Fellow Wine Lovers,
Always remember, it’s a Marathon not a sprint.
The Queen hit 90 yesterday. That, my friends, is a marathon. She’s been in charge for 64 years and doesn’t particularly look like hanging up her white gloves yet. She hasn’t let anything upset her rhythm – World War II, marriage to Prince Philip, four children, Mop Tops, flares and Cliff Richard – all were left in her wake as she trotted on resolutely. Everywhere she goes, people shout her name and wave; and she graciously waves back, whilst maintaining a constant forward motion – impressive.
Remember, it’s a Marathon, not a sprint.
400 years is a marathon. Tomorrow will be the 400th anniversary of the death of a chap called William Shakespeare. You may have come across some of his works but if you haven’t, you should. I’m not sure how many other 17th century authors you are currently enjoying, certainly my list is quite short, but big Bill has been consistently top of the list. Whilst he wasn’t greatly praised in his lifetime, his works have adopted the long game and are showing no signs of diminishing popularity. That’s impressive.
Remember, it’s a Marathon, not a sprint.
Mind you, 400 years is nothing if your name is St George. 1,713 years ago our Patron Saint shuffled off this mortal coil (thanks for the quote, Mr S.) and yet we still celebrate him to this day. He’s a dragon killer, he’s the design of our national flag, he’s the protector of the royal family and has been for a good few centuries now and we don’t see that changing. Raise a glass to our impressive Saint.
Remember, it’s a Marathon not a sprint.
When you jog down from Blackheath and are feeling super relaxed on Sunday morning and everybody is shouting ‘Go on Kelly, you can do it, only 24 miles to go’ remember to smile and wave (like the Queen) and trot on resolutely, remembering the training, remembering the examples set by Betty, Bill and Georgy-boy, remember it’s a marathon. When you coast through the wall of noise that is Canary Wharf and people shout ‘Come on Laura, you’re nearly there’, look back at them and smile and wave, safe in the knowledge that you’re nowhere near ‘nearly there’ at all, but thankful for the support. If our Queen can still rule the country, if our Bard can still be a bestseller and if our Saint can still inspire a feast, then you can certainly run 26.2 miles.
Remember, it’s a Marathon not a sprint.
This should be the warning to our Wine & Cheese tasting attendees – last night we held another successful evening of processed grape and processed milk appreciation. However, when 10 people are confronted with just short of 3.5 kilos of cheese there is only going to be one winner…
The next Cheese & Wine evening is Thursday 26th May at 8pm. There are half a dozen places left and £20 will save your chair at the table with a few chunks of cheese!
Elsewhere
Sadness, once again. As we remove our headgear for AFKAP at 57 and Victoria Wood at 62 we wonder if it’s just us getting older and thus our heroes aging accordingly, or has this just been a really, really bad year for showbiz?
Here
Unintentionally, this week’s email has become somewhat focused on death and mortality. However, we are great believers in celebrating life and it is with these thoughts in mind that we have decided on which wines to taste this weekend.
For the white, we have upped the ante a bit this week and added bubbles. Herbert Hall NV Brut (£28.99) is a cracking English Sparkler from Marden in Kent. A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, that Matthew Jukes described as “the finest debut English Sparkling Wine I have ever tasted”.
And for the red it was impossible to look past one of our best-selling wines from the Rhone. Les Vignes du Prince 2014 (£9.99). When we tasted this wine we thought ‘an inexpensive Rhône red from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards, what’s not to like?’ Made by Celliers du Prince, a co-op founded in 1924 and still the only one in the Chateauneuf area, this wine is soft and juicy in your glass with plenty of brambly fruits. Syrah brings just a touch of pepper to the soft berry palate, making it the ideal partner to bangers and mash.
Good luck to anyone running on Sunday, eat lots of pasta have a good night’s sleep and remember it’s not a Marathon, it’s a Snickers…