The Weekly Wine

Fellow Wine Lovers,

It’s a funny old world; one or two people have mentioned to us that it is a bit on the warm side, weather-wise. We have even heard the word “Scorchio” uttered on several occasions.  Ten years ago, we were saying that it was “less than seven months to Christmas.  Not had a day this year nice enough to wear shorts for the duration.  Yet to sit outside the pub for longer than twenty minutes before admitting defeat.  That sun cream purchase seems a bit premature.  Watching cricket last Saturday wearing a beanie and two coats, sitting on the bonnet of the car to steal the engine warmth.”

It would appear the weather can be a movable feast and we have a tendency to grumble about it. Personally, I’m rather enjoying the sunshine and heat.

We spent much of yesterday trying to install a new credit card reader to our tilling system. The pictogram they sent us wasn’t a lot of help, it included two different leads only one of which we had. Then it turned out the option we used to connect it was all wrong, so we then had to get another lead and plug it in slightly differently. Finally, after around four hours of slightly blue language and irate calls to “HELP” desks, we got it working.

Frankly, I fail to understand what this obsession with continually changing connections to connect tech to other tech is all about, surely it’s just an upgrade and should be plug and play! I have a drawer full of unused brand new wires at home for connecting forgotten stuff to stuff, and it occurs to me what an incredible waste of resources that is. Imagine if every house had a drawer like that. Oh, wait a minute…

This week we saw a news headline that made us stop in our tracks: “Wine industry searches for answers as US alcohol sales slide”. We have no clue why the world may have hit the pause button on American booze. It couldn’t be that the President badmouthed Canadians resulting in US products being pulled from shelves? We’re sure it’s not the imposition of tariffs that turned people away and definitely not insulting a selection of world leaders or starting wars without a particular aim. No, we’re sure the blame, as ever, must lay elsewhere, ideas on a postcard please.  

IMPORTANT

NEXT FRIDAY, 5^TH JUNE, WE FIND OURSELVES IN A BIT OF A PICKLE AND AS A RESULT WE WILL NEED  TO CLOSE AT 4PM.

AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE’RE REALLY SORRY ABOUT THIS, LET’S MAKE THURSDAY THE NEW FRIDAY!

Tasting this weekend

Given the spell of weather we started off discussing, we’re going to open two Greek wines from the Lyrarakis Family winery in Crete.  “Lyrarakis” is the family name of brothers Manolis and Sotiris, who established the winery in 1966. Today, Lyrarakis Wines is run by the second-generation winemakers, supported by an extended family of skilled professionals. They transitioned to organic viticulture in 2020 and a significant percentage of their cooperating farmers managed to do the same. 

As part of a regenerative approach, they have stopped ploughing the ground and only use their own fertilizer made of organic waste from the kitchen, the winemaking process, and local olive oil mills. Adapting to climate change, they have also been moving to higher altitudes and changing the way the vines are trained.

We shall be opening…

In the white speedos – Lyrarakis Assyrtiko 2024 – £19.99 whose style focuses on pure varietal character, precision and supple texture. Grown at 580 metres altitude in the Vóila vineyard, there is a definite floral character, refreshing minerality and chalky texture to this delicious wine that marries well with all forms of seafood, as you might expect from a producer surrounded by sea!

In the red speedos – Lyrarakis Kotsifali 2022 – £19.99. Kotsifali is indisputably a classic of the vineyards of Crete offering spicy red fruits, an elegant mouthfeel and a piquant aftertaste that makes it a deliciously fresh drop, not too weighty and seriously good with lamb kleftiko or a bit of fried saganaki.

Lastly, the other thing we saw on our ten years ago missive was a Wall Street Journal article that suggested people are happy when they have a drink together.

We’ll drink to that!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Funny how the calendar works out sometimes, we’re about to have another Bank Holiday weekend when it’s not even 3 weeks since the last one finished and, potentially, we will have back-to-back scorchers too – vive le réchauffement planétaire!

