Fellow Wine Lovers,
What a week! No sooner does Sir Kier fall on his sword than we experience the warmest June days since records began, such is the sun’s opinion on the infernal state of British politics. Wonder what will happen when Donny T or Vladi P throw in the towel – we’ll all probably need to install some air-conditioning to cope with that heatwave!
In truth, Keir seemed visibly relieved to be handing over the keys to Number 10 – he won’t be leaving behind many fond memories there and he won’t have to play polite with the POTUS any more. Mind you, heir apparent Andy Burnham might have to learn how to play polite himself having announced in 2017: “Donald Trump’s presence in Greater Manchester would go against the values that people here stand for. It is a matter of principle that I don’t meet people who distribute hateful, extremist material.” A perfectly reasonable opinion and one that I’m sure the POTUS will deal with using his usual diplomacy, given the well-known thickness of his skin.
Wayne is currently very excited by the prospect of the Tour de France starting next week, which is great because the football hasn’t been as exciting as we might have hoped whilst cricket seems to be humiliating itself on the pitch more than off it. Still, the tennis also starts on Monday, will a Brit make it to week two? We have about 18 players in the mix I think, with a special chapeau to local hero, Hannah Klugman, who has been given a wildcard entry – very exciting!
Meanwhile, back here on the other side of the park, whilst you have all been weighing up the merits as to whether sitting at your kitchen table with the back door open and noisy fan at your feet beats the aircon on the District Line, followed by aircon in your office followed by a cheeky pint by the river on your way home, we’ve been taking in deliveries. New wines, established wines and a couple of things that aren’t new but have caught the selectors eye after a few years in the 3rd XI – all are here and awaiting your attention.
NEW
In March, as I think we may have mentioned, we tasted a whole range of wines blended by Sir Ian Botham. Now, Beefy has long been known to be a keen oenophile and we have in the past stocked the BMW wines, his first foray into production with his friends Geoff Merrill and Bob Willis. Back then, Geoff was definitely doing the heavy lifting but as time has gone on Lord Botham has continued to hone his skills – however, given the state of English cricket right now, it could be time for him to go back to his day job!
Australia
Botham Family Wines 76 Series Margaret River Chardonnay 2022 – £15.99
Sir Ian Botham Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2018 – £43.50
Sir Ian Botham Barossa Valley Single Vineyard Shiraz 2019 – £45.00
New Zealand
Botham Family Wines 78 Series Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 – £29.99
Botham The Peerage Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 – £43.50
We also have a new Rosé – Oenops Apla 2024 – £20.00 – from Greece. Made using Xinomavro from Macedonia, Mavroudi from Thrace and Limniona from Thessaly, we have a full-bodied and multi layered wine with notes of wild strawberry and raspberry, wrapped in a savoury finish.
And finally, a cider. Apparently, teachers know what they’re talking about, both inside the classroom and out. This particular teacher/customer was definitely out in the wilds of Sussex when he discovered Mainomenos Gil of Caburn – £4.00 which describes itself thus: ‘Medium. Strong and juicy oak-fermented rural method cider. Made by native yeasts in East Sussex. Unfined. Unfiltered. Unbound.’ We found it hard to argue with this summary – think scrumpy but without lumps and weird bitterness… it’s delicious! Give a teacher an apple and he’ll eat for a day, give him a long weekend on a glampsite and he’ll bring you cider….
ESTABLISHED
It’s English Wine Week this week, so we’ve stocked up on the classy sparkler Hattingley Vintage Cuvée 2019 – £33.00 from sunny Hampshire and New Hall Single Estate Bacchus – £20.99 from Crouch Valley in Essex, home to some of the best vineyard plots in the UK.
RETURNING
One of our spirits suppliers, based in Scotland, decided a few years back that dealing with us folk south of the border was a bit too difficult and, frankly, they had enough going on up there to keep them busy. Fair enough, we said, disappointed to lose their offerings but aware that the amount of business we put their way wasn’t enough to keep them warm at night. However, just now, they’ve had a change of heart and are delighted to take our money once again, in exchange for:
Benromach 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt – £50.00
Linkwood 15 Year Old Speyside Single Malt – £90.00
Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon – £80.00
Tasting this weekend
As mentioned, it’s English Wine Week, so we’ll pop open the Hattingley and the New Hall and, since we don’t have any English red, we’ll surprise you with something from far’n parts…