Fellow Wine Lovers,
Welcome aboard this week’s musings from the coldest ship on Arthur Road. We can’t be the coolest because obviously Saucer & Cup and Whisk will always take that, so we’ll stick to what we’re good at, whilst keeping our fuel bills down low-low.
The news is not the place for us to find our entertainment this week – the greed of our politicians firmly put into the shade by Mother Nature reminding us all that there are greater powers at work, that the real world outside of SW1 can be a truly cruel place and that life is more precious and valuable than any pot of cash.
So, we looked for our distractions elsewhere. In sport, where we often find succour, it was a mixed weekend for the PV staff.
The Everton match on Saturday did not make Wayne smile as much as he usually does and the Scotland Rugby team’s visit to Twickenham was successful once again, the second time in 3 years that they have bested England at HQ and the third time in 50 years – good start, Mr Borthwick. A key moment in the match was when Scottie ‘Duhan’ van der Merwe (born Edinburgh, May 2017) showed the world what can happen if six of your opposition haven’t quite got the hang of the new tackling rules yet. A great, great try, without a doubt. We’ll be waving our green passports this weekend though, when the World’s #1 team goes up against the World’s #2 at the Aviva….
Meanwhile, we imagine many of you will be waving your passports at us as you ski-daddle off to foreign climes for half term fun and games. Whilst you are packing and deciding what to take out of the already overflowing bags, remember that next Tuesday is 14th February – Valentine’s Day. So, take out that extra sweater and replace it with a card and a half bottle of Champagne – we recommend Lété-Vautrain – £17.99 – and that way you will be well prepared for that moment on Tuesday when ‘oh, I don’t think we should really bother with Valentine’s day’ turns into a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates!
On a separate, and completely unrelated, note – should you need some conversation starters for those awkward chairlift silences – the Number 1 songs today in 1983 and 1993 were Down Under by Men At Work and No Limit by 2 Unlimited – proper one hit wonders that should get you all singing!
Anyway, back to Valentine’s Day. According to BBC Good Food, these were the four most popular Valentine meals, based on what people searched for last year:
- Steak with peppercorn sauce
- Dauphinoise potatoes
- Spaghetti carbonara
- Beef Wellington
So, what have we learnt? I imagine steak is probably one of their most searched food items anyway; everyone likes Dauphinoise and if you’re in the French Alps, it’s local; carbonara is quick and easy whilst Beef Wellington feels more suited to the polygamists/polyandrists amongst us!
However, that’s not going to stop us tasting some wines this weekend that might be suitable for Tuesday…
Domaine Treloar ‘La Terre Promise’ 2019 – £19.49 – This is a lovely rich blend of Grenache Gris, Macabeu and Carignan Blanc from our chums Jonathan and Rachel at Domaine Treloar down in the south of France. From 35-60 year old vines, it has a lovely quince and buttered toast character and is made with natural yeasts and minimal sulphur. Named after the Bruce Springsteen song ‘Promised Land’, this is a wine that we don’t put on tasting nearly as much as we would like to and frankly it would be an absolute joy with a plate of cheesy taytos.
Sottano Selección Blend 2019 – £18.99 – This is a blend of Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Franc; dark in the glass as you’d expect and with lovely aromatic berry aromas with a hint of violets and wood smoke. The palate is rich and layered with cassis and berry fruit notes, coffee and wood spice with a touch of black pepper to end on. It worked well with a rib-eye, and we’re lining it up for some ox-cheeks, which apparently is the secret ingredient for a Beef Wellington for two!
That’s about it for us, a kind gentleman from Brussels has just passed me a Vegemite sandwich – there are no limits – although sadly it seems Burt Bacharach has reached his limit – mind you, six Grammys, three Oscars, 73 Top Forty hits in the US and 52 in the UK wasn’t a bad life’s work!
The blues they send to meet me won’t defeat me, it won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet me…