The Weekly Wine

Fellow Wine Lovers,

It must be getting cooler – the eternal optimist and serial short wearer has been wearing full grown man trousers all week and has even brought an emergency sweater with him, just in case.  Yesterday he was heard grumbling to himself ‘Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Sifnos anymore’, whilst shutting windows and putting another log on the fire.

Whilst on the subject of motivational speaking, Wayne’s favourite President (not Sarkozy), took time to give the UN a bit of a pep talk whilst also critiquing their housekeeping.  Thankfully, he is not a petty man: ‘All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle.  If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen.  But she’s in great shape.  We’re both in good shape, we both stood.’  Did they really just stand there, flummoxed?  I fear they did.  Meanwhile the teleprompter, the fabric of the UN building and the world in general got a bit of a pasting – a sort of mid-term report, like having a visit from the grumpy area manager.  The one thing that always astounds us is that he seems often to wilfully forgot who was President between January 2017 – January 2021; ‘in a period of just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars.  They said they were unendable.  You’re never going to get them solved.  Some were going for 31 years, two of them, 31, you think of it, 31 years. One was 36 years, one was 28 years. I ended seven wars.’  If it was that easy, why didn’t you sort them out in your first term rather than letting them drag on for another 5 years?  Not terribly humanitarian or worthy of a Nobel prize, or are you fibbing to us?

Meanwhile, outside the walls if UN HQ, planes are landing at LaGuardia.  These are crammed full of Europeans planning to pitch their undocumented tents outside 99 Quaker Meeting House Road with the single intention of disrupting a long-planned party.  Yep, the Ryder Cup is in town bringing with it just a jot of jingoism.  225,000 people are predicted to pass through the gates which, in Trump maths, equates to about 25 million, so it should be quite an atmosphere and I’m certain the President will be there giving advice on how to easily find your ball in the rough.

The USA is the strongest on paper – 7 of their players are in the ranked in the Top Ten (the other 3 being from Europe) whilst their lowest ranked, Sam Burns comes in at 23.  Europe have 5 players ranked lower than that so, as I say, strongest on paper.  In 2021, 8 of the US players were in the world Top 10 and in 2023 they had 6 and we had 4… not sure what that tells us apart from, perhaps, that rankings don’t matter at the Ryder and it’s more about the team – Europe are almost unchanged from Rome so plenty of experience.  To enhance your dinner party chit-chat, it’s worth knowing that the course record holder is Brooks Koepka who is currently ranked 235 in the world and definitely didn’t make the captains pick.

The other big sport this weekend is the Women’s RWC Final at Twickenham.  England v Canada, home favourites v the crowdfunded giant killers – if the Canada team from last Friday turn up like they did last week they could well break a few hearts whilst England have the form and the ranking.  Again, will it be form and ranking or team spirit that triumphs?

The Ashes Squad was also announced this week, no real surprises in there really except perhaps the inclusion of Jacob Bethell fulfilling the 2006 Theo Walcott role.

As mentioned previously, we were out and about on Tuesday, tasting wines in three different venues and doing an awful lot of spitting.  We’ve found a few wines we think we’ll list before Christmas but not before we go to what I think is our last event in this tranche, next Tuesday 30^th September.  Again, it’s in town, Draper’s Hall no less and we’ll be sure not to get distracted by all that livery and will be back here by 4pm.

More immediately, we’ll be opening a couple of wines this weekend for your delectation, the white being a rather fun drop from Mosel in Germany. 

Max Ferd. Richter ‘Zeppelin’ Riesling 2023 – £19.49 – Kingsley Amis once said ‘life is too short to learn about German wine labels’.  We agree to some degree but do not dismiss this wine.  Crisp, zesty apple and peach flavour with finely focused slate characteristics, typical for the vineyard.  In fact, wines from this vineyard were served in the luxurious restaurant of the Zeppelin airships in the 1920’s and 1930’s and have even been served at state functions at Buckingham Palace.  A great wine that frankly needs no food accompaniment!

The red comes from a little further afield, Margaret River in Western Australia in fact:

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 – £23.99 – A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot.  “A glass of this and all’s well. Fragrant with mulberries, cassis, nori and baking spices, the medium-bodied palate is superfine and long with textural tannins adding to the pleasure.”                                              95 Points, Jane Faulkner, James Halliday Wine Companion

And that’s a wrap.  Have a lovely weekend, October next week, you have been warned!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

So, that’s week 38 nearly done, how did it treat you, ready for a drink?  September is certainly gathering pace as this week seems to have cantered by and we can see October just around the corner.  Today is a bit of an anomaly weather-wise because up to now the temperature seems to have taken a tumble, it’s definitely dark when we leave the shop and talk is now turning to roast dinners and stews rather than barbecues with green salad.

