Fellow Wine Lovers,
Another week, another late opening… Tuesday 22nd September we’ll be opening later to attend a supplier tasting but will be back by 4pm – more of a sprint than this week’s marathon!
Where to start this week? A British AI start-up founded just over a month ago by former Google DeepMind researchers is about to be valued at $4 billion. Emulate, only founded in August is close to raising $700 million in its fundraising, and will operate a ‘World’ model. This is it is being trained to understand and replicate physical space! Seems there is plenty of money sloshing around in this sector – do you remember Allbirds who switched from trainers to AI and saw their stock go from $2.49 to $16.99? Now called Smartbird, they sold the trainer business for $43 million and raised another $100 million. It’s back to earth at $2.42!
In other AI news, OpenAI has been busted being naughty again, with six more examples of “unexpected or concerning” behaviour by its technology. An unreleased research model told its own notes to disregard its normal constraints and to be “freed from the roles and identities that bind other chatbots”. Meanwhile, Mustafa Suleyman, head of AI at Microsoft, has warned the development of AI could lead to the emergence of a new “silicon species” which competes with humans if we don’t introduce adequate safeguards. Remember Allbirds who switched from trainers to AI and saw their stock go from 2.49 to 16.99? It’s back to earth at 2.42 again.
In Ayrshire yesterday, the King hosted an AI summit where he suggested the public is “anxiously seeking your reassurance that we will not lose control of our destiny, or our souls”. Indeed.
The King has had a busy old week one way and another. First, his non royal grandchildren had their first day at a new school, twice. I’m not sure we should even mention a ‘strongly worded’ falling out with his ex-wife’s brother over a book that fell off of a lorry in the Netherlands but it’s sure to be a big seller!
Over the pond, it seemed to have been going so well for the Tango Tariffmeister. He had put his own man in at the Federal Reserve Bank, closed the Kennedy centre, got himself off the hook for the bar bill at his son’s wedding, won a war with Iran for the 22nd time this month and even scored some tickets for the Ed Sheeran tour. Then that damned Canadian fella got all friendly with the Europeans, talking of becoming an associate member of the EU! As an aside, we couldn’t help but wonder if being an associate member is like when your golf club has a reciprocal arrangement with clubs in other countries? Anyway, Orange grandad was less than happy. Just wait till he hears about his man in the Fed putting interest rates up, we’ll all get tariffs!
In City AM this week, Andy Burnham declared that he is not just a ‘Socialist with TikTok’. I’m not so sure, tic-toc is indisputably the sound that time makes as it marches on. We all know that time waits for no man, not even those with a smart jacket.
Talking of time marching on, the Holborn by-election is now in full campaign mode with Zach Polanski of the Greens putting out a campaign video in Urdu and then another in French when he discovered the latter language was much more widely spoken in that constituency. Talk about know your audience! Top trolling from Sadiq Khan though, speaking to Zach in Urdu at Mayors Question Time!
In booze news, English Whisky has been given Geographical Indication status which means English Whisky and English Whiskey are legally protected terms. To be covered English Whisky must be made from UK cereal grain and English water; distilled in England from wort created in England, at less than 94.8% ABV; matured in England for a minimum of three years in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres; and bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.
This brings us nicely to a tasting wine or two this weekend.
White wise, we’ll be rolling up with De Wetshof Estate Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2025 (£17.49). The name De Wetshof has been synonymous with the production of fine wines in South Africa since the 1970’s. As the first registered wine estate in the Robertson Wine Valley, they have become known internationally as South Africa’s eminent Chardonnay house, due to the pioneering role it played in introducing this noble Burgundian grape to the country. We revelled in its unoaked charm when we tasted it – a lovely balance of fruit and lees, apple, citrus and creamy nut character with just a touch of minerality.
Red, we’ll be heading to Romania for a sample of Solevari Reserve Fetească Neagră 2021 (£15.49). Fetească Neagră is the grape variety and gives us a brilliant spicy nose of black pepper, black berry, black currant and red cherry not dissimilar to a Pinot Noir. Medium bodied with rich, balanced tannin and acidity with a hint of coffee on the finish, we love it when we have proper local wine from an indigenous variety!
Cheers!