We’ve checked the forecast and must warn you that we have shorts on…

Fellow Wine Lovers,

One look around us and we can see it is that time of the year. We have become experts in giving directions to car parks 6 & 8, the quickest direction to go to find a queue, and a glance in most windows find’s them full of tennis balls. All this excitement, anecdotal stories (Djokovic playing tennis in the street at 8.30pm with the local kids was my favourite last year), and lorry loads of strawberries weaving their way through SW19 can mean only one thing….

The Tour de France starts this Saturday with the Grand Départ being hosted by Utrecht in the Netherlands. It could be a real nail biter of a race with this year’s route beginning like a mini selection of classics before we finally have a look at some mountains on stage 10. I’ve pencilled Mark Cavendish in for the stage wins on 2 and 6 (assuming he survives the cobbles) but overall winner is too close to call for me with Nibali, Contador, Froome and Quintana all looking good. There’s even talk of Frenchmen in contention too, with a strong chance that Romain Bardet will win the young rider prize.

Whilst we’re talking about sport, we absolutely have to mention The Lionesses, who put in a stellar performance in The World Cup.  Let’s hope some of that stardust and team spirit falls near the men’s team.

The procession that is this year’s Formula 1 season lands at Silverstone for the weekend, let’s hope for some racing, we think the season so far has been rubbish.

Sometimes this email writes itself…

Essex Police have covered themselves with glory calling death by bullet wound to the chest ‘natural causes’. A full six days later somebody went to Specsavers  spotted the error at the post-mortem.

In Bedfordshire police report a very strange crime wave. It appears there are teams of Vauxhall Cannibals wandering the streets at night. Victims wake up to find large parts of their Vauxhall car have been stripped and stolen with one lady losing the bonnet, bumper headlights and radiator overnight!  Apparently 5-10 incidents happen each week .

Wine Stuff

We managed to snap up a couple of bin-end bargains this week with a couple of Amarone della Valpolicella.

Starting with some single vineyard awesomeness that makes me wish there was more available.

Capitel Monte Olmi  Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Tedeschi 2008 – £52

“Notes of wild herb, spice box and pekoe tea mark this aromatic red, while grippy tannins frame the tightly knit flavors of dried currant, iron, rhubarb and wood smoke. This traditional style needs air, so enjoy alongside food to get the full effect. Best from 2016 through 2026.” 92 pointsAlison Napjus, Wine Spectator.

Following up with a cheeky half bottle that we can just put down as a Thursday night treat when nobody is looking:

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Tedeschi 2009 37.5cl – £16.50

“The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella opens to a dark, midnight color and spicy aromas of old spice, Middle Eastern bazaar, waxed furniture, honey-roasted ham, cured meat, caramelized sugar and dark road pavement… the wine will surely appeal to die-hard Amarone enthusiasts. 2015-2025.” 93 points The Wine Advocate

Wine School – Autumn Term

As we mentioned last week we are now taking bookings for our six week course that starts on Wednesday 16th September.  Full details are attached and give us a call or drop a line if you’d like to come along – 020 8944 5224.

Tasting This Weekend

We’ve checked the forecast and warn you we’ll have shorts on. It seems to us that a fresh summery white and something to drink alongside some barbecue might not be a bad idea.

So to toast ‘natural causes’ and because Essex are hosting the Aussies, we’ll start with New Hall Vineyards Bacchus – £12.99, a fine summery drop from a 67 hectare vineyard in Purleigh (near Chelmsford) that was planted in 1969. That said, there was a vineyard planted there in 1120 that was taken over by the Crown in 1163 to supply wines in London.

In the red corner, sporting Raybans and a sharp suit, is one of our favourite Sicilians, Tareni del Duca Nero d’Avola – £11.99 which is just the ticket with a butterflied leg of lamb cooked over the coals.

There’s tennis on too in case you were wondering, Murray to beat Djokovic in the final perhaps?

Lovely weekend folks, here’s to a long hot summer!

 

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