Fellow Wine Lovers,
Welcome back Girls & Boys, hope you all had a lovely Easter break – for those of you who stayed around, wasn’t it blissful. Just like a Jubilee it was a double Bank Holiday and, with so many people away, drinking Aumerade Rosé all day and waking up the following morning without a Badhead, it was utterly brilliant!
And Arthur Road felt like it had been thrown back to the End of a Century past, no cars to be seen, families promenading and enjoying the sunshine, children hoop rolling, governesses’ steering first generation Silver Cross perambulators towards Wimbledon Park whilst young men laughed, smoked and played croquet. I know, it all sounds a bit Far Out but as you weren’t here you can’t prove me wrong…
Back in the real world, the one thing that London Loves is a bit of disruption and boy have we been getting it. The whole of the District line seemed to be shut last weekend and the Extinction Rebellion has developed it’s fascination with gluing a whole range of body parts to inanimate objects to a new level. However, there was a slight hint of Trouble in the Message Centre when Dame Emma Thompson jumped on her plane and flew in to join in the protests which some saw as arch hypocrisy. Frankly darling, I’m rich enough to plant lots of trees so I can do what I want really – no, she didn’t actually say that but you know, makes you wonder…
Elsewhere it was neither Magic America for Wal Mart/Asda nor was Sainsbury’s in Clover over Dover as the Competition and Markets Authority scuppered their plans for merging, citing all the obvious reasons that we all thought of when it was first mentioned – a poorer shopping experience, less competition, less choice, global homogenisation. The general consensus was that so far as the shopper would be concerned, so far as future retail is concerned, This Is a Low and, as a consequence, should be stifled. Good work.
Back in the shop, we’ve been organising our a tasting calendar a bit more, tidying it up a bit and adding a couple of things in for all of our enjoyment – so here’s a brief overview of what is going on over the next few months in the evenings when the TV gets boring and you fancy a night out…
Thursday 2nd May – Private Tasting
Thursday 16th May – Private Tasting
Thursday 23rd May – WINE & CHEESE TASTING – SOLD OUT
Thursday 6th June – Private Tasting
Thursday 13th June – ROSÉ WINE TASTING – £25
A Rosé tasting? In June? Are you mad? It’s bound to rain! Well, if it does, we’ll just crank the heaters up and Provence-ify the shop!
If you love a bit of pink drinking then come along – we’ll open some bubbles, we’ll show you still wines and we’ll even show you a sweetie! This is bound to fill up quickly, you have been warned!
Thursday 20th June – WINE & CHEESE TASTING – £20 – TWO SPACES LEFT
Thursday 27th June – DOMAINE TRELOAR WITH JONATHAN HESFORD – £20
Jonathan and Rachel Treloar own and run this small, highly-regarded vineyard and winery in the Roussillon, France’s most exciting wine region – we will taste through their range of whites, reds and even a sweetie and be able to ask all those daft questions you never normally get the chance to ask a winemaker!
Thursday 18th July – WINE & CHEESE TASTING – £20
Thursday 17th October – DOMAINE TRELOAR WITH RACHEL TRELOAR – £20
A second visit from Domaine Treloar and well worth a second go – we already have people signed up for both!
All these events take place here in the shop, start at 8pm and spaces are limited – first come, first served – payment confirms your seat at the table, Wayne is exceptional in his role as The Debt Collector, you have been warned!
Friday 26th/Saturday 27th April
Well, since we’re going to have wine open this weekend I suppose it counts as a tasting date too and as such we can readily reveal what we will be tasting:
Domaine Morin-Langaran Cuvee Caroline Picpoul de Pinet 2016, France – £12.49
Picpoul: a grape variety that has been grown for years on the banks of Lake Thau, in sight of the famous oyster-beds of Bouzigues. The vines bask in the sunshine, being gently aired by the salty breeze and thus this wine is unmistakably Mediterranean. Domaine Morin-Langaran has been in the same family since 1966 and they produce a classic Picpoul, aged on its fine lees for complexity and the perfect match to shellfish (oysters perhaps?), grilled fish or just as an aperitif!
Angulo Innocenti Malbec 2016, La Consulta, Mendoza, Argentina – £18.59
Two 19th century immigrants from the Basque country and Tuscany respectively, Pedro Angulo and Angel Innocenti, moved to Argentina along with thousands of other European settlers to plant their vines and carve out a living in the vast, dry plains of Mendoza. This wine is produced by their great-grandchildren, Mariano and Maria, and is classic La Consulta: very dark, opaque purple in colour with an inviting leafy/curranty nose. Whilst quite plush on the palate, it is tidy and precise with very pure fruit and lovely, silky tannins – very classy Malbec. Whilst perhaps it isn’t going to be barbecue weather this weekend, apparently you can also cook steak inside too!
And That’s your Lot (105)
It looks like we’ve made it To the End – it was the 25th anniversary of the legendary Blur album, Parklife, yesterday – who knew?!
Wayne & Alex (and, of course, Tracy Jacks)