The Weekly Wine

Fellow Wine Lovers,

I will confess to being in a bit of a crisis this week, a crisis of excess. 

In one hand, we’ve got 50 letters being sent out by the Met to various unnamed recipients, relating to potentially shady goings on in Downing Street; we’ve got the ongoing fallout from the Sue Gray report and we’ve got a famous bodice ripper written by EL James.  Ideally, in the other hand, I would have a clever pun combining all of the above, that would make us all smile for a moment as we unwrap our lunchtime burrito; however, as I uncurl my fingers I find that the palm is empty, there is no pun to be found, just a P45 named Dick.  So, if anyone can come up with something clever using the tools provided, please do let me know before the end of the email and I’ll slot it in.

Were you one of the lucky 50 recipients of a letter from Scotland Yard?  I imagine not, given that you were all at home isolating for the last two years but I have to say I’m intrigued to know what the emailed questionnaire is going to ask, or perhaps should ask:

1. Did you go to any parties in Downing Street in 2020 or 2021?
2. Was Boris Johnson there in a work capacity or was he working the room?
3. As these questions are part of Operation Hillman, which of the following Hillman motor vehicles did you see at Downing Street? Minx, Husky, Super Minx, Imp, Hunter, Avenger or Hustler (please tick all that apply)
4. And finally, to help our sponsors, do you prefer Claret or Beaujolais with your Brie de Meaux?

This questionnaire has formal legal status and all responses are required within seven days.  You must answer every question with either ‘YES’, ‘NO’ or ‘IT IS SIMPLY THE CASE THAT WE WOULDN’T WANT TO BE SEEN TO BE PREJUDGING THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION.  GIVEN THE CLAIMS AND SPECULATION THAT’S BEEN REPORTED ON, WHAT’S RIGHT IS THAT THE INVESTIGATION IS ALLOWED TO CARRY OUT ITS WORK’

However, we have to assume that we’ll never know the whole truth, so I’ll move on to other things and this week we have a couple of diary notes for you.

It’s the 11^th February today, I imagine many of you are all dusting off your passports in anticipation of a snow filled half term break and I fully applaud this.  Anyway, if today is the 11^th, tomorrow will likely be the 12^th, Sunday should be the 13^th which will result in Monday being the 14^th.  The 14^th February aka Valentine’s Day.  I’d pack a card and a bottle of something nice in amongst your long johns if I were you…. don’t say you weren’t given enough warning!

Almost as exciting as the prospect of drinking Champagne on a Monday night is the prospect of us hosting a winemaker tasting here instore.  On Tuesday we received the following email:

Howdy,

We’re planning on coming to the UK in April for a friends 50th and wondered if you would be interested in doing a tasting on the evening of Thursday 21st April with Jonathan like in the old days

To which we replied:

Yes please, we’d love too

To clarify, the email came from Rachel, Rachel Treloar to give her full name, one half of team Domaine Treloar, down in Roussillon in the nice warm part of France.  Now, over the years both Rachel and her husband Jonathan have done tastings for us here and they have gone down an absolute storm – the combination of great wines, great anecdotes and the opportunity to ask the winemakers some really geeky questions is Alex’s idea of atop night out.  It would seem that, historically, you all have a pretty good time too, given the speed with which tickets tend to sell!

The last time we did a Treloar tasting was with Rachel on 17^th October 2019 and prior to that Jonathan filled us with wine and information on 26^th November 2014, which just goes to show that another visit is well overdue, where has the time gone?

WINES FROM DOMAINE TRELOAR WITH JONATHAN HESFORD

THURSDAY 21^ST APRIL 7.30pm – £20 each – limited numbers, when it’s full, it’s full!

Very exciting!

Back in the here and now, we’ll be having a wee tasting of our own this weekend as usual and these two characters will be on show:

Cramele Recas Solara – £11.99

We chose this because frankly, on this most romantic of weekends, what says ‘I love you!’ better than a vegan natural wine from Romania with a slice of orange pretending to be the rising sun on its label?  See, we’ve got all the moves. 

Anyway, back in truthful-land, we first listed this wine last summer in our Case Club and it sold out really, really quickly.  When we tried to re-order in September we were told it was out of stock until 2022.  Well, we’re in 2022 now and the wine is here once more.  The estate is owned by Englishman Philip Cox and his Romanian wife Elvira who have immaculate vineyards, in mountainous terrain, containing a combination of evolved plantings from 1447 alongside more recent plantings.  A natural minimal intervention wine, it is made by leaving the grape skins and seeds in contact with the pressed juice, creating a deep orange-hued finish.  The wine ferments naturally without the addition of yeasts, sulphur or any other additions.  The nose exhibits quince, Poire William and a hint of vanilla. A complex and structured palate, it is elegant with discreet fruit flavours of stone fruits, backed up with a complexity and long, balanced finish, incredibly fresh. 

