Fellow Wine Lovers,
Where to start this week, so much has happened since we last spoke. We’ll start out with something that has taken months of planning and a large amount of logistics juggling just to get it off the ground. Wednesday, in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Alex Dowsett succeeded in bringing a lot of attention and fundraising to Little Bleeders and The Haemophilia Society as he attempted to set a new cycling record for The Hour. Sadly, he was unable to best Victor Campenaerts’ record of 55.089km but we’d like to say here that to fail you have to have tried in the first place. Chapeau Alex 54.555 kilometres is a hell of a long way in an hour.
In Glasgow, COP26 has been taking place. The idea being that holding it immediately after the G20 summit in Rome would somehow supercharge the agreements to save the planet from climate change at this, the last chance saloon. We may have expressed a slight degree of scepticism couple of weeks ago, but we have changed our position to full blown cynicism now. How can hundreds of people flying first to Rome, then to Glasgow on private jets (over 400 of them) count as taking climate change seriously? We said above that to fail you have to have tried in the first place, rest assured that COP26 will be branded a huge success.
Boris, our Scarecrow Soprano, had to dash away from COP26 due to time constraints. Luckily a private jet was on hand to get him to the Garrick Club in time for the prawn cocktail starter. Meanwhile, in parliament outrage erupted across the building as the Conservative Party forced through an amendment to dismantle the anti-sleaze system after one of theirs was busted. Unusually, we find ourselves agreeing with Keir Starmer who called the move “corruption that goes to the very top”.
In unrelated news, it turns out that a recent Marbella holiday for the Johnson family was funded by the Goldsmith family.
In other unrelated news, Owen Paterson has resigned as Conservative MP for North Shropshire, can’t think why.
It seems to us that the government has done more U-turns than an Uber on Arthur Road. What a mess.
In wine news, it seems we weren’t the only people to receive late night visits. In Cáceres, a town in South West Spain a restaurant had 45 bottles of wine stolen in the early hours of Wednesday morning including an 1806 bottle of Chateau d’ Yquem worth about £250 000. Can’t imagine that’s going to be an easy fence!
Last Saturday, Eileen Ash celebrated her birthday with a glass of red wine. It is red wine she credits, along with yoga, for her long life. In her 110 years on this planet she played cricket for England in the 1930’s and 40’s as well as working as a spy for MI6 during and after the Second World War. Perhaps Jos Buttler should be the next James Bond?
As we keep hearing stories of wine shortages in the press we thought the tasting table could be a place of discovery this week. We’ll open the voting on the white corner with Domaine Lyrarakis Assyrtiko (£14.99) a crisp dry white that you may well have heard us describe as a Cretan take on Chablis.
In the red socks and hailing from the Loire Valley Antoine de la Farge L’Enfant Rebelle Pinot Noir (£16.99) because it is a truly delicious Pinot Noir from the Menetou Salon area of the Loire, and also it has a shooting star on the label which seems somehow appropriate for a week that contains both Diwali and Guy Fawkes night.
Lastly, with you lot being able to go to the pub we’ve been selling a bit less beer. As a result, we have some that needs drinking over the next couple of weeks. If you think you can drink 5 cans in that space of time we can do them for £10.
Whilst stocks last….
Slybeast Lager (normally £2.80) 5 cans for £10
Belleville Steam Lager (normally £2.50) 5 cans for £10
Belleville Thames Surf (normally £2.70) 5 cans for £10
We’ll even let you mix and match if you like.
With that we’ll fizzle off like a damp sparkler!