Fellow Wine Lovers,
Firstly, an apology. Having predicted a lovely weekend in our last missive I was aghast to see rain drops descending gently at 11.30 on Saturday morning. Thankfully the rain stopped falling but the clouds remained and made for a rather drab Saturday afternoon, so sorry. We’ll stick to predicting the horses that definitely won’t win their races and avoid dabbling with meteorology in future.
So, we’re now up to 100 fines issued by the Met to those fine folk in Downing Street and its environs. Plenty has been said about all this already but blimey, that’s a whole bucket load of socialising going on during lockdown whilst you were all stuck at home with fractious husbands/children/dogs and goldfish – bonkers. All we need now is for Keir and Angela to get a ticket and the wheels may well come off completely.
However, the question on everyone’s lips should be whilst Boris was doing cheese, wine and the occasional cake and Keir was doing beer and curry what was Ed Davey up to? Pork pie and a pint? Pina colada and a poke bowl? Prosecco and twiglets? I think we should be told…
Whilst we’re on the subject of cocktails, apparently the Pina Colada is now the third most popular cocktail in the UK after Negroni and Mojito. We learnt this having read the latest Waitrose Drinks Report 2022 which says that classic retro cocktails such as Blue Lagoon, Tequila Sunrise and Mai Tai are back in fashion, with Sangria holding the spot of the most searched for cocktail recipe last summer. Having read this we further researched and discovered the Pina Colada news in an article in the Guardian from 2 days ago, so it must be true. Not sure where this leaves us intellectually and as we don’t sell white rum, pineapples or coconut cream it certainly doesn’t help us much commercially either but at least you all now have a conversation starter for this weekend’s dinner party!
Back to the Waitrose report though. They also revealed their 10 most popular drinks choices currently and as ever the findings don’t create many ripples. Their most popular drink was their own brand Pinot Grigio, followed by some beers, Prosecco, a cider, then a 10% Sauvignon Blanc from South Australia followed by more beers. No red wine in the top ten and no rosé either, for the moment!
Mind you, a report published in October last year by these jokers also stated that milk derived from potatoes would be one of 2022’s biggest food trends. “Low in sugar and saturated fat, it’s set to dominate coffee shop menus in the coming months” the report said. So there you go, 10% Aussie Sauvignon and potato milk on your next Waitrose order please.
With the world going to hell in a handcart under the combined influences of pandemic and Putin, it’s good to see the worlds of film and football still manage to inhabit that realm between reality and outer space. The Amber Heard/Johnny Depp court case has been going on for a while and neither party is looking terribly innocent or indeed terribly happy. Not to be bested, the Vardy/Rooney court case kicked off this week in the High Court, where Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney for libel. Now these two ladies are famous WAGS, I think we all know of the story dubbed Wagatha Christie but what we hadn’t realised the costs involved. It’s estimated that each side has spent over £1 million on legal costs and that the potential payout would most likely not exceed £40,000. Oh, and even the winner will have to pay a chunk of her legal costs so actually the only winners are the lawyers! It’s a car crash but it gives a huge glimpse of what life is like in the bubble that is Premiership Football and once again goes to show that being uber-rich doesn’t necessarily make you are a terribly nice person!
Anyway, we shouldn’t go off at the deep end about all this, we should just be thankful for what we’ve got. In this instance we’ve got a shop full of wine and some lovely customers who seem to enjoy buying it from us, even if they have to put up with our ranty Friday emails. So, with a view to emptying our shelves a bit further, we’ll crack open a couple of bottles this evening and pretend we’re hosting a housing committee meeting in Whitehall!
To continue with our exploration of things more esoteric, the white this week will be Lyrarakis Voila Assyrtiko 2021 – £15.99. Located in the mountainous commune of Alagni in Crete, Domaine Lyrarakis stays true to local winemaking traditions. The domaine focuses on indigenous varieties, taking them from obscurity and driving them in a more modern direction, while still retaining a clear sense of place. Its style focuses on pure varietal character, precision and supple texture. Grown at 580 metres’ altitude in the Voila vineyard there is a definite floral character, refreshing minerality and chalky texture to this delicious wine.
The red is less esoteric but no less delicious – a bit of a staple in our wine racks at home in fact. Barton Rouge 2015/16 – £9.99 isfrom Walker Bay in South Africa and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. Dark ruby in the glass this is a rich and fruit driven wine with dark brambly fruits and a touch of spice, yet without too much tannin to get in the way of the fun. Works well with everything from pizza to steak so it should probably be in your rack too!
And that’s it from us – do come and say hello as the North London Derby last night has led to a bit of a frosty atmosphere chez PV!!