In the turbulent world of Westminster, the Chancellor has announced a tax cut on family fun this summer of sun.   This will apply for children and family tickets for cinemas, theatres, exhibitions, concerts and shows whilst the reduced rate applies to admission tickets, including adults, for: amusement parks and fairs, including water parks and theme parks (excluding pay-per-ride attractions), circuses, adventure parks, including outdoor adventure centres, museums and similar cultural facilities, including planetariums, heritage sites, nature reserves and botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks and farm visitor attractions, soft play centres, indoor bounce parks and indoor play facilities, observation attractions, including viewing platforms, towers and observation wheels – something for everyone in there, providing it’s not raining.  Buses will be free for under 16’s and swimming pools will remain VAT free.  If you’re hungry, I suggest you order two plates of nuggets from the kid’s menu rather than one from the main listing, as this too will be VAT reduced.  It’s a long old list but is it enough – we’ll see, just as we’ll see which food and drink items make up the 100 to have agrifood tariffs suspended – hopefully alcoholic grape juice makes the cut!

Meanwhile, as we learnt earlier this month, two pubs closed every day in the first quarter of 2026, with the ‘sheer weight’ of tax rises being chiefly to blame.

There must be happier things to report on though, perhaps sport will offer salvation?

Arsenal won the Premier League on Tuesday without kicking a ball, chapeau, they didn’t bottle it despite making every effort to do so.  On Wednesday, Aston Villa won in Europe, which guarantees them CL football next season and, if Liverpool win and they lose on Sunday, then we’ll have 6 teams in the top European competition!  Imagine then, if Palace were to win next week, we’ll have the best part of half the Premier League booking flights to cities they’ve never heard of come September.  Meanwhile, to add to Arsenal fans excitement, Tottenham lost to a team that has been unable to win in the league since March 4^th and now face a fraught Sunday afternoon that relies on Everton, Leeds and West Ham following the correct script… think I’ll watch the Vitality Blast instead.

In real sport, men on bikes are still ploughing their way around Italy, Jonas Vingegaard seems to be keeping his powder dry, happily coasting in second place, whilst the mischief makers amongst you have been querying whether a bike race without Tadej P is a bit like a tennis competition without Carlos A – not quite what the punters are paying for?  We have no comment.

Back in the shop, with a warm weekend in the offing, we thought we’d taste some rosé again this weekend.  Many of you enjoyed the Eden we showed a couple of weeks ago, so we thought we’d open its sister wine, Marie, today.

To remind you – Château Saint-Pierre Marie Rosé 2025 – £16.99 is named after the family matriarch and is made from a classic blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, grown on limestone and clay soils that help retain freshness and aromatic lift.  Floral and fruity, it’s packed with aromas of white peach, melon and blossom. Quite full in the mouth, with delicate raspberry notes and crisp minerality on the finish.

For the red, as I suspect the barbecue might be lit a couple of times, we’ll be opening a wine that will absolutely hit the spot.  Wines from the USA are currently a little less popular than they used to be (perhaps due to a certain ‘politician’, who knows?) anyway this wine was made in 2021, when Biden was on the throne, plus it was founded in the late 1990s by Swiss entrepreneur Hans Nef, so it’s all okay…

Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 – £30 is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with a small addition of Petit Verdot.  The wine is aged for 20 months in a combination of French and American oak.  This gives us a rich and opulent wine, very balanced and reminiscent of the warm California sun!  Powerful aromas of dark fruits, cocoa, violet, coffee, and toasted oak lead to a full-bodied palate with ripe tannins – perfect with a rich barbecue!

That’s probably it from us, enjoy the weekend, we’ll be closed on Monday as it’s the Bank Holiday and back here, filled with all the vim and vigour available, on Tuesday.

À bientôt!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Welcome to Friday, how has your week been? We’ve been through sunshine, rain, thunder, hail – and that was just riding between Balham and here on Wednesday. Let’s not get too excited about blaming climate change though, since ancient times the period between 11^th -15^th May has been well known for its cold spells. The feast days of Saints Mamertus, Pancras, Servatius, Boniface, and Sophia, known as the Ice Saints, all fall in this period and this meteorological phenomenon is known to bring the last nightly frosts of spring, often damaging crops.

