja”, Dawn adds, “it makes a great change, because a lot of people end up going to the supermarkets and maybe spending £8 on a bottle of wine and it’s not very nice”.

The Sampler’s Islington branch has up to 1000 wines in it, with 80 available to sample at any one time, and they are constantly rotated. With a huge price range running from as little as £6 to up to almost £1000 for really special bottles, there is something here for any wine fan. The Sampler is set up, Dawn says, to be “the opposite of supermarkets. We do want people to buy based on the quality, rather than the price, but we have a lot of really good-value wines here. We spend a lot of time finding the under £10 wines, because they tend to be the best sellers. Our ethos is that we’re not snobbish about wine, there’s no right or wrong, it’s more about making wine accessible to everyone.”

 Although their wine list is designed to cater to all tastes and budgets, The Sampler does have certain specialities. Come here in search of older vintage wines, wines from unusual regions, rare grape types, and – Dawn’s personal favourite – champagne. “We specialise in grower’s champagne, instead of the big brands who often buy in all their grapes from other people – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but a lot of the time they concentrate on the marketing rather than what the wines are like. One of the things we’re known for is having really interesting champagne from little boutique champagne houses that you won’t have heard of.” So don’t go looking for a boring old bottle of Bollinger here.

What makes a good “picnic wine”, Dawn? “You’d want something good value, on the cheaper side. A summery style of wine. You don’t want to have to bring a cooler so you might want to go for something a bit lighter - Beaujolais is quite good for that, or I’d prefer a light Pinot Noir. But if you’re having pizza… I’d go for the Montepulciano with a screw cap! Yup, go for something either sparkling or with a screw top.”

To finish up, we quizzed Dawn on her perfect picnic. “I would have pizza, obviously! No, I think I would have Cheese. I love cheese. Cheese, wine, nice bread. Lots of different things… Crisps. You want a nice little pie and a quiche…. loads of little things. Or pizza’s fine! I’d be drinking sparkling wine – maybe champagne and I’d be in Richmond Park. With the shop dog.”

Fancy meeting the shop dog, sampling some first-class wines, or just learning a little more about everyone’s favourite grape-based tipple? Then head to 266 Upper Street, Islington (or the South Ken shop at 35 Thurloe Place) or sign up for one of The Sampler’s monthly Sunday Schools.

Keep your eyes peeled for Dawn's Picnic wine picks! Coming soon.

Perfect Picnic Mocktails.

British sun got you gasping? 

We know the UK's not renowned for its balmy climate, but a long day sat in the sunshine on a picnic will eventually leave you parched. And you can't enjoy our delicious pizza without a drink so we've come up with some delightful thirst-quenching mocktails you can make at home and take with you to your pizza picnic.

Picnic mocktails. Pick-tails, if you will.

Mocktail Moscow Mule

A super-simple cocktail with an alcohol-free kick. To be really authentic, get your hands on some copper mugs (you can buy them here, here, or here) They last forever and they make excellent picnicwear as they are lightweight, un-squashable, and very easy to clean. OR just grab yourself some plastic tumblers, it'll taste just as good. 

Ingredients

ice 

3tbsp lime juice (about 3 small limes' worth)

3tbsp soda water

120ml ginger beer

lime wedges, to serve

Method

1) Fill your copper mug (or plastic tumbler) with ice.

2) Squeeze your limes and add the juice to your cup of choice.

3) Add the same amount of soda or fizzy water.

4) Top up with ginger beer (about 120ml per person)

That's for one glass - to do this on a large scale, just multiply by the number of people at your picnic! It can even be done in advance and transported in a Thermos, or some other such elegant receptacle.

Virgin Sunrise

This one is even easier than the last! But don't underestimate the deliciousness of this simple cocktail - the grenadine (pomegranate syrup) adds a flavour so festive, you might even forget there's no alcohol in it...

Ingredients

120ml orange juice

1tsp grenadine

lemon wedge, to serve

Method

1) Pour juice into glass.

2) Add grenadine, slowly.

3) Prop lemon wedge on side of glass.

4) ....that's it!

Get your hands on some plastic wine glasses and away you go! Whip this up in no time, perched on your picnic blanket, or make it at home (but prepare for the sunrise to be more of a charming all-round salmon pink by the time you arrive...) 

And there you have it - the perfect picktail to have with your pizza. And remember - all through this month all of our pizzas are just £7.99 to takeaway! And never fear alcohol-lovers, we've got a boozy treat lined up for you next week, so stay tuned!

The Perfect Pizza Picnic

‘I don't know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors,' said George." - "Five Go Off in a Caravan", Enid Blyton.

As far as I'm concerned, this couldn't be more true (and the same applies to food you've stolen off someone else's plate) eating happier tastes better, and it's hard not to be happy when enjoying the great outdoors. National Picnic Week is approaching and we want to celebrate that with an excellent offer on at Oregano: for the rest of June, you can get any takeaway pizza for just £7.99. So that's the food sorted, but where can you go to eat it? Well I'm glad you asked, faceless blog reader, I'm glad you asked. We've come up with our top picnic spots in Islington (with a fabulous picnic helper for scale) so grab a mate, grab a blanket, and grab a pizza - Picnic perfect. 

1. Barnard Park

Our biggest picnic location, Barnard Park is a ten minute walk from Oregano and has the added bonuses of a football pitch, a water feature, a playground and - most importantly - public toilets!

2. Lonsdale Square

This teeny-weeny idyll is the centrepiece of some gorgeous Gothic Revival buildings, one of which used to be home to Salman Rushdie. #funfacts...

3. Gibson Square Gardens

Also adorable, Gibson Square comes with its very own mini mock classical temple. Fancy.

4. Islington Green

Right on Oregano's doorstep, Islington Green is just across the road. Small but charming, this green space is for the laziest of you picnickers.

5. Colebrook Row

Not the most obvious choice for a picnic perhaps, but Colebrook Row is perfect for a speedy al fresco lunch. Perch on a handy stone bench and stare covetously at the pretty houses. That's what we did.

6. Duncan Terrace

Just along the road from Colebrook Row is Duncan Terrace. Ideal for those of you who prefer to picnic on a bench. You could even make friends with this handsome fellow below...

7. Regent's Canal

6 minutes from Oregano is the Islington Canal Tunnel which will lead you to Regent's Canal. Grab a shady bench or go all urban and recline on the concrete and admire the play of the water. 

8. Wharf Road

Feeling a solitary picnic vibe? Well pick up a pizza then pootle along to Wharf Road. With any luck you'll catch the boat bookshop and you can sit, read, eat, and enjoy some peace and quiet even in the city.

So there you have it - you can't always rely on the British Weather but even a picnic in the rain can be fun with the right people. So go do it! Pick a spot and let us know which is your favourite.