Fellow Wine Lovers,
And now we’re a week closer. And now we have significantly less wine here than we did seven days ago. Our special Christmas Gift Case has been changed three times this week as we ran out of different wines and, frankly, we’ve never known it to be so popular – over the next few days I believe a number of you will be enjoying something along the lines of:
- Moutard ‘Grand Cuvée Champagne
- M & B Talmard Macon Uchizy 2015 – a delicious white burgundy
- Wairau River Pinot Gris 2016 – fabulous with your boxing day ham
- Château des Demoiselles 2010 – Bordeaux? From a stellar vintage? For Christmas? Well, if you’re sure….
- Faiveley Mercurey ‘La Framboisière’ 2015 – as above, but Burgundy instead of Bordeaux
- Emilio Moro 2015 – our old favourite from Ribera del Duero
Sounds good to me.
Otherwise, everything is ticking along quite nicely.
Opening batsmen
We lost ‘The Ashes’ earlier in the week, which takes the pressure off trying to watch the highlights surreptitiously over breakfast with your in-laws. If there are any Arsenal fans out there(?) they can also have a very relaxed time over the festive period – a game tonight and then nothing until next Thursday – not sure how Arsene swung this but it should stop him bemoaning an overcrowded fixture card, we’ll see! Toys’R’Us seems to be facing an uphill struggle, not for the first time I believe, Apple admit slowing down older models of the iphone and Uber will finish the year as a cab company and not an “information society service” – you gotta love big business.
Open to new experiences
Foodwise, we’ve mainly been sponsored by Pret this week and can confirm that their Christmas sandwich is a sumptuous as ever, although Alex still reckons the Tesco Christmas Special that he tried earlier in the ‘season’ ie late November is his favourite and Wayne has plenty of time for the Waitrose effort. Neither of us are convinced of the need for vegetarian Christmas sandwiches but that may have a little to do with us not being meat dodgers!
Whilst we are always keen try a Christmas sarnie we have been quite shocked by the array of Christmas snacks available in the local cooperative down the road. By snacks we really mean crisps: Honey Roast Ham Crackers didn’t seem too off the wall but then we spotted Pigs in Blankets Tortilla Rolls, we all like sausage wrapped in bacon but are not convinced of the need to tortill-ise and roll them.
However, we could never have predicted the next two flavours…
Step up Gingerbread Tortilla Rolls and last but not least, Sparkling Prosecco Bubbles! These are apparently light and crispy potato snacks that pop in your mouth, with a hint of fizz flavour! What? That’s not even English – since when is fizz a flavour? Oh. I just got it. Jumping on the Prosecco bandwagon, very well done…
In other news, Wayne bought the most delicious Truffle flavour crisps from Brindisa the other day that were genuinely the Donqui’s Jotes!
Opening hours
Today – 11am until 8pm
Saturday 23rd – 10am until 8pm
Sunday 24th – 11am until 4pm
Monday 25th – Thursday 28th – CLOSED
Friday 29th – 11am until 8pm
Saturday 30th – 10am until 8pm
Sunday 31st – 11am until 6pm
Monday 1st – Wednesday 3rd – CLOSED
Thursday 4th – Back to normal…
Opening bottles
In a final bid to fill your Christmas dining tables with oodles of deliciousness and as a reward for those of you who have stuck it out at work until the last knockings we shall be opening:
Patrick Javillier Meursault ‘Les Clousots’ 2011 – £45.00
To quote our burgundy obsessed pal Jack: Pat Jav is a legend and his 2011s are showing really well. Clousots is a blend of Les Clous and Crousots. Patrick likes to blend sites to achieve a balanced wine. Great texture in these wines, classic Meursault.
Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo 2012 – £33.00
Jack knows less about Italy so we had to write our own notes here: lovely red cranberry and cedar wood notes and an elegant palate that has lovely tension between fruit and tannin – if you don’t want it we’ll have it…
Chateau Violet Sauternes 2007 -£14.99
We were dead chuffed when we came across this, even more so once we had some in glass! This delicious pudding wine is the classic sauternes blend of Semillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc from a wonderful vintage. A beautiful golden colour with aromas of pineapple cubes, honey and orange peel. The palate is sweet, as you’d expect, but not cloyingly so and has a lovely freshness about it. Just hitting its stride at 10 years of age, we feel it’s a bit of a bargain.
Of course, on the tasting table we already have open the Krohn LBV 2011 – £18.99, Taylor 325th Anniversary Blended Tawny – £29.59, alongside a whole gamut of spirits and whiskies so come and taste away!
I think that’s it from us now, just time enough for us to wish yule a very merry Christmas and happy New Year!
Cheers!