In China, Donald has been to check out a selection of ballrooms, beg Xi for some help with the mess he has got himself into in the Middle East, and to ask him to put the price of Chinese cars up because it’s making American cars look bad!

Over here, we have moved to that part of the political cycle where we take the lock off the revolving door and start spinning through contenders for the top job. The main thing to avoid on your CV is the name Kier Starmer.  Apparently, we’re not looking at a quick change candidate as PM but a discussion and an exchange of ideas. Now, call me old fashioned but I thought the entire problem was caused by a lack of ideas. Either way we suspect the Prince of Darkness will finish him off when the final documents are released next week.

We thought this government were elected specifically to move away from keep changing the mask on the dummy in No.10 but perhaps we read the wrong newspaper.

We wondered if we shouldn’t just launch a consultation to see if it can be proven that changing the PM every 20 months actually benefits the country or not? There are currently thousands of consultations running, each one using the time and expertise of a ridiculous number of civil servants and MPs. Is the best use of taxpayer’s funds? We’re going to launch a consultation into why we can’t have 25˚C sunny days from now until October with a rain every other night between 3.30 and 6.00am. Seriously though, don’t we elect politicians to get on and do things?

On that note, Reform Councillors in Doncaster have got right to the heart of the problem facing all their constituents suggesting that the council forms a panel to investigate UFO sighting over the skies of Doncaster. That’s taking border control further than anyone else.

Meanwhile, that no strings attached £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire to wee Nige is now being investigated. He claimed it was for his security, that same security that a lack of prevents him from holding constituency surgeries in Clacton. Then he claimed it was a reward for Brexit. Strangely, he paid £1.4 million in cash for a house shortly after receiving said no strings attached gift. I wonder if that’s a coincidence.

In sports news, the PGA Championship has started while the FA Cup sees Chelsea and Manchester City face off at Wembley with both hoping to rescue something from a troubling season. In real sports, the Giro d’Italia is providing its usual drama and excitement.

Which brings us nicely onto wine. The Bordeaux En Primeur campaign seems to be drifting on, apparently without much enthusiasm; this week saw chat about vintage port but here in the shop saw us chatting about Tuscany as Alex has just spent a few days visiting some suppliers.

Tasting This Weekend

We’ll go with the Giro d’Italia’s drama this weekend, starting off in Piemonte for Folli e Benato Gavi 2025, Piemonte, Italy (£17.99). Folli & Benato are long-standing friends and colleagues for over 20 years.  Italian born and bred, they met whilst living in England, working in the drinks trade.  This wine comes from Cortese grapes grown on 30 year old vines that are fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged on the lees for three months.  It’s delicious with a medium bodied palate with a mineral core and stone fruit notes and would be just the ticket with a creamy smoked salmon and pea pasta.

Then we’ll whizz down to Tuscany to where Alex has been hanging out for a few days and get a sample of Fattoria di Calappiano ‘Vinciano’ Chianti Riserva 2022, Tuscany, Italy (£22.49). Fattoria di Calappiano was founded by the Medici in the 1500’s but this wine is a little younger. Mostly Sangiovese with a splash of Canaiolo it has that lovely dark cherry fruit we’d all expect, fine tannins and herb and smoke notes adding complexity. Medium bodied with a juicy finish, Alex is going for a Bistecca alla Fiorentina as a partner, Wayne is suggesting a pork ragù (or wild boar if you can get some), what are you having with yours?

The cork recycling is taking off nicely, feel free to bring your natural corks and pop them in the receptacle.

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Before we get started, an important piece of admin:

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, next Monday, 11^th May, the shop will be closed all day.  Hopefully this will not disrupt your week too much and we will be sure to be open as usual Tuesday onwards.  Thank you for your understanding.

