Fellow Wine Lovers,
A good number of years ago when even Wayne was young, Elvis Costello wrote a song called ‘Shipbuilding’. The first line of the song was “Is it worth it” which was pretty much how we felt after listening to the Chancellor’s budget. We’ve had weeks and weeks of economic uncertainty whilst the government floated one tax rise after another to see which upset the Daily Mail the most. Rachel Reeves even called a press conference to tell us she couldn’t tell us anything and all would be revealed in the budget.
Now, call me old fashioned but that is not managing anything, it is polling. Given the length of time till an election, and the size of the government’s majority, we feel we should be getting governed not polled. Whilst I’m ranting, why is it that the duty on fuel never changes, the duty on cigarettes went up at midnight, but milkshakes stay cheap until 2028? That seems especially odd given the six month shelf life of the Yazoo I just drank!
Meanwhile, a number of old class mates of Nigel Farage have disputed his suggestion that racist comments he made at school were just banter. He has said he doesn’t remember them because it was 50 years ago. But surely, if that is the case, how can he be so certain he didn’t make those comments? He now thinks that the furore is because people don’t like his politics; I wonder if it may be there is a furore because his politics are racist. Should we start to talk about Nathan Gill and Russian money, I wonder?
Whilst we’re on the subject of Russian assets, the latest attempt at negotiating a peace for Ukraine seems to cede the entire Donbas region to Putin. An area which, by all accounts, seems unlikely to be captured by the Russian forces. Lead negotiator is Steve Witkoff whose qualifications for the job involve being a real estate mogul and golf buddy of Big Orange. Why anyone thinks Putin is in the strongest position of negotiation is beyond us but then we’d also stay away from open hotel windows in Moscow.
Whilst discussing Americans, we read about Pei Chung who has been arrested in Brooklyn. It seems she has been banned from several restaurants since October as she has a habit of arriving at smart restaurants, dressed to the nines in designer clothes, before ordering meals and leaving without paying. She has apparently become known as the “the-dine-and-dash diva” and police say they have arrested her numerous times for refusing to pay bills. Sounds to us like she is just a common thief!
The second Ashes test starts next Thursday but obviously by the time you read next week’s letter it could be all over! England are doing some extra training just in case.
Which brings us on to wine. The duty will go up by RPI, again. Duty on wine has risen by 40% since 2023, more than any other booze. Between April and September 2025 the Treasury received £300 million less in duty than the previous year. Seems like the Treasury may have already bumped into the law of diminishing returns.
Tasting This Weekend
In the white trousers we’ll open Enira White 2024 (£22.49) – Count Stephan von Neipperg, owner of several famous Bordeaux properties including Châteaux Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte, deliberately sought out Bulgaria’s Bessa Valley, where the wonderful clay-limestone soils displayed the potential to make great wines. This Rhone style white blend has plenty of citrus character, apricot and quince fruit and a lovely richness from 6 months on its lees. Awesome with some fish pie!
Trying not to spill itself over those white trousers we’ll have Herència Altés Cupatge Negre 2023 (£19.99). This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache and Syrah from close to Montsant, which is inland from Tarragona. Medium bodied and fresh with concentrated plum and cherry fruit, a touch of spice, fine tannins, a touch of minerality too. We think this is a very versatile all-rounder on the food front.
Which is pretty much us. If you fancy reacquainting yourself with the powerful lyrics of ‘Shipbuilding’, give Robert Wyatt’s version a spin.
Have a great weekend.