Or, in simpler terms, try it, it’s fab!

Keeping the romantic theme, the red is Spanish this week.

Valenciso have become a leading light amongst Rioja’s small, yet growing, band of micro, terroir-focused producers.  Leaving behind excellent careers at Bodegas Palacio, Luis Valentin (see what we did there!) and Carmen Enciso started Compania Bodeguera de Valenciso in 1998.  The vineyards and cellar are located in Rioja Alta in Ollauri, Spain, a small village 4-km away from Haro and we’ll be opening:

Valenciso Reserva 2012 – £25.99

“2012 was a warm and dry year, when some vines were blocked and stopped ripening the grapes. Surprisingly enough, many wines have retained more freshness than what the natural conditions of the year anticipated. Valenciso’s 2012 Reserva has more stuffing and power than the 2011 and comes from a year that was saved by some rains in September and big temperature contrasts between day and night. It’s very tasty, almost salty (the words of Jean Gonon from St Joseph saying “our wines are salty, to be enjoyed with food. There is no room for sweetness in our wines,” comes to my mind). It’s a modern classical Rioja in the making, still young but showing some development and incipient complexity. These wines develop slowly and nicely in bottle and seem to hit the spot after some eight years after the harvest.”  

93 points Luis Guttierez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (6/2019)

Now, that should probably be it from us, you finished your burrito a while back now and I’m sure are itching to get on with your afternoon but, just to confirm, yes, you’re right, there’s a very good reason why we haven’t mentioned the Six Nations….

Fellow Wine Lovers,

As the world goes Wordle mad, we thought we’d share an anagram somebody was kind enough to share with us: Rogue Partyers = Sue Gray Report!

So, hot on the heels of just writing off £4.3 billion lost to fraud just last week, the government has announced that they will be writing off £8.7 billion on Personal Protective Equipment. Some of this loss is understandable, as stock is revalued at prices that have dropped as the demand has fallen, something that we all recall from GCSE economics.

Perhaps you’ll remember that some was purchased through the so called VIP lanes from Matt’s mate down the pub. We’re not sure if that’s

1. the £673 million worth of masks that were not fit for purpose
2. the £750 million’s worth that went of date before it could be used
3. the £2.6 billion that was spent on “items not suitable for use in the NHS” but which they hope to sell

That’s £13 billion and counting of OUR money that has been wasted rather than aiding economic recovery! As a guide, the 2012 Olympics cost £9.3 billion to stage and led to the regeneration of an enormous swathe of East London with more than 10,000 new homes.

To say we are a little peeved may be perceived as an understatement. It’s not so much the paying top of the market, there was a pandemic after all and somebody always ends up buying at the top, it’s more about finding ourselves on the same side of outrage as the Daily Mail that makes us feel distinctly grumpy.

Earlier this morning we had the opening ceremony for Winter Olympics in Beijing. We’ve seen Team GB in action already of course, as the curling started on Wednesday with the mixed doubles team Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds carrying the weight of our expectations beating Sweden, Canada and Australia thus far. Rumours that the curling started early because it is so slow are apparently less truthful than a speech by the Prime Minister.

Personally, I’m looking out for Brad Hall and co in the bobsleigh and then Kirsty Muir and Zoe Atkin in the freestyle skiing. Ski jumping with its new mixed event seems even better than ever, no prizes for guessing who’s been watching Ski Sunday! 

At the risk of raising the excitement levels just a little further, the Six Nations starts on Saturday too.  An injury diminished England travel to Murrayfield for the Calcutta Cup game, however the injury list has forced Mr Jones to pick some of the names that you’ve all been shouting at your TV for ages, although perhaps not Eliot Daly…. Scotland look injury free so Mr Townsend has full choice and it should be a bit of a game.

Ireland host Wales which I suspect the fans are grateful for given plans to sell weak beer and close bars at half time in Cardiff! I suspect Ireland fancy it, given Wales have an injury list to match England’s.

Italy find themselves on the road on Sunday, facing tournament favourites France at the Stade de France, I don’t fancy their chances if I’m honest!

Whilst we’re on the subject of travelling, in real sports, the European Road Racing Season has started with both the Etoile de Bessèges and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana taking place this week. Mads Pederson and Remco Evenepoel respectively pickied up early season stage wins.

