Chianti Cedro, Arthur Road, Cidre Breton, Time & Leisure

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Happy days are here again, the sun is shining, the rosé is in the fridge, as is the Cidre Breton and thus we’re altogether more jolly this week.  Many things have made us smile over the week, here is a quick snapshot:

  • The fittest man in football made his debut for Guernsey FC in their 4-2 defeat by local heroes, Colliers Wood.  Welcome back Matt Le Tissier, what was your nickname again?
  • Luis Suarez gets banned.  He should also get muzzled and vets with tranquiliser darts should be on hand whenever he is out in public.  Animal.
  • The trainer for Godolphin claims he thought his use of steroids with 15 of his horses was fine because they were in the off-season.   Oh, and this is the same stable that decided not to renew Frankie Dettori’s contract for 2013, due to his recreational drug use.  Seems, perhaps, that the basic rules on drugs in horseracing need to be made a bit clearer.
  • Germany show Spain how to score goals.  Twice, in two nights.  Mourinho’s face…
  • Chris Gayle scores 100 off 30 balls.
  • We avoid triple dip.
  • After a year of Merton Council stupidity they have re-instated the 20 minutes free parking on Arthur Road – press the green button, get the free ticket, buy a steak from the butcher, come and see us for wine, get back in the car, job’s a good’un.
  • The London Marathon went off hitch-free, made us all very excited, so we’re signing up to run it next year, who’s with us?!

Time & Leisure

It’s not easy winning anything.  It takes hard work, good support, a dollop of luck and a touch of being, perhaps, just that little bit better than the others.

The only thing harder than winning a trophy once, is retaining it the following season.  Never happens.  Just imagine if Sir Alex Ferguson, Roger Federer, or Lance Armstrong even, had managed to capitalise on their early promise, consider how amazing it would be if they had kept on coming back and winning year on year!

Keener to be associated with the first two names on the list (rather than the disgraced habitual drug cheat), we come to you with our begging bowls in hand/hearts on sleeves/destiny in your hands.

PLEASE VOTE FOR US, AGAIN.

 http://www.timeandleisure.co.uk/food-and-drink-awards/2279-best-wine-retailer.html

Ideally, we would ask you to select Park Vintners.  I’ve just voted, Wayne has yet to do so but I have high hopes, and if as many of you as possible could put ‘x’ in the correct box we would be oh so very thankful!  Voting closes on 12th July I believe so you will be receiving reminders…

Or you can text Time03703 to 81400 which is charged at 50p plus the one standard network rate text, whatever that means.

Looking down the list of different nominations in other categories I notice local seafood specialist The Fish Peddler in there, and I wipe away a tear.  I’m sure many of you have visited Roger in Southfields and bought a nice chunk of turbot and some brown shrimps for Friday supper, ordered your smoked salmon for Christmas, treated yourself to some scallops over the years… well I’m sorry to say that this will no longer be possible come the end of next week.  It would seem that battling daily the combined forces of the Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores within feet of his shop has finally taken its toll and Roger is hanging up his apron for good. 

He’s always been good to us, he was a local independent trying to make a few quid in a marketplace awash with big bullies, and we’ll miss him.  Good luck Roger, sorry to see you go.

Tasting

Just a quick recap, a few places left on our Wine School that starts next Wednesday 1st May at 8pm,

  • 2 hours a week, for 6 weeks, tasting wine…

And if you fancy a warm up, this weekend we’ll be cracking open the Cidre Breton £4.75/litre to give you all a glimpse of life beyond Magners.  We’ll also open the recently returned Fattoria Lavacchio Chianti Rufina Cedro 2008 £14.39, which is a lovely, rich yet elegant Chianti with cheery cherry fruits, a touch of spice, some fine tannins and hints of earthy minerals.  It was a big hit last summer and it should be again this.  Plus it’s organic.

So that’s us for this week – a missive that encompasses Matt Le Tissier, triple dip, cider and voting is a mighty rare beast and you saw it here first!

Alex & Wayne

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