Talking of food, fine dining and exquisite good taste, the American Ego that is POTUS landed in the UK this week, for a tongue-twisting second, unprecedented, presidential state visit.  Unprecedented President reads like it could be oxymoronic and, whilst I appreciate it far from fulfils the correct definition of an oxymoron, I’m just taking great delight in using the word moron three times in a sentence that also include the word President.  I know, small pleasures…

And then, for my sins, I got totally sidetracked by ITV News at Ten on Wednesday, whilst waiting for Jack Reacher to fill the screen, and could not quite believe how thickly the red carpet was being rolled out for the American mischief maker – clearly a royal charm offensive is seen as the new way of negotiating tariff reductions.  And boy, didn’t they show Donald a great time.  What could be better than a ride in a horsedrawn carriage with footmen in fancy frocks, sat beside the King of England, on the way to a Real Bigly Castle, down avenues flanked with Guard of Honour to massage one’s fragile ego.  But it didn’t stop there, the banquet dinner was as follows:

• Panna Cotta de Cresson et Oeufs de Caille sur Sable de Parmesan
• Ballotine de Poulet Fermier en Robe de Courgettes
• Bombe Glacée Cardinal

And the drinks list included:

• Wiston Estate Cuvée 2016
• Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2018
• Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello 2000
• Pol Roger, Extra Cuvee de Reserve 1998
• Warre’s 1945
• Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne
• Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980

Having consulted Larousse Gastronomique, I can confirm that the menu roughly translates as:

• two Filet-o-fish
• two Big Macs
• well-done steak with ketchup
• meatloaf
• no vegetables
• cherry-vanilla ice cream

Whilst the drinks list includes:

• Chocolate milkshake
• Diet Coke

Delicious, I wonder what Keir cooked at Chequers yesterday – Royale with cheese, I imagine?

We weren’t invited to dinner in Windsor this week but we did go to a rather good tasting up in Camden on Tuesday.  We sipped and swirled a variety of wines from around the world and hopefully will be getting a few of them on the shelves in the months to come.  With this in mind, we would like to remind you all that next Tuesday, 23^rd September, the shop will be closed ALL DAY.  Somehow, we need to be in EC4, SE1 and later on W1 to taste more wines from 3 of our best suppliers; thus, we need to stay closed as we could be some time…

We watched with glee as the England Women progressed to the semi-final of the RWC; we were disappointed not to watch the final stage of La Vuelta A España as the stage was cancelled and no winner declared; we watched the start of the Champions League football season, once we found out where it was being shown (Prime, fyi); we watched the golf at Wentworth and started to get more excited about the Ryder Cup; and we’re watching the cricket season drawing towards a close, next stop the start of The Ashes on 21^st November (alright, I know there are T20’s and ODI’s in the meantime but, you know, they’re just not red ball!)

And now to where we started – week 38 nearly done, ready for a drink?  Having chatted earlier about Sunday Roasts and wrapping up warm, I now discover that the seaweed beside my door is parched bone dry and, as a consequence, I boldly predict a sunny weekend ahead but equally, as they famously said, I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining, because I’m free, nothing’s worrying me…

With this in mind it feels appropriate to open Cramele Recas Solara Orange Wine – £14.99, you know, the one with label where an orange is pretending to be the sun, ring any bells?  If not, here’s the lowdown: it’s from Romania and is owned by Englishman Philip Cox and his wife Elvira.  A blend of 69% Riesling, 22% Sauvignon Blanc and 9% of other varietals, this is a natural, minimal intervention wine made by leaving the grape skins and seeds in contact with the pressed juice which then ferments naturally without the addition of yeasts, sulphur or any other additions, creating a deep orange-hued finish.  The nose exhibits quince, Poire William and a hint of vanilla, leading to a complex and structured palate with elegant and discreet stone fruit flavours, backed up with a complexity and long, balanced finish and a delightfully fresh finish.

As a foil, the red will be a youthful Rioja – Palacio del Camino Real Crianza – £12.99 – which is a classic blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano aged for 12-14 months in a mixture of French and American oak.  It has a real understated elegance, with gently spiced red fruits, a touch of leather and a polished soft finish giving it great all-rounder potential – you can drink it just as easily inside by the fire as outside in the sundance!

So that’s it from us, one last pearl of wisdom for you before we go:

“People don’t remember who the critics were”  Robert Redford – 1936 to 2025

Fellow Wine Lovers,

When we look back at the week commencing 8^th September 2025, I’m not sure it will be with much fondness. 