Perhaps now we should look at tasting some wine this weekend. Given that Italy had a starring role last weekend we’ll open with France occupying the white corner: Reserve de Gassac 2020 (£12.99) an unoaked blend of predominantly Viognier with Marsanne, Roussanne and Chardonnay from 25 year old vines. Soft and ripe on the palate with stone fruits, herbs and a mineral backbone. Very versatile with food, but a fish stew with plenty of garlic would be heavenly.

Spain will roll in with the red; Time Waits For No One (£13.99) is from Jumilla, just a short bike ride from the race. Made from 100% Monastrell it is dark in the glass with earthy black fruits, a touch of smoke and a plumper of a finish.

With that we’re off quicker than your MP can pop a letter in!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Frustratingly, when one scans the headlines, not a lot has changed since last week.  We’re still waiting for the potentially underwhelming report from Sue Gray to land on our desk and as a result we’re still having to listen to Keir and co telling Big Dog to resign which they know he won’t do because that would be an admission of guilt.  Rory Stewart, possibly not a lover of large canines, saw fit to add his two penneth to the debate:

“This is somebody who has obviously cheated on two wives, been fired from two jobs…. People have known that Boris Johnson lies for 30 years…. The question is do people want somebody who lies so consistently… Boris Johnson lies all the time, you can document hundreds of lies that he’s told…. I don’t think waiting for the Sue Gray report to find out whether he lies. He lies to his wife, his employers, his colleagues, Parliament…. Often he does it in different ways. He’s probably the best liar we’ve had as Prime Minister.”

Don’t beat about the bush Rory, tell us what you really think!

“This whole thing is total rhubarb.”

Thankfully Boris was able to clear things up. 

Think what you will of the labradoodle, he does often have a decent turn of phrase.  In fact, it feels as though the one report he has received is related to the poll taken by Perspectives Global, where 2,000 adults, aged between 18-50, were asked if they had ever used any of 50 old phrases that are dying out – these are all phrases that you could imagine Boris using…

To be Prime Minister you really need to know your onions or else you run the risk of dropping a clanger.  However, as we can see throughout Boris’ career, he always starts as keen as mustard but this is just a flash in the pan as his constant refusal to toe the line results in it all going pear shaped and costing someone a bomb to get rid of him.  The fact that he was able to continue as a journalist for so long takes the biscuit as he churned out a load of old codswallop on a weekly basis, seemingly incapable of putting a sock in it.  In spite of the fact that he could not organise a p*** up in a brewery, he somehow became Foreign Secretary and, in this capacity, showed the whole world that he was a few sandwiches short of a picnic before becoming a fly in the ointment and resigning.  Once Teresa May left Downing Street he saw this as an opportunity to become a legend in his own lifetime although Covid saw him make a total dogs dinner of his premiership.  Right now it would seem his career is ready for the knackers’ yard, it’s been a bodge job but we must never expect him to eat humble pie since he doesn’t consider that he’s done anything wrong, because he’s mad as a hatter!

Elsewhere, everyone’s favourite international jet-setter has set his own big dogs to work denying all charges against him, which he would of course.  We don’t know much about law and lawyering but we thought “Prince Andrew lacks sufficient information to admit or deny the allegation that there exists photographic evidence of his alleged meeting with Giuffre” took the biscuit.  Blimey, this is the photo that has appeared in probably 90% of the world’s tabloids over the last few years – you could only expect such brass neck from a man unable to sweat!

Now, onto things that don’t make our blood boil.  I’m sure many of you will have come across the excellent book Great Lies To Tell Small Kids by Andy Riley, a veritable treasure trove of silliness that includes classics such as Wine makes Mummy clever.  Anyway, I only mention this because we’ve been talking about lying but now we should talk about wine. 

A Chinese study, published in journal Frontiers, has found that COVID risk is lower in red wine drinkers compared to non-drinkers whilst beer and cider drinkers up to a 28% higher COVID risk compared with non-drinkers.

So, we’ve vaccinated, double vaccinated and boosted, now it’s time to reach for the corkscrew and open that nice bottle of Italian red to make sure we are properly covered – how does this one sound?