I wonder, can you remember what you were doing on this day, 100 years ago?  I acknowledge that it’s a little while ago and many Hepple & Tonic’s have passed your lips since then, so here’s a few memory joggers: swashbuckling United Artists founder, Douglas Fairbank, was appearing in the premier of the first colour feature film, The Black Pirate; the Belgians amongst you will also recall that Prosper Poullet, your Prime Minister, announced his resignation; meanwhile, the mighty Wigan defeated Warrington 22–10 to win the Northern Rugby Football League championship and, in the midst of all this excitement, somewhere beneath the as yet undiscovered Heathrow flightpath, a truly remarkable event was taking place: a baby David Frederick Attenborough was being born, only the second of three male Attenborough to be born in captivity in this area!

There are many great quotes attributed to the century old Sir but one favourite is:

“Do we really require so many gardening programmes, makeover programmes or celebrity chefs?”  – having said this in May 2008, I suspect his mood hasn’t improved.

And one for Wayne: “If I can bicycle, I bicycle.” – chapeau, 100 times over!

Other world news seems to be following its familiar Groundhog Day pattern, so we’ll swerve that as a topic of conversation.  The local elections have also taken place but I’m fairly sure there is enough analysis going on already in articles written by people more qualified and more well-paid for their opinions… however, we would like to offer congratulations one of our customers who was successfully elected to the council, drinks all round!

In real sports, the Giro d’Italia starts today and for the first 3 days will be travelling around Bulgaria, of course.  In ball sports, Arsenal are in the Champions League Final, Aston Villa are in the Europa League Final and Crystal Palace are in the Conference League Final, which is an extraordinary achievement.  Meanwhile, in running sports, over 1.3 million runners applied for the London Marathon Ballot, a new record.  If you consider that, in 2014, 169,000 people applied and in 2003, 111,000 people then really it seems we’re turning into a nation of athletes!?

In wine news, we have a new celebrity rosé launch to celebrate… Jessica Ennis-Hill has launched a premium de-alcoholised Provence rosé, weighing in at mid-weight 7% ABV.  It’s called Seven Summers, a reference to the alcohol level and also supposedly to the fact that Jess competed in 7 events in the Heptathlon.  Feels a bit tenuous, it could just as easily relate to there being 7 days in a week, 7 seas, 7 deadly sins, 7 continents, 7 dwarves, 7 colours in the rainbow, 7 hills of Rome, 7 wonders of the world and Seven Samurai – whatever you fancy, it’s bound to be in a supermarket near you soon but not in Park Vintners, sorry.

Speaking of Rosé, the responsibility for the change to cooler weather can be blamed entirely on us, since one of our shipments of the pink wine landed in the shop this week.  We’ve listed two new wines from Château Saint-Pierre in Provence, so hopefully the sun returns soon.

The Saint-Pierre 50 hectare domaine is a family-owned estate near the village of Les Arcs, in the heart of Provence.  The château dates back to the 11th century but the current winemaking family, the Dou family, have built a reputation for crafting beautifully precise rosés with a focus on freshness, balance and expression of the Provençal terroir.  Key to the excellence of their wines is the respect they have for the land they are cultivating and as a consequence they have transitioned to organic farming, promoting a sustainable and soil-friendly approach with no use of chemical herbicides, carefully managed cover crops and selective harvesting.

Château Saint-Pierre Marie Rosé 2025 – £16.99

Cuvée Marie is named after the family matriarch and is made from a classic blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, grown on limestone and clay soils that help retain freshness and aromatic lift.  Floral and fruity, it’s packed with aromas of white peach, melon and blossom. Quite full in the mouth, with delicate raspberry notes and crisp minerality on the finish.

Château Saint-Pierre Eden Rosé 2025 – £18.99

This one comes in a very distinctive ribbed bottle that certainly looks the part!  Pale peach in colour, the nose is perfumed and lively, showing distinctive aromas of marshmallow alongside bright, tangy fruit.  The palate is subtle and harmonious, with a clean, fruity attack and a fresh, balanced finish.  Fuller bodied and serious than the Marie, this is definitely competition for Château de L’Aumerade!