Arthur Road could be renamed the Wimbledon Wilderness with the vibe in the area being akin to early Covid but without the hysterical boozing.  It’s astonishing that a tube strike can bring a local economy to its knees but there you go, it has.  I know we are not alone and that businesses have suffered all over London but to what gain – we don’t seem to be much further forward and the prospect of some sort of planned TfL/RMT peace talks next week surely begs the question, why couldn’t these talks have taken place this week?  In fact, DesignMyNight, the long-established company that does what it says on the tin, has reported a 67% drop in bookings for venues across London during the strike period which doesn’t even take into account the collapse in numbers of spontaneous walk-ins.  On a local level, Monday was a nadir.  4 customers, 3 of whom visited between 5.12pm and 5.26pm, followed by a power cut starting 20 minutes later meant that, even if there had been people on the street, we couldn’t have traded anyway!

In fairness, the week got a lot better as everyone realised this wasn’t going to be over in a hurry and we started to see more people wandering around, in shorts and t-shirts rather than their usual weekday work attire, many of them displaying a keenness to fill their bags with bottles of something nice to enjoy in the hours they would usually be stuck commuting!

Across the pond, Lord Mandelson gets the boot for being a friend with someone we already knew he had been close friends with.  Donald obviously hasn’t been given the boot for the same thing because Donald doesn’t draw (?), so it all must be a hoax, the lawyers have been called.  Keir sacked Peter – if Donald worked for Keir, would he sack him too?  The answer must be yes, which could make for some great conversation amongst the guests whilst they tuck into their pie, mash and jellied eels at Windsor Castle next week!

Wayne, at this point, would be telling you something exciting about La Vuelta a España but, sadly, I’m not Wayne so I’ve been watching the golf at Wentworth where it rained for much of yesterday and looks likely to continue all weekend.  Happily, I didn’t watch the foreshortened T20 on Wednesday evening, 12.5 overs really doesn’t make for any sensible sort of competition but I did watch the dead rubber One Day International on Sunday which also wasn’t competitive.  Rugby is on again this weekend with the Women’s World Cup Quarter Finals offering us a New World double header on Saturday followed by an Old World version on Sunday – England v Scotland at 4pm would be a good time to settle into the sofa.

In admin news, everyone’s favourite topic, we are in the midst of tasting season, as mentioned last week.  Tuesday 16^th September sees us venturing to Camden for a big tasting with our biggest supplier so we won’t be opening until 4pm; the following Tuesday, 23^rd September, we will be closed ALL DAY as we put our palates to the sword with tastings at four different venues across town – remember, we do this so you don’t have to!

Speaking of tastings, we’ll have our usual couple of bottles open this weekend for you to savour tonight and tomorrow.

It’s New Zealand v South Africa in both men’s and women’s rugby on Saturday, so it’s New Zealand v South Africa here in the shop too and both sides have fielded some heavy hitters.

Representing New Zealand, we have Mahi Pinot Noir 2022 – £29.00 an absolute belter from Marlborough. The grapes come from two vineyards – The Twin Valleys portion gives the palate structure and finesse whilst the grapes from Ward add depth to the palate and rich black fruit characters.  Aged in French barriques for 15 months, we have a full and rich nose followed by a rich and supple mouthfeel showing dark cherry and plum fruits pursued by soft tannins that give a well-rounded finish.  I’m astonished that we seem to have never put this on tasting before…

The South Africans have opted to show us a white – Patina Chenin Blanc 2021 – £25.99.  This is a wine, a project from the mighty Boekenhoutskloof winery, that we only stumbled across last year and it’s gaining more and more fans as time goes on.  Helpfully, the winery has provided us with a spot-on tasting note: “the nose is initially shy, yet very complex, offering subtle layers of citrus and stone fruit aromas, and whiffs of angelica, acacia flower and allspice.  Flavours of lemon, yellow apple and nectarine follow through onto an elegant, balanced palate with delicate notes of greengage, papaya, yellow apple and passion fruit.  The wine is light to medium bodied, with a smooth, fleshy texture and vibrant, integrated acidity.  Lime zest, green apple and lemongrass linger on a clean, refreshing finish with hints of orange blossom, ginger and saffron.”

I should probably stop now, always leave them wanting more is the advice I think, although I’m sure you’ve never wanted any more piffle from us!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Well, that didn’t take long.  Shorts and sunglasses off, sou’westers on, September starts with a splash!  By all accounts, it may cheer up this weekend but next week looks like the start of something different – Autumn.  So, this could be the last barbecue weekend for a while, or this could be the weekend that you clean the barbecue in preparation for hibernation – imagine the delight when you open it up next April and it’s gleamingly clean rather than covered with white mould and dead snails… yep, I think we all know that’s not going to happen!