Maculan Brentino – £23.99

For three generations the Maculan family has been selecting and vinifying the best grapes from their hillside vineyards, on volcanic soils, with the best sites of the Breganze DOC.  Located about 20 miles north of Vicenza, Breganze is an enchanting village at the foot of the Asiago high plains.  Maculan has long been a favourite winery of ours but, since we left Oddbins many moons ago, we haven’t been able to get hold of their wines.  Until now.  This red is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon with seductive aromas of blackberries and dark cherries, that lead onto a medium to full-bodied palate with dark fruit character and some nicely balanced tannins that persist well into the finish.

We’ll have this open to taste over the weekend and to complement it, we’ll have an Italian white too:

Vigneti Le Monde Friulano – £15.99

Established in 1970 and recognised as a “cru” within Friuli, it is only under the current owners that the estate has really taken off. This wine is made from 100% Friulano, with aromas of fresh flowers, citrus, lemon and green apple.  The palate is crisp and dry with again notes of apple, peach and pear with a subtle floral note.  Good weight, perfectly balanced by a fresh clean finish – this often slips under people’s radar and we cannot understand why!

And now we must leave you with one last true story, as told by Barry Cryer:

A man drives down a country lane and runs over a cockerel.  He knocks at a nearby farmhouse door and a woman answers.

‘I appear to have killed your cockerel,’ he says. ‘I’d like to replace it.’

The woman replies: ‘Please yourself – the hens are round the back.’

Timeless.

Fellow Wine Lovers,

You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing.  Depart, I say, and let us have done with you.  In the name of God, go!

I like this quote, it feels like something that might come in useful when dealing with recalcitrant teenagers or dinner guests who haven’t helped with the washing up and keep on drinking your wine….

Boris should have replied ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me’ in in true parliamentary playground style, however he chose instead the far more scholarly riposte: ‘I must say to him, I don’t know what he is talking about’ – take that Davis, how do you like them apples?!

Whilst we understand the excitement surrounding Mr Thick as Mince’s Cromwellian oratory, we feel that perhaps a better question was asked just beforehand, by Labour MP Diana Johnson:

When the prime minister has to spend his time trying to convince the British public that he is stupid not dishonest, isn’t it time for him to go?

Boom – get your coat, Johnson, you’re toast.

In anticipation of all this we’ve spent the week reading about Liz Truss on Wikipedia in readiness for her arrival at Number 10.  However, it now seems that since Boris has single-handedly cured Covid and eradicated it from the British Isles simply by removing Plan B, nobody appears that interested in taking over from him.  And no, of course there hasn’t been any blackmail or manipulation or more accurately, Boris hasn’t seen any evidence….

Shame, in every sense of the word.

I feel we need to move on.  Today is Friday 21^st January which means, encouragingly, that Wayne is now 3 weeks into Veganuary and I haven’t touched a drop since New Year’s Eve.

Have we told you how amazing we are feeling, how this period of abstinence has really made us reflect on previous life choices and how generally Zen we are and that perhaps we might even continue into February and beyond? 

No? 

That’s probably because we haven’t actually given anything up for this month, it’s all too darned bleak anyway and, if you just abstain Monday to Wednesday each week, that equates to roughly 22 weeks of purgatory per year, which we think is probably about enough.

And why would you want to give up when it’s Whisky season?  Yes indeedy, Burn’s Night is upon us once more, next Tuesday to be precise, but I imagine a number of us will be celebrating this weekend.

Not long before Christmas we added two new Highland Whiskies to our range, from a new labelling called Canmore.  Both of them are here open to taste should you wish to whet your appetite, if not, here are the notes from their website:

Canmore Original Single Malt – £33

A reassuringly complex and smooth Scotch – the search for the classic single malt can end now with this easy-going, easy-drinking whisky. “A well rounded and happy whisky with lots going for it. Would appeal to a novice palate but would also satisfy a regular whisky drinker as a session whisky. Quite moreish.”  Dominic Roskrow, Whisky Consultant

Canmore 12 Year Old – £42

Rich and warming and matured in ex-bourbon barrels for over a decade to create a bounty of deep and complex flavours.  “This is a very nice whisky. It’s not over-assertive – there is no peat, or heavy sherry influence, or over-heavy oak influences. There’s enough going on for it to hold its own in the company of malts such as Old Pulteney, An Cnoc, or Glen Grant.”  Dominic Roskrow (again!)

Of course, we have plenty of other bottles open too, should you need to do a full evaluation

TASTING THIS WEEKEND

Should Uisge Beatha not be your thing, we’ll have a couple of wines open too

Chatelain Desjacques Chardonnay 2020 – £10.49

Absolute cracking value this from the Val de Loire in France.  A light, crisp and appley Chardonnay given a bit of depth by some time spent on its lees and no time spent in oak.  This fits into that comfortable space where you’d like a glass of Chablis but don’t have a posh Burgundy budget!

