Fellow Wine Lovers,
Running a wine shop seems sometimes to be a series of ebbs and flows, known jobs and unknown jobs. Clearly there’s the usual, buy wine, sell wine, chat with customer bits as you’d expect. Then there is the other stuff.
This week, as expected, Alex completed our quarterly VAT return, Elaine from Z-Group came and checked that he’d put all his decimal places in the right place and had the correct receipts.
Unexpectedly, Wayne found himself wielding sandpaper and paintbrush to protect the flaking window ledge from the weather.
We found ourselves writing some tasting notes, doing a couple of deliveries but also wondering why a photograph of a signature is less acceptable than a scanned signature to the finance industry. Ultimately we bought a stamp and sent a real signature!
Importantly though, we have no glaring pay gaps that the government feels we need to share with the newspapers. Despite the myriad of jobs and responsibilities both of us are paid at the same rate. Very much an equal opportunity employer is Park Vintners, with no gender pay gap at all. Rufus the spaniel regards himself very much as a volunteer, definitely not an unpaid intern! He is very happy to keep an eye on the back garden in exchange for the occasional ear scratch.
In sporting endeavours, the cricket was a complete debacle, with South Africa running amok to level the series. England’s selectors have turned to Essex batsman Tom Westley in the hope of some runs.
In the footie, England beat Scotland 6-0 in their opening game of the Women’s Euros. No gender gap in Scotland then, but perhaps the English men’s team should watch and learn!
In the golf, The Open has started at Royal Birkdale with many hopes on young local boy Tommy Fleetwood. It seems Dustin Johnson finds favour with the bookies, though Wayne thinks it could be Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson providing the excitement on Sunday. But what does he know about golf?
In real sport the most open Tour de France in years is drawing close to the Champs Élysée. Will Chris Froome win his fourth tour or will Romain Bardet give France their first winner since 1985, when Bernard Hinault was victorious?
Unexpectedly, we have four places on this week’s Cheese & Wine Tasting.
Thursday 27th July at 8pm – £20 per person.
Let us know if you’d like to come along and join the fun.
After this one, the next Cheese & Wine Tasting is Thursday 5th October.
Wine School
It may feel like ages but September will be here before you know it and with it the start of the new term of Wine School. For those of you who don’t know about this we’ve attached some details but, in a nut shell, over the course of six weeks you will learn about and taste around 6o wines. You’ll fall in love with Chardonnay once more, discover life beyond Malbec and be able to spot a corked wine from 5 paces. You’ll do a lot more than this obviously and all for only £150.
Sign up today, before you go away.
Wednesday 4th October till Wednesday 15th November 2017 at 8pm.
£150 per person.
Wednesday 25th October off for half term.
Currently we have plenty of spaces left, so tell your friends too!
Tasting this weekend
With a nod to the crowded skies filled with departing holidaymakers this weekend we thought we’d crack open a bottle of the Max Ferd. Richter Zeppelin Riesling 2015 (£14.49). Crisp, zesty apple and peach flavour with a finely focused slate character, typical for the vineyard this is great as an aperitif wine or with light seafood and poultry dishes but, more significantly, is a great wine to persuade people that Riesling is an enjoyment not a punishment!
In the red corner we’ll be opening Castello di Luzzano Umore Nero Pinot Nero 2015 (£15.99). It’s a new listing, we’ve been looking at Pinot Noir’s from Italy for ages and struggled, if I’m honest, to find one we were happy with. Little did we know that the entire time this was right under our nose and we’d just never tasted it!
So come and enjoy a glass with us this evening or tomorrow whilst you book up your seat for the Wine & Cheese tasting next week!