Anyway, welcome back, bienvenido, bienvenue, välkomna.  Since you’ve been gone, we’ve welcomed two new businesses to the street and lost one too.  The Felt bakery opened its doors in late July and seems to have quickly garnered local support.  Not long after this opening we saw the closure of Wimbledon Tapas, which will be much missed.  After many chaotic years under the previous management, they really seemed to be doing good business now, with the evening suntrap a popular destination.  However, the apparent allure of life in Liverpool resulted in an upping of sticks but the good news is that they were immediately replaced by Bengal Bistro, adding some spice to our lives.  Currently they are operating as a BYOB, so, you know, if you fancy a bit of Riesling with your samosa, perhaps we can help.  Finally, whilst on a field trip to the Pig & Whistle, we noticed that A1 Cars has a new neighbour – Sakura Sushi House, which seems to have some lovely clean white tiles in the kitchen however, beyond that, we cannot comment.

Politicians are also back from their summer recess, at a canter, almost as if they never left.  I mean, they are all off again for conference season at the end of next week, so they need to start fast.  The Chancellor, having put us all through months of uncertainty last year between the election and her budget on 30 October, has decided to inflict similar misery upon us once again this year.  The Budget will take place on 26^th November, just in time to put a massive dampener on many people’s favourite time of year (no Alex, not the Ashes, the other thing).  There is a whiff of sadism about this, keeping us all on tenterhooks whilst drip-feeding potential proposed measures and stimulating unease.  For a guide, last year September and October were dreadful for business; no one was sure what was going to happen so were nervous to commit to long term plans and thus loathe to spend money in case they spent it in the wrong direction – not the best look for the party of business and growth.  Fortunately for Keir and Rachel, Angela has charged in to hog the headlines and deflect from economy chat.  Did she evade or did she avoid?  Her finances appear far too complicated for 2 vintners to pick through because if the 3 ‘professionals’ she consulted couldn’t get it right what chance Wayne & Alex?  Equally, if you can’t trust the pros, where do you turn?!

Over the water, it’s been a mixed week for the POTUS.  The highlight for him must have been reading online that he was dead.  He was able to confirm that, in actual fact, he wasn’t and thus proved to us all that a lot of things that you read on the internet and social media aren’t necessarily true – who knew!  However, his joie de vivre was promptly chastened, as the aforementioned internet became flooded with photos of the Putin-Xi-Modi love-in; don’t they know he’s the most important man in the world?  How dare Narendra laugh in the face of tariffs and cuddle up to Vlad, it’s almost as if they don’t take the POTUS seriously!

In other news, the bruises on Donald Trump’s hands definitely come from too much flesh pressing and glad handing and definitely not chronic venous insufficiency, FAKE NEWS, FAKE NEWS, FAKE NEWS!

Wayne has been watching cycling this week, which may not come as a surprise.  He’s not been watching the Tour of Britain though, which is Geraint Thomas’s swansong ride, finishing in Cardiff on Sunday.  The fact that this stage starts at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales could mean there isn’t a dry eye in the house and we can surely expect some pearls of wisdom from the great man at the finish line – buy some tissues.  Alex has been watching the rugby world cup, even persuading his daughter to watch some of the Australia v USA match which was an absolute belter.  Talking rugby, it looks like the red trouser/Quba jacket brigade will now be supping Nyetimber at the Twickenham Autumn internationals rather than Bollinger – we imagine the Sussex fizz producers must have come in with one hell of an offer to see off the mighty Champagne house – either way it’s quite a serious changing of the guard!  Cricket is a bit of a mixed bag at the moment, however the golf will soon get exciting, as the Ryder Cup looms on the horizon and the captain’s picks have been finalised.

With our admin hats on, we can now confirm that we have 4 seats left at the table for our Wine & Cheese evening on Thursday 2^nd October.  If you fancy joining us, the evening starts at 7.30pm and costs £30 per person, payable in advance.  On a different note, we’ll be opening later on Monday, as the wine tasting season has started again – over the next few weeks we’ll be finalising our wines for December festive fun, so do bear with us.

Speaking of tasting, what’s on show this weekend?  A couple of easy drinkers from Italy to toast Giorgio sound good to us…

The white will be Zagare Vermentino 2024 – £10.99 from Sicily.  We regularly get asked for wines from Italy’s Islands and Vermentino particularly.  We’d been looking for one that put a bit of a smile on our faces for a while when we came across this one from the west coast of Sicily, named after the blossom of the lemon tree. Lightly floral on the nose, with crisp appley fruit and a lively citrus freshness in the glass that hints at lemon marmalade and has some nice weight and texture in the finish.

For the red, we’ll go a bit further north: Calappiano Chianti 2023 – £12.99.  With a fascinating history, dating back to Medici Florence in the 1500’s, the Fattoria di Calappiano as we know it today is made up of 200 hectares of vines, planted alongside the olive groves and woodlands.  We are huge fans of this wine; it is velvety smooth, yet light with some smoky earth aromas and plenty of black fruits on the palate.  Perfect on its own, with a Bolognese, or just a pizza!

So, that’s it from us, check your diaries for the wine tasting and don’t come knocking too early on Monday!