Bodegas Staphyle Iris Malbec 2020 – £9.99

This is from Lujan de Cuyo, which is pretty high altitude wise and home to most of the smart names in quality from Mendoza, Argentina.  The winery was originally built in 1930 but fully updated in 2002 by boutique winery Bodegas Staphyle.  The wine is brilliant, youthful and bright with light tannins, cherry and berry fruit characteristics and a lovely easy going finish. Cracking with some of that haggis you’ve got planned!

That’s just about it from us – same time next week, perhaps with a new PM?

Slàinte!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

This week we’re a bit over it, if we’re honest.

As we reach the gazillionth day of Covid dominated news we thought, rather than go off on some inarticulate rant that would bore you and just incense us more, we would instead  have a quick flick through the dictionary, just to check that our understanding of certain words was the same as everyone else’s.  Here are some examples:

• ENTITLED [ɪnˈtʌɪt(ə)ld] adjective – believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

“they feel so entitled and think the world will revolve around them and the rules don’t include them”

• ARROGANT [ˈarəɡ(ə)nt] adjective – having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.

“he’s arrogant and opinionated but not an expert”

• TENNIS PLAYER noun – an athlete who plays tennis

“No, Novak Djokovic is not a virologist or an, epidemiologist, he is a tennis player”

• ISOLATION [ʌɪsəˈleɪʃ(ə)n] noun –  the process or fact of isolating or being isolated

“Mr Ramella, I’ve tested positive for Covid so will need to isolate rather than do this interview”

synonyms: separation · segregation · setting apart · keeping apart · quarantine · insulation · seclusion · closeting · protection · shielding · partitioning · solitariness ·

• PRIME MINISTER noun – the head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or state.

“Yes, Boris Johnson really is our Prime Minister, the buck stops there!”

• PARTY [ˈpɑːti] noun – a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment.

“Hi all, after what has been an incredibly busy period it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening. Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”

synonyms: social gathering · gathering · social occasion · social event ·

Having now checked, it seems we did have the correct understanding off all of these words, it was just some others who didn’t.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has said he is limiting contact with other people, because a family member has tested positive, and will continue to do so until at least Tuesday – what a convenient time to start following the rules!

Moving back into the shop, there are deals to be done.  By simply walking through the door and stating something along the lines of:

‘I believe that, if I choose 6 bottles of wine, either all the same or 6 different, that may also include some of your sparkling wines but not your spirits, then I am ENTITLED to a 16.66% discount?  Furthermore, this ENTITLEMENT is not limited to just one ISOLATED visit, I can actually use it as many times as I want until the end of January – perhaps I should have a PARTY?’

Of course, you don’t have to announce yourself in such a pompous manner, we’d be very excited if you did however (might even give you a prize!), not to worry though, this entitlement is open to everyone, not just our pals!

I think Wayne explained it all last week but just to confirm:

If you buy 6 bottles we’ll only charge you for 5 – which in maths terms is a 16.66% discount – and we do it mathematically rather than giving you the cheapest one free because, frankly, that’s just not how we do things round here…

I think that’s probably it for now – good news is we’re already half way through the month, in 31 days time it’ll be Valentines Day, half term will be in full swing and we’ll be knee deep in the Six Nations whilst happily careening towards Spring.

And we might have a new Prime Minister?  Let’s see….

Finally, we will be closed on Monday.  It’s the annual tasting of a key supplier and we’re hoping to find some new wines to tantalise your taste buds  as well as taste some vintage changes.

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Happy New Year folks, may your cup overfloweth! Perhaps not with the red though, we don’t want to stain the carpet.

Away in the sunshine Down Under, Novax Djokovic discovers that being famous is not everything and not doing something can carry as many consequences as doing something. On which note we would take this opportunity to remind you that you’re in the last three weeks of time to do your tax return and, as a note to self; we have pretty much the same amount of time for our VAT return.

In wine news we can report that Chateau Angélus has decided to withdraw from the St Émilion classification system. “While acknowledging the benefits the Saint-Émilion classification has brought, Château Angélus has decided it is time to withdraw.” Drawn up every 10 years, it is due to be announced again this year amid reports that already two estates have plans to appoint lawyers. You may recall us reporting that following almost 10 years of court proceedings Angélus owner Hubert de Bôuard was found guilty by a French court in November 2021 of having undue influence in setting the standards of the 2012 classification.