In fact, we’ll put the Eden on tasting this weekend, so you can see for yourselves and for the red we’ll open the recently returned Bodegas Resalte de Penafiel Lecco Crianza 2021 – £22.99.  This disappeared from our shelves almost two years ago when our supplier stopped importing it – so, as you can imagine, we were very excited when it turned up with another of our accounts!  Still 100% Tempranillo, still from 30-year-old vines, still aged for 14 months in a mix of 70% French and 30% American oak.  A complex and rich wine with a medium body, dark red fruit character, a touch of coffee and touches of spice into the long, lingering finish – welcome back, old friend!

And with that, we’ll leave you, with just one last update: for those who have been asking, the Hochar wine from Château Musar is now back in stock, form an orderly queue!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Well, this week seems to have been about oil. The price of Brent Crude has topped the high from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. One of Russia’s main refineries on the Black Sea has been burning for most of the week, United Arab Emirates have withdrawn from OPEC, BP has made some profits and Trump has decided that the Strait of Hormuz blockade could last for months.

The other consequence of all this oil market disruption could quite possibly be the demise of LIV golf. The Saudi’s have withdrawn their funding from the end of the season and these correspondents are struggling to imagine who will step in to fund the billions of dollars budget. Brooks Koepka’s switch back to the PGA is starting to look quite astute now, isn’t it?

Back to oil, in proper sports the two teams with the most wins so far this year are UAE Team Emirates XRG with 23 by ten different riders and INEOS Grenadiers using eight riders to achieve 18 wins. INEOS Grenadiers have continued their policy of marginal gains, this week teaming up with Netcompany in a bid to enhance their performance using AI. They will now be Netcompany-INEOS Cycling Team but it’s unclear if they’ll be able to produce an authentic photo of your granny getting a saddler from Filippo Ganna.

Also this week, the King has been banqueting in a different neighbourhood, enjoying the hospitality of the White House and risking the embarrassment of Donald Trump dozing off in his Happy Meal. It certainly amused this observer that a direct descendant of George III stood on American soil reminding people of the needs for checks and balances on power.

Whilst we talk about checks on power, it would appear that big Nige received a ‘gift’ of £5 million, just before he decided to run for parliament. There is some furore about whether it was declared to the correct authorities but we couldn’t help but wonder if that is missing the point. This particular ‘gift’ brings this donor gentleman’s largesse up to something approaching £9 million. What does this Asia based billionaire want in return for his £9 million? If there really are people giving away millions of pounds, with no strings attached, we’ll happily put a suit on, spill beer down our tie and stand outside a pub in Downe on a Sunday afternoon. We might even visit Clacton.

In wine news, the M4 was closed for around six hours earlier this week, after an accident that saw cases of prosecco smashed across the carriageway. Those merger talks we mentioned between Pernod Ricard and Brown Forman the other week have been called off as apparently they were unable to agree on almost anything even on being based in Paris or Kentucky. That said, both companies remain fully focused on delivering sustainable long term value for stakeholders, which sounds just like why they said they would investigate a merger in the first place.

Monday Monday

We will be closed on Monday 4^th May for the Bank Holiday.

Unfortunately, we will also be closed on Monday 11^th May due to circumstances beyond our control.

Tasting This Weekend

We thought we’d show a couple of newbies off this weekend. Wearing the white jersey will be Campo Fiorito Chardonnay 2024 (£14.99). Hailing from a 5 hectare, north-east facing plot in the Monferrato hills of Piemonte that was planted in 1998. It’s a decent sort, crisp with stonefruit character, a touch of creamy oak and a lovely fresh zestiness to the finish. How about a crab and avocado salad as a partner?

With the red jersey we shall swan off to Margaret River whilst there’s still enough jet fuel. From there we will encounter Cape Mentelle Marri Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (£20.49) named after the Marri tress that surround the vineyard protecting it from the winds. This is as good a Cabernet as we’ve come to expect from these folks with bright berry fruits, soft tannins a nice finish… come and tell us what you’ll pair it with.