Fellow Wine Lovers,
As you will have read in last week’s email, we had a very comprehensive to-do list this week, marginally complicated by the golf running over but let’s just say that was compensated for by an outstanding batting display by the England cricket team.
The Tour de France has been ticking along nicely, showing us some beautiful mountain scenery, exciting racing, a masterclass in descending from Peter Sagan and a scientist’s smorgasbord from Team Sky with Froomey’s data on stage 10.
We’ve discussed (at length) the continued sniping, accusations, and downright poor journalism from the French press and can’t help but think that, if there had been as much time, energy and column inches devoted to their own Sports Science, it might not be 30 years since there was a Frenchman winning the world’s greatest race!
At this point the to-do list got entirely sabotaged. No ordinary saboteurs either, but agents from Spectre interfered with the smooth running of your local wine shop by releasing a trailer to the new Bond movie. Compelled to watch, we find ourselves looking forward to the release in the autumn. Alex is even threatening to get his white tux out of mothballs.
Bond brings me to the subject of Bollinger. We’ve still got our fabulous offer on. Six bottles for £200 (£33.33 per btl) which will come in very handy should you unexpectedly bump in to Edina or Patsy.
In wine news we discovered this week that a group of young Spanish guys have developed the world’s first blue wine. This news brought up several questions in our minds…why?… would Naked wines distribute it?…How?
How: It seems red and white wines were blended together (surely a recipe for rose?-Ed) before adding anthocyanins and indigo pigment (dye, surely?-Ed) and then some sugar to “smooth the taste”. Now call me old-fashioned, a stick in the mud if you must, but red wine, white wine, dye and sugar does not a wine make…vermouth perhaps, alcopop maybe or just a weird chemical soup. Wine? I think not.
We saw a depressing graph this week showing sherry sales going downhill quicker than Peter Sagan. It seems the deliciously food friendly dry styles are growing slowly, but not quickly enough to balance the dying market for the ½-pint-of-Bristol-Cream-before-lunch brigade. Jerez has been a big “beneficiary” of the EU’s grubbing up programme the last few years, but we’re not entirely convinced that region is the chief culprit of EU oversupply!
Wine School
Summers over, the kids are back at school and you’re free on Wednesday nights so why not join us and gain some life skills! Full details attached but suffice to say… 60 wines tasted, wine faults discussed and your Wednesdays may never be the same again. Term starts Wednesday 16th September at 8pm and costs £150 per person. Don’t wait till we’re full!
Weekend Wine Tasting
We’ll try and do our bit to stop the sherry descent and open Fernando de Castilla Fino en Rama (£9.99 37.5cl) to show you just how delicious it is. Meanwhile over in the red corner we’re going with something from the mountains in Piemonte. Alasia Langhe Nebbiolo (£10.79) is made from the same quality fruit as their Barolo but sadly, coming from the wrong side of the tracks, it’s not allowed the Barolo name or price tag. For us that equals bargain deliciousness so why not come and give it a taste.
There is no blue corner.
Have a great weekend one and all, if you’re travelling take care and don’t forget the passport.