We have stated before that if the lesser performing estates spent as much time concentrating on their vines and wines as they did in their lawyers office everyone could benefit. For the record, of the top four performing estates in St Émilion, only Chateau Pavie remains in the classification.

Whilst we’re on the subject of wine, I’d like to mention we’re having a January Sale. Despite everyone’s best efforts we just didn’t manage to sell out before the year end. As a result we have decided to continue a tradition we started in 2011 by offering you some FREE WINE.

Your eyes do not deceive you if you buy 6 bottles we’ll only charge you for 5. In reality that’s a 16.66% discount, not one of ‘the cheapest one free’ shenanigans that other retailers might like to hoodwink with…

Apart from spirits there are only a few odd products here and there that we’ll have to exclude but we’re sure you understand.

We understand that some of you may be involved in Dry January. It’s not for us in much the same way as Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. We admire your spirit though, and would mention that do have a Zero Alcohol Sparkler should the charms of San Pellegrino wear a bit thin.  

That’s enough from us for the first week of the year, do pop in and say hi and leave with a box you only paid for five of.

Cheers,

Wayne & Alex

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Possibly not our most original idea but like many before us, we thought we’d give you a quick recap of 2021.

January saw us discuss a racing pigeon lost at a race in Oregon turning up in Melbourne, a flight of 13000km.

February found us up to our knees in Ferrero Rocher, Valentines cards and the Six Nations Rugby, whilst Wayne got a new shed.

We marched on into, well, March and there was more Rugby, covid jabs and the unexpected appearance of Jilly Cooper in one of our Friday emails. ‘Stay at Home’ ended on the 29^th.

April rode in with a mixture of sunshine, snow and rain. The Volvo got a new bit for its suspension, Paris Roubaix was postponed and Mark Cavendish came third at the Schelderprijs and then won three stages at the Tour of Turkey. We got haircuts.

May arrived without the removal of any layers as it was still very chilly. We voted for a London Mayor and kept the one we had. Leicester won the FA Cup and Harry Kane wanted to leave Tottenham Hotspur.

In June, the G7 bought gridlock and an extra burst of  the ‘rona to the lucky folks of Cornwall. Whilst scientists discovered infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria causes a 77% reduction in cases of dengue fever without harming the mosquito.

July saw the Tour de France, Freedom Day and England’s men’s football team lose on penalties to Italy in the European Championship final at Wembley. Despite not being originally scheduled to ride, Mark Cavendish was on winning form again, equalling Eddy Merckx 34 victories at the Tour.

August featured a lot of Dave’s getting up to mischief. Call me Dave was in bother for lobbying proceeds, ‘Dave Smith’ at the Embassy in Berlin for selling secrets to the Russians, and ‘River Dave’ for being in contempt of a New York court.

September contained too many R’s. Ronaldo returned to Manchester, Reginald Dwight (Elton John) postponed his tour of the UK, Rahm at the Ryder Cup, and a Government reshuffle.

October arrived with James Bond, whilst the Justice Minister was demonstrating his grasp of the brief with “Misogyny is absolutely wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman, or a woman against a man”.

November arrived with COP26 involving more hot air than seemed sensible and Owen Paterson resigned. There were fireworks for most of the month.

He we are at the end of December.  We’d like to thank you dearly for your support this year it really means a lot us. We wish you all a Happy New Year and hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

We did also talk a bit about wine as well but not as much as we would like to think we do – anyway, bring on 2022, we’ve got this!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Top to toe in tailbacks, Oh, I got red lights all around, I’m driving home for Christmas, yeah….

Thankfully, today marks the last day that we have to pay royalties to Chris Rea, Shakin’ Stevens, Noddy et al for wishing us festive joy, 1980’s style, and we can go back to listening to The Prodigy and Morbid Angel.

IN the meantime, we need to keep this short and sweet as the queue at the tills is starting to resemble the Centre Court Booster Jab line.  We’ll be here until 5pm today and then we are shut until Wednesday.  In fact, our opening hours for the next week go something like this:

Saturday 25th – Tuesday 28th December CLOSED

Wednesday 29th December – Friday 31st December Noon – 6pm

Saturday 1st – Wednesday 5th January CLOSED

Thursday 6th January Noon – 7pm

So, have a very jolly Christmas, eat, drink and be merry and don’t watch the news – you’ll have a much better time if you follow that advice. 

Finally, to show empathy for all of those isolating over Christmas, some wise words, with apologies to The Waitresses:

So deck those halls, trim those trees, Raise up cups of Christmas cheer, I just need to catch my breath,  I think, I’ll miss this one this year…

Wayne & Alex

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Well folks, to paraphrase, it’s beginning to look a lot like last Christmas….

