Fellow Wine Lovers,
Students invent first hangover free alcohol The Drinks Business 21/05/14
‘Didn’t think students got up early enough to get hangovers’ harrumphed Wayne as we sat and sipped our coffees at 11am yesterday, having just opened the shop…
He might have a point regarding the reveille of our future leaders, but it seems that whether or not they suffer on the morning after, they do understand that there is a danger that they might in the future.
A synopsis: Rage on Saturday. Up for Church on Sunday. The three students from California have devised a formula that they claim will quell the effects of a hangover if added to every fourth alcoholic drink consumed of an evening. Not quite sure about the flavours or quantities of powder involved, but on their crowd-funding page they promote the idea of Prime (that’s what it’s called) mixed with vodka and lemonade. It looks like blue WKD, which doesn’t strike me as the best brand alignment, but anyway.
I appreciate it’s an idea in development, that it is focusing on the loss of electrolytes and vitamins one suffers on a ‘night out’ and that it is potentially aimed at the youth market but it still doesn’t quite work for me.
I can’t imagine being out at an important dinner, supping on fine Bordeaux and the like before requesting a break in proceedings to hustle up a vodka and lemonade from the sommelier, add some blue powder to it, drain glass and then continue with the fine wine.
Even more, I cannot imagine adding aforementioned blue powder directly to my 2001 Fourcas Dupré or Moutard Brut Grand Cuvée and certainly not to my Ardbeg Uigeadail. I’ll take the hangover, ta.
Or perhaps I’ll work on hangover alleviation through the age old, tried and tested systems. Drink plenty of water and have blind faith it will be alright on the morrow.
For development of this wonder formula they hope to raise, through crowd funding, $20,000 by 15th June.
By yesterday afternoon they had raised $520.
Elsewhere…
In a sort of ‘seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon’ scenario
· we’ve got the golf on at Wentworth this weekend with a newly single Rory McIlroy trying to put his split from Caroline Wozniacki behind him;
· Wozniacki, a Liverpool fan then tweets something along the lines that she knows she’ll never walk alone;
· Craig Bellamy, ex-Liverpool player, announces his retirement;
· Craig Bellamy is Welsh;
· so is Gareth Bale;
· Bale will be playing for Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid in the Champions league final on Saturday night, in Lisbon;
· Lisbon is in Portugal, as is Val de Lobo;
· Val de Lobo is where Craig Bellamy, whilst a player with Liverpool, famously attacked John Arne Riise with a golf club;
· and so we’re back to golf, and to Wentworth….
This Weekend
It’s another one of those bank holiday thingies this weekend and if you couple this with the start of half term then there are plenty of reasons to be filling your glass either to celebrate the break or to numb the pain.
We’ve decided to go to California this week since this is allegedly where the future cure for hangovers will be coming from(!) so we might as well look at what might produce them….
Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2012, Livermore Valley, California, USA (£13.99) – Wente’s vineyards were founded in 1883 and are still owned and managed by the ame family 4 generations later. They were also one of the first to plant Chardonnay and one taste of this suggests they are doing a fine job. Crisp with fine elegant apple notes and a supporting touch of oak, bang on with fish and chips!
Jewel Old Vine Zinfandel 2012, California, USA (£12.99) – An outstanding Zinfandel from Lodi, inland from San Francisco, with rich spiced fruit aromas and a touch of vanilla. The palate is satisfyingly rich with layers of berry fruit, a touch of blackcurrant and some spiciness leading onto some fine tannins. We found it to be an excellent partner to some Spenwood cheese recently.
We’re closed Bank Holiday Monday as usual
Have a great weekend folks – we’re cheering for Ernie Els as he designed the course and has his own wine.