Fellow Wine Lovers,
Oh dear, oh Keir, oh dear, it’s lonely at the top isn’t it and the only way is down.
Of course, we’re referring to his beloved Arsenal here but perhaps sport imitates life and vice versa. In a vague attempt to extend this metaphor and twist the knife further in Tottenham fans wounds we scouted around for celebrity supporters of the relegated club – David Lammy and Iain Duncan Smith were considered possibilities as were Linda Lusardi and Sid Owen but once we discovered that Mr Incredible, the Headingley Hero, Benjamin Andrew Stokes is a fan, we realised that maybe sport could imitate sport. All Tottenham need to do is mimic Stokesy’s greatest ever innings against Australia in 2019, rather than slavishly following the 2025 Ashes playbook, and if they do, they might just stay top flight. Then we woke up to the sound of breaking metaphors.
As you can perhaps tell, we’ve had a decent amount of time on our hands this week. Monday found Wayne in Arthur Road alone as Alex had been sent to Walthamstow to pretend to be a wine expert for the day – it would seem he can get away with this charade in E17 far more convincingly than in SW19, probably due to the beard – and was returned, later that evening, in one piece with 100 wines tasted and less tooth enamel than he had started the day with. Tuesday was the first day of Tube strikes, which basically stalls much of our business, so plenty of gazing out of the window at an empty street whilst discussing the limited merits of Northeasterly winds. Wednesday was hump day, the sun was out and the wind was up, much like Tuesday, just spelt differently. Yesterday, Thursday was Tube strike day 2 and felt like Tuesday, except without the bitter wind. And now it’s Friday, what an exciting week we have had!
Wednesday, in fact, had a bit more about it than I initially let on, because Wednesday saw the arrival of a new bin… but not just any bin, let me assure you.
APCOR (the Portuguese Cork Association) provided us with this receptacle as a tool to encourage cork recycling because, they reminded me, cork is 100% natural, renewable, reusable and recyclable, harvested without harming the cork oak, which regenerates naturally. Thanks to its lightweight, elastic and impermeable structure, cork remains durable and versatile even after use, meaning it can be recycled and transformed into new products. However, lots of corks just get thrown away, which is a wasted resource, hence The UK Cork Harvest was born. This is a London-wide initiative, focused in Independent Wine Merchants and one that we thought worth giving a go. We are told that, once collected, the corks will be directed into recycling and reuse pathways, where they can be processed and transformed into new products. Obviously, for this to have any chance of success, we need your corks – the bin is massive, it’s by the door, so you don’t even have to say hello to us if you don’t want to!
As mentioned, we’ve had some time on our hands, so were delighted to come across guinndex.co.uk which is a must-see website tracking the price of a pint of Guinness across the UK – if you have reservations about the point of AI, this is the website that will convince you!
In other booze news, we had a quick squizz at a Trends Report from NIQ that gives a snapshot of the top booze brands in the supermarkets and their ilk. Things we picked out were: Yellowtail is the best-selling wine brand but the chicken wine brand, La Vieille Ferme, comes in second, with a value increase of 48.2% (Yellowtail was -4.75); Smirnoff was the best-selling spirits brand, worth almost double the second placed Baileys; finally, the world of RTD’s (Ready to Drink) is no longer dominated by Gordons & Tonic or Smirnoff Ice as the new kid on the block, BuzzBallz Cocktails, showed year on year growth of 2372%, or, in real terms, a increase of over £22 million from £929,591 to £22,979,120… and they tell us the kids aren’t drinking!
We won’t be opening any chicken wine on the tasting table this weekend, nor any Yellowtail, but we will be tipping our hats to St George, who had his day yesterday.
Casa de Vilacetinho Vinho Verde 2024 – £11.49 – Founded in 1790, these chaps are one of the oldest producers of Vinho Verde. Avesso, Arinto, Azal and Loureiro are the grapes, grown on south facing granite slopes. The wine is crisp and dry with lively, zingy, zesty citrus notes and a light spritz. Perfect as an apéritif, with a picnic, or just as a sundowner in Durnsford Rec and, at only 11% alcohol, you can happily reach for that second glass! St George has been a patron saint of Portugal since the 14th century.
In Bulgaria, St. George is the patron saint of shepherds, farmers, and the army and he is celebrated on May 6th with a public holiday. In anticipation of this, we will open Domaine Bessa Valley Enira 2019 – £21.99 which is a blend of 42% Merlot, 36% Syrah, 12% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12 months in French Oak. Lots of plum and forest fruits, a touch of cocoa and lovely silky tannins which makes sense when you learn that the estate is in the Count Stephan von Neipperg stable, owner of Canon La Gaffelière, Clos de L’Oratoire, La Mondotte and d’Aiguilhe in Bordeaux!
That’s it from us, instructions for this weekend: if you’re running the marathon, godspeed, it looks like it might be warm, so take a drink… special mention goes to one of you who considered the perfect taper for this weekend to be the Boston Marathon last weekend! Other than that, enjoy the sunshine, stay out of the wind, don’t buy a Buzzballz and do bring us your corks!