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 One of Russia’s main refineries on the Black Sea has been burning for most of the week, United Arab Emirates have withdrawn from OPEC, BP has made some profits and Trump has decided that the Strait of Hormuz blockade could last for months.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 The Saudi’s have withdrawn their funding from the end of the season and these correspondents are struggling to imagine who will step in to fund the billions of dollars budget.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 4th May for the Bank Holiday.
Unfortunately, we will also be closed on Monday 11th 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.