Fellow Wine Lovers
A-level results done, GCSE results also done – it feels like we are waddling towards the end of the longest school holidays on record. The other obvious signal of approaching winter is the start of the football season – most started last weekend whilst Arsenal play Coventry in the Premiership this evening at 8pm, hoping to maintain their spot at the top of the table on more than their alphabetical merits. Of course, Spurs are starting the season at the bottom of the table, let’s see if they can improve on that at any point between now and 30th May!
However, whilst we are veering towards September and it has rained at least 4 times this week, we are still in summer holiday time and SW19 is still quieter than a Harry & Meghan welcome home party… where are you all?
Devon & Cornwall, I imagine.
Every morning we read the news and not a lot holds our attention. However, there was some excitement when we saw that Clément Vandenkerckhove, a junior car salesman at Garage Dhont in Deinze, Belgium now has a new career as a half-blood Prince, after his father, Prince Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie de Saxe-Cobourg recognised him as son and heir. It may not have escaped notice that the House of Windsor is in fact Saxe-Coburg in disguise but we’re certain there wouldn’t be any ‘surprise’ Princes lurking amongst our Royals…
For a mere $100,000 a month, we have signed up for early priority access to Truth Social, the World’s Wildest Wig-Wearer’s two-bit Twitter wannabe. Is this money well spent? We’ll let you know once our first bit of insider trading goes through and hopefully there won’t be any footage from inside that catering truck.
I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention the return of the martyrs and masochists of men’s bicycle racing. La Vuelta a España starts tomorrow (Saturday) but, due to a lack of space in Spain (505,992 km²), is teeing off in Monaco (2.08km²) and then spending a couple of days in France and Andorra before becoming Spanish. We’re keen for Stage 19 Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas, Estepona which includes the fast, windy descent from Ronda to San Pedro d’Alcàntara however there are bound to be fireworks before then because we’ve got Tadej Pogačar in attendance for the first time since 2019 which may upset fellow countryman, Primož Roglič, who has won this five times out of the last seven.
In wine news we keep hearing reports of early harvests which doesn’t seem that odd given the summer we’ve had. Some English sparkling wine producers are talking about mid-September as a start date which makes me a bit nervous – if we get proper, biblical storms then there could be damaged vines and flattened grapes and no wine to show for all the fabulous growing conditions earlier on.
Whilst you’re all enjoying Hugo Spritz on the west facing veranda, we’ll be standing here with a couple of open bottles of wine, should anyone happen to be passing by. As it’s La Vuelta, we’ll do Spain:
Ameztoi Txakoli 2024 – £18.99 is a deliciously fascinating white wine, from the slopes above San Sebastian, in the Basque country. Lots of green apple and lime aromas on the nose with touches of herb and flowers in the background. A very elegant mouthfeel with a natural zingy spritz, which is its defining style. For many it is reminiscent of a crisp dry cider of all things and is an absolute wow with seafood in all its forms.
In red, we have Lopez de Haro Gran Reserva 2016 – £23.99. We’ve been selling this for many years now and find it hard to beat – and we do conduct extensive tastings! A blend of Tempranillo and Graciano aged for 30 months in oak barrels, it has complex berry, coffee and vanilla notes and a lovely velvety finish. Well suited for dining inside as well as outside, depending on what the weather decides to do!
And with that, like you, we’re gone – be seeing you dreckly!