Fellow Wine Lovers,
As the fine line between missives and missiles appears to get ever more blurred, we’ve found our week to have been taken up with administration. Mostly the double input of a quarterly VAT return if I’m honest, and fortunately for me I seemed to have bagged the quietest quarter for my turn!
Some news that has amused us arrives from Argentina, the land famous for Malbec, meat and, it would appear, marijuana. Eight police officers have been sacked after it was found that the 6000kg of marijuana they had under lock and key was, in fact, only 5460kg. The missing half ton or so was explained as having been “eaten by mice”. Now, while we may have some sympathy with how the story started…mice eats hash, gets the munchies, eats more hash….even our sympathetic ear finds 540kg a lot for a mouse.
It did make us go and listen to Eek-a Mouse’s “Ganga Smuggling” for the first time in a long while. Dung dung dilli dung dung…
In wine related news, the remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge have been found in a 17th century wine cellar below a 19th century church in Highgate. The author of Kubla Kahn and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, was, by most reports, no stranger to a glass or two, so I’m sure would be fairly happy with his position. He lived the last few years of his life in a house overlooking the church, Kate Moss owns it now, a different sort of poetry I’m sure.
Otherwise it’s all quiet on the western front. The Commonwealth Games have been progressing and it gives me great pleasure to tell you that Last came first. Yes, we’ve medals in the cross-country mountain biking, a gold and silver for England with Annie Last and Evie Richards.
It’s the Grand National at 5.15 on Saturday, I really have no clue who might win, but will have an each way on Baie des Iles as I like the idea that Katie Walsh would become the first woman jockey to win it (she was 3rd in 2012). I would warn you however, that the horse is a seven year old grey mare trained by her husband. A grey hasn’t won in 50 years, and a mare since 1951, which was more recent than 1940, the last time a seven year old won.
Tasting This Weekend
We thought it might be nice to have a red and white from the same place this week so are heading down towards the Pyrenees for a couple of wines from our chums at Domaine Treloar.
Jonathan and Rachel own and run this small, highly-regarded vineyard and winery in the Roussillon. Their path was rather unusual, after working in IT for 15 years, they were living almost next door to the World Trade Center when it was destroyed in 2001.
Having experienced that disaster at first hand, they decided to change direction, heading to Rachel’s native home of New Zealand where Jonathan studied oenology and viticulture at Lincoln University. He graduated top of the class, and then worked as the Assistant Winemaker at Neudorf Vineyards for 2 years. In 2006 they founded Domaine Treloar where they do everything in both vineyard and winery themselves.
In 2013 they were chosen as the Coup de Coeur (Favourite) Roussillon producer by La Revue du Vin de France, the country’s most influential wine magazine.
We love their wines and sporting the white jacket will be La Terre Promise 2016 (£18.49). A blend of Grenache Gris (50%), Macabeu (30%) and Carignan Blanc (20%). A rich weighty white that’ll be delicious with some garlic and herb roasted chicken, or Boullabaise if you have time.
We understand that “Motus et bouche cousou” means Mum’s The Word in French, and wearing the rather fetching red jacket will be Motus 2015 (£18.49) a very smart red made mostly from Mourvèdre. In fact, a bit more Mourvèdre than is strictly permitted under the rules, Mum’s the Word (taps nose and winks!). It’ll be a delight with some slow cooked lamb.
Lastly, we were chuffed, completely made up even, with the number of you who would like to still hear from us.
Thanks very much.
I’m sure you have heard that data protection laws are changing from 28th May 2018 and this will affect how all businesses hold and use customers email addresses.
As you know, we regularly send you Park Vintners Weekly Wine – as a consequence of this law change, it will be necessary for you to opt in again to our communications moving forwards.
All businesses, including Park Vintners, will have to update their database and effectively create new lists of “subscribed/legal” users.
To do this, all of our email’s from now until late May will have a reminder that asks whether you want to “want to keep hearing from us”.
Please do send us an email in reply to stay subscribed.
This will ensure you’re kept up to date with all of our usual nonsense the information we send out.
You will no longer hear from us after 28th May 2018 if you haven’t.
Thank you for your time – on with the show…