Fellow Wine Lovers,
As a fleet of freshly minted Wimbledon cars flows slowly past our window, we find ourselves wondering about heatmaps (it’s far too cold to think about flow charts!). So, is the current heatmap for the population of SW19, measured in Land Rover Discovery vehicles, higher or lower than in Solihull?
Does SW19 currently have the majority of Jaguar F-Pace vehicles already licensed for use on our roads, or is there a cheeky concentration of them in Norfolk?
Yes, you’ve guessed it folks, Wimbledon 2016 is in full flow, Brits have been knocked out, unknowns have become suddenly very known, and Alex and I have been watching loads of brand spanking new Sports Utility Vehicles with blacked out windows privacy glass (Optional Extra £385 on the Jag!) and drivers who appear new to the area. We’re never sure who they carry, but they appear each year in the latest model with Wimbledon Championship markings.
We wonder what they do with them afterwards, low mileage, very carefully driven for 2 weeks (we’ve been watching after all!), and only ever carried a sports bag or umpires clipboard in the boot. We thought it might make a nice delivery vehicle, not that the Volvo isn’t up to the job, but, well, it’s just not quite so shiny! We’ll see, maybe we can do a wine/Jag swap deal of some nature.
Four wheels?
Yes, I know I just mentioned it above, but did you know we do delivery? We can lend you glasses as well if you’d like us to bring the Prosecco round for that party you’re planning. We sell Ice too, if the sun ever shows up.
Two Wheels
The world’s greatest race (the Tour de France for those of you at the back) starts on Saturday, with stage 1 from Mont-St-Michel to Utah Beach 188km of basically flat cycling that suits the sprinters at the finish. Fingers firmly crossed for Mark Cavendish to end in yellow, but difficult to rule out André Greipel or Marcel Kittel.
Stages 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday see us in wine country as the Tour wends its way through the vineyards of the Loire. I’d say it is worth watching for the scenery alone, add in the thrills, spills of top athletes doing their day job and we have TV gold!
I think our delicious Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Champigny 2015 (£15.99) is a suitably local tipple to watch the highlights with.
Wheels falling off
Following on from the England football teams sparkling performance in the Euros, we would just note that French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel has vowed to swim around Iceland if they win. Now, I’m no expert, but swimming around Iceland seems a long way for a man who specialises in 200m freestyle!
Elsewhere, the Westminster shenanigans seem to be making Yes, Minister look more like a documentary than was ever intended.
Evening Classes… wheel teach you (!)
Yes, as we mentioned last week, Wine School is back.
Term time is 28th September – 9th November (Half term break 26th October). Taste 60 wines over 6 Wednesday evenings. £150 per person and space is limited. Get smart for the winter!
Anyway enough waffle from me, what are we tasting then Alex?
Tasting This Weekend – oiling the wheels…
Well, with a mild threat of sunshine in the evenings I thought we’d start in the white corner with Accomplice Chardonnay (£8.49) a crisp, fresh, and modern Australian with bright fruit and lively finish that’s perfect to kick the evening off with, and we’ll follow that up with Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir (£15.99), again from Oz and a bit of a bobby dazzler with those bangers I’ve got lined up for the barbecue later on!
Come on July, bring us sunshine!