Fellow Wine Lovers,
This week I awoke one morning to sounds of outrage. Belgium had beaten the USA in the World Cup and all my Belgian wife could find was praise for the USA. “Surely if the goalie had to make more saves than anyone since 1966 that just proves how good Belgium were, why is everyone talking about the USA?” Unable to provide a suitable answer I suggested the purchase of a Fellaini style wig should they beat Argentina!
Tennis has been fabulous with all sorts of upsets and excitement.
Real Sport… The world’s greatest race is in the UK for three days. Le Grand Depart is Saturday; we have some ups and downs from Leeds through the Yorkshire countryside before Mark Cavendish and Marcel Kittel sprint into Harrogate to get to the front of the queue for the Turkish Baths and a rub down! Hopefully it’ll be Cav in yellow for the first day!
This week we discovered that a company in Florida has produced two wines with coffee: Cabernet Coffee Espresso and Chardonnay Coffee Cappuccino. What we didn’t understand was – WHY?
Cheese & Wine – 24th July 2014 SOLD OUT
Wine School – Starts 17th September for six weeks. Taste 60 wines and put the capital W into Wine Wednesday!
Fame and Fortune
Matthew Jukes has mentioned a couple of our wines lately in his columns…
In Moneyweek 20th June: “2008 Botham Merrill Willis Cabernet Sauvignon (£16.99) I sat next to Geoff Merrill and Bob Willis the other day at a big winey event at Australia House and we drank a few flagons of top Aussie red. I have known Geoff for years – he is a superb winemaker and what one would call a top Aussie bloke. He is a prodigious party animal and it is not surprising that he partnered up with his two best mates and cricketing chums to create a delicious range of wines. Bob is an experienced wine lover and Beefy is an accomplished drinker and my featured wine is their finest current release. Made from a blend of Coonawarra and McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon this is a stunning cassis, eucalyptus and mint leaf-imbued wine. The texture is chocolaty and indulgent. Fire up you (sic) barbie, knock the top off this delicious red and raise a toast to these heroic lads.”
In The Daily Mail 7th June: “2012 Gran Passione, Veneto Rosso, Italy (£12.99) I tasted this superb Merlot / Corvina blend earlier this year and I have been itching to tell you about it. Like a super-smooth Valpolicella with impeccable flair and breeding you must track this red down because it is downright delicious!”
Attitude
We witter on about this wine and that wine having personality, but this week we’ve only gone and bought one with attitude!
A Sauvignon Blanc made by Pascal Jolivet, one of the acknowledged masters of Sancerre, called Attitude Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (£12.49). Crisp and dry with lovely Sauvignon Blanc character and a seam of minerality through the mid-palate like a top shelf Sancerre. Don’t take my word for it though, why not have a taster yourself? Open from 5pm on Friday…
And since Gran Passione got such a good write up why don’t we give that a gargle.
Have a nice weekend one and all,
Allez! Allez!