Fellow Wine Lovers,
We seem to be here already, Friday popping up on the calendar as we’ve barely wished the last one adieu! We’ve spent the week chasing up paper work from December, waving at customers as they pass by and trying to stay warm. Even the VAT return has been completed so I think we’re now ready to move gently into tasting season.
First up this week, our thoughts are with the poorly astronauts who had to cut short their stargazing. All those months of training down the Swanee. Being ill on the space station can’t be fun though and an 11 hour flight to splash down in the ocean is a smidge different to us popping to see the folks next door for a pack of paracetamol.
Elsewhere in the world, the news is fairly grim. We wonder if perhaps Donald might like to look up Napoleon to investigate the possible consequences of war on too many fronts, particularly Russia…
He wants Greenland to be part of the USA, apparently being an ally is insufficient. Fairwayland, Bunkerland and Teeland are all speaking to their lawyers, whilst Iceland has offered him a discount of 10% if he shops on Tuesdays. It made me wonder if we could interest him in Canvey Island, there’s a golf course, the remains of an oil refinery and a 17th century Dutch cottage!
Closer to home, Kemi Badenoch has fired Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership for being about to defect to Reform. It seems the small bump in the polls might have been enough to push him over the top. No chance to succeed Kemi, with an improving Tory Party polling, naturally makes you think Farage I guess. Seems the genius left his resignation letter in the printer tray! Now he’s lost the ministerial car it is the duty of all of us to make sure he pays his rail fares.
Looks like he’s met Big Nige for that pint, as he’s already had his ‘welcome home’ press conference – I laughed out loud at “put aside personal ambition” and then the rather predictable lines were about a broken Britain. Given who formed the government of the last dozen or more years, you might wonder why Reform keeping hiring those who broke it!
Whilst we’re on the subject of Reform, they just announced their leader in Scotland as Lord Offord. Now, call me old fashioned but I struggle to understand why anybody in Scotland, or Wales for that matter, would vote for an English Nationalist Party.
Points of Order/Diary Notes
It’s that time of year again when a plethora of tastings spread across our calendar. With that in mind, we will be closed for the entire day on Tuesday 20th January as two of our bigger suppliers have, like last year, both chosen the same date.
Not tasting related but unavoidably we will also close early at 6.30pm on Saturday 31st January.
Apologies for any inconvenience.
So whilst we’re on the subject of tasting, what are we having on the table this weekend?
White wise we’ll weigh in with Reserve de Gassac 2024 (£14.99) – A wonderful blend of Viognier and Marsanne from the Languedoc. Fresh and floral with stone fruit and hints of herbs, it has an elegance to it too. The vines are planted in small plots or clearings surrounded by forest and garrigue. The wines consequently soak up the fragrances of the surrounding plant life. Wonderful attention to detail for a wine at this price.
On the red front, we’re going with Palacio Del Camino Real Reserva 2019 (£15.99) – A traditional style of Rioja that is anything but ordinary.Expressive from the first sniff: ripe, with succulent cherry, plum and strawberry fruit notes, complexity from oak spice and a balsamic lift. On the palate it’s beautifully balanced, with silky, well-integrated tannins framing the fruit perfectly. Swish with abandon, it’s a real second glasser!
Two final notes – our January Sale continues with the magnificent 6 for 5 offer on much of the wine on the shelves; also, we still have spaces on our Wine & Cheese tastings on Thursday 12th February and Thursday 12th March both starting at 7.30pm, £30 per person, should you care to join us!
That’s it from us, let’s all try and be nice to each other, it might rub off!