Which is not at all where we expected to be when we all sacrificed our plans in December 2020, all for the greater good.  Plus, here in London, we’ve finally reached another ‘world-beating’ milestone, where Omicron is most deeply imbedded and case rates are highest and rising fastest.  Clearly, the fact that the Houses of Parliament and all its law abiding inhabitants are based here is pure coincidence, nonetheless high fives all round – mind my arm though, it’s a bit sore after the booster.

But my God, aren’t we bored of this?  At a time when we should be gearing up for festive fun and frolics we are instead spending all our time worrying about the prospect of getting ill which is no way to lead a life and if we don’t get Covid then we’ll get sick with something else and become a nation of psychosomatics.

Anyway, let’s move on.  There’s nothing good in the news to talk about, any sport that is still going on actually isn’t, due to illness, and we are praying for rain in Adelaide as The Ashes already hangs in the balance and we’re only on Day 6 of the 25!

So, let’s bury our heads in the sand and transport ourselves to a parallel universe where all is tickety-boo.  In such a universe, Wayne is Global President of Everything and as such has decreed that the sun should shine every-day and all rain should take place between the hours of 2am and 5am.  In this utopian idyll there is also no disease, hangovers have been outlawed and the idea of Christmas being cancelled would never cross anyone’s mind.  I have to say, if you like it here, vote for Wayne.

In Utopia you still have to make some decisions but happily you only have to make interesting and fun ones – right now the decisions revolve around what you should drink next week and what to give your nearest and dearest to enjoy.

How about some suggestions from the Global President of Everything?  As mentioned last week, Alex has been busy putting together some interesting selections which I think might not have successfully attached to everyone’s email so here they are again:

THE CHRISTMAS MIXED CASE – £100 (including tasting notes)

• Lété-Vautrain 204 Brut NV, Charly-Sur-Marne, Champagne, France
• Hugel Classic Riesling 2019, Alsace, France
• Flametree Chardonnay 2020, Margaret River, Australia
• Paddy Borthwick Paper Road Pinot Noir 2020, Wairarapa, New Zealand
• Chateau Haut Barrail 2016, Cru Bourgeois Medoc, Bordeaux, France
• Monte del Frá Tenuta Lena di Mezzo, Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2018, Veneto, Italy

RED SELECTION FOR CHRISTMAS – £100 (including tasting notes)

• ‘The Chocolate Block’ 2020, Swartland, South Africa
• Embers Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Margaret River, Australia
• Petit Clos Pinot Noir 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Le Corti Chianti Classico 2018, Tuscany, Italy
• Sottano Selección Blend 2019, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
• Altos Ibéricos Parcelas De Graciano 2015, Rioja, Spain

FRENCH REDS FOR CHRISTMAS – £150 (including tasting notes and gift box!)

• Chateau Haut-Beychevelle Gloria 2016,Saint-Julien, Bordeaux
• Chateau Relais de la Poste ‘Cuvée Malbec’ 2014, Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux
• Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune du Chateau 1er Cru 2018, Burgundy
• Domaine Belleville Mercurey ‘Les Perrières’ 2018, Burgundy
• Domaine Lafond Roc-Épine Lirac 2019, Rhône
• Domaine Treloar ‘Tahi’ 2013, Côtes du Roussillon

If any of these sound like they might solve a few last minute gift problems then just drop us a line and we can put a case together for you, whilst stocks last!

As we’re now only 8 sleeps away from the big fella’s birthday we’ll be opening a couple of bottles of the good stuff…

Sylvain Dussort Bourgogne ‘Cuvée des Ormes’ 2018 – £21.99

This is the estate’s flagship wine, with the grapes hand-harvested from vines between 35 to over 60 years; the wine is aged for 12 months in barrels on the lees.  The wine is racked off once and assembled in a single vat before bottling.  This takes place at between 16 and 18 months, depending on the vintage.  Delicate, rich and elegant, with good length, we reckon in a blind tasting it would easily be mistaken for a Meursault.  Awesome value for money, we always think.

Domaine Belleville Mercurey Les Perrières 2018 – £27.99

We’re big fans of this estate, their quality is evident in both reds and whites.  This is from 40 year old vines on a stony sloped rock outcrop, one of the finest terroirs for Mercurey.  Blackberries and a touch of spice on the nose.  The palate is juicy with again those dark fruit characters, a touch of spice from the barrel and a mere hint of mushroom rounded off with fine tannins and a lovely long finish.

Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 Year Old Tawny – £26.99

A rich amber hue as you’d expect from 10 years in barrel.  Medium intensity aromas of dried fruits, caramelized orange peel and slightly balsamic whilst on the palate it has a medium to full body, crisp acidity with hints of dried apricots and figs.  A lovely, long and spicy finish make this a bit of a treat for everyone!

And of course, the Foxdenton Estate Christmas Liqueur – £23.00 – will also still be open, so plenty to tempt the taste buds with, especially when you add in all the other whiskies and gins we always have open – come on, it’s Christmas, have a taste!

Finally, a bit of admin – below are our opening hours for the next few weeks:

Saturday 18th December 11am – 7pm

Sunday 19th December noon – 3pm

Monday 20th – Thursday 23rd December Noon – 7pm

Friday 24th December 10am – 5 pm

Saturday 25th – Tuesday 28th December CLOSED

Wednesday 29th December – Friday 31st December Noon – 6pm

Saturday 1st – Wednesday 5th January CLOSED

Thursday 6th January Noon – 7pm

That’s quite enough from us for now, back to work you lot!

Cheers

Prancer and Dancer

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Here at Park Vintners we like to think of ourselves of being somewhat involved in the fun business, even if it’s just as supplying some of the ingredients. You can imagine then, our dismay at all the hoo-haa over a Christmas Party.

We normally like to have a festive party and the format involves Alex and Wayne going out to dinner together with their wives. Previous venues that may have featured on the invitation include The Fox and Grapes, The Lighthouse, Nutbourne, Santa Maria del Sur and The White Onion, All are places we feel you can have something tasty to eat and a glass or two of something suitably agreeable to accompany it.

At this point we would like to clarify the actions that were taken last year. We will confess to having not one but two parties. Both of them had the same menu and wine list but no party games or dancing. Because of the government’s rules we found plans changing rather rapidly. In the end we had a really rather delicious hare ragù takeaway from our chums at Whisk and some rather tasty wine from a shelf in this very building.

The first party was here in Wimbledon Park with the second occurring simultaneously in Balham, the two linked by Zoom. We can attribute the Zoom link to the technical abilities of our wives, who spend a large part of their working days enjoying its attributes. We can attest that no other staff, press officers or journalists were present. There was no sleeping Prime Minister upstairs having an early night in a defiant ‘non-attending’ manner. Two teenagers may or may not have been in the building watching television but we cannot confirm or deny because their phones have been changed.

Other than that, we have nothing further to say on the matter.

Have you been following the Grand Prix? All to play for in the Drivers’ Championship with Hamilton and Verstappen on equal points going into the final race of the season. Could be a nail biter, could be two cars off at the first corner, let’s see on Sunday shall we? We weren’t sure we wanted to mention the cricket but on reflection we’ll just reference our email of 26^th July 2019, the blond scarecrow had just become Prime Minister when we wrote: 

“Theresa was seen sipping a clear drink with a slice of lime in it at Lord’s yesterday; she looked remarkably relaxed, unshackled and about 10 years younger – easy lays the head that no longer wears the crown, to horrendously misquote the Bard.

She did witness a bit of a fight back by the England team though, including an extraordinary innings by a number 11 plus the traditional mid-order collapse.  Good to see Roy in the runs, bit of a concern about Burns though, is the step up to Test a bit too big – Australia will be watching and learning.”

Nothing further to say on that matter either!

In other news we found lying around in the internet’s dusty shoebox, Santa has survived another summer in the Bahama’s and is back in Lapland working hard for the big day. A victim of soaring electricity prices and collapsing energy providers just like the rest of us, he has been harnessing the power from the Aurora Borealis to power the Elves workshop which explains why the colours have been so green lately.

Talking of Elves, Alex has put together some selections of seasonably suitable reds that may tickle your fancy on the gift or drinking front. We’ve taken the liberty of attaching the details.

All that remains is for us to enlighten those of you who’d like to taste some wine at the weekend.  In the celebratory corner we’ll pop the cork on Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut NV (£36.99 or £184.95 for six) because it’s delicious and we’ve not had it on tasting for ages.  Running around in the white ski jacket will be Flametree Chardonnay 2020 (£18.99) a stunning example from Margaret River and if those fishy folk at the farmers market have some brill, that might be just the ticket! Arriving with the speed of a Pat Cummins delivery will be Geoff Merrill Bush Vine GSM 2013 (£19.49) if anyone is watching the cricket it’ll certainly be Geoff!