For the last couple of weeks we've been planning the first picnic of the year. Thing is, you can't be in too much of a hurry. Last year we got it all planned, friends assembled, and set off for West Wicklow with the sun shining. By the time we arrived at the Piper Stones the heavens had opened and we ate the picnic somewhat uncomfortably in the car, gloomily surveying the unrelenting rain. There's a moral here; you have to wait until you're well into Spring.

What food to take with you is for another column, although I'm partial to foie gras, caviar and perhaps a little plain boiled lobster, but for the purposes of this column I'll confine myself to wines. Assuming you've got something better than a bag of crisps and a cheese sandwich, you'll want a picnic wine to go with your provender. So, if the sun's blazing, the hamper is groaning with goodies, the best accompaniment is a fresh, young, fruity white that ideally you manage to keep reasonably cool, either by leaving it in a stream or by using one of those dinky little plastic skirts that you pre-cool and then slip over the bottle.

Spring and early summer are the times for Loire wines, the French valley that has specialised in crisp young whites, like Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and Muscadet. Now before you go 'yuck! Muscadet!' let me tell you that there's a new breed out there, entirely different from the mean, tart little wines that were so popular ten years ago. I had my first one of these last week and another today - I may have to revise my prejudice against Muscadet. Perhaps they've been learning from the Australians; the new style is fruitier, less acidic and in the case of 'M' from O'Briens, lightly oaked.

You don't need to confine yourself to whites. Picnics are a perfect time to experiment with roses, or light fruity reds. Just like the whites, these are best drunk when chilled. Don't over-chill them or you'll lose much of the taste - roughly half-an-hour in the fridge is about right. There's a new range of Loire wines in O'Briens off-licenses, which are on special offer until the end of May. There's a very reasonably priced Sancerre, a couple of new-style Muscadets, a fruity Gamay (the traditional grape of the Beaujolais) and Pouilly Fume.

My own favourite wine for picnics is a rose, a wine which seems to embody summer and warmth. It's often under-rated and more often than not it's very reasonably priced as a result.

Wine of the Week

Cabernet de Saumur, Grande Reserve, 2001

This is a rose made from the Cabernet Franc grape. Unusually for a rose it has the mouth-feel of a big wine. Fruity and crisp-tasting, it's refreshing on the palate. It's very easy to imagine a fresh baguette, some ripe Brie, a meadow bathed in sunlight, good company, and a glass of this wine.

Available O'Brien's Off-Licenses, RRP €8.99 or 2 for €15