The Weekly Wine

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Firstly, a quick reminder that we will be closing at 4.30pm today.

It is our annual pilgrimage to provide drinks for the Kings College Quiz Night. We don’t know any of the answers if you’re coming, but wish you every success.

Looks like salad days are over, with several supermarkets rationing your access to cucumber, tomatoes and peppers due to a bit of a shortage. It is of course down to chilly weather in Morocco and Almería. Nothing at all to do with the Government refusing to include farming as a key industry when handing out energy subsidies, despite warnings from the National Farmers Union that exactly this would happen when no glasshouses were planted.

Channelling her best Marie Antoinette, Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has a solution, suggesting that we embrace turnips to help alleviate the shortages. That’s the same Minister who suggested people using food banks should work a few more hours.

In the interests of science, and so that you don’t have to bother we looked at the possibility of a Greek Salad. A Greek Salad would normally consist of Cucumber, Tomato, Pepper, Onion, Oregano, Feta and Olive Oil.

Thérèse Coffey would suggest Turnip, Turnip, Turnip, Onion, Oregano, Feta and Olive Oil as a suitable replacement. Just doesn’t have the same kind of appeal for me I’m afraid.

News reaches us this week that the world’s last dedicated Meccano factory will be closing at the end of the year. Invented in 1898 by Frank Hornby and marketed as Mechanics Made Easy until its name change to Meccano in 1907. Apparently it has been in decline in popularity since the late 1950’s. I guess 3D printers are the new Meccano, eh?

We wondered if this week’s shenanigans on the Welsh Rugby front weren’t just Wales getting their excuses in early but what do we know? We know that Mr Sexton will not be fit to face Italy but suspect that Ireland will cope. England will be without Mr Tuilagi but will probably see the return of Mr Lawes.

On the cricket front, it’s turned out alright thanks to Harry Brook and Joe Root alhough we feel we should also mention Jimmy Anderson becoming World No1 bowler again at the age of 40!

In real sports, it is opening weekend for the road racing season. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the traditional season opener is on Saturday. Both the races start in Ghent, the Men’s at 11.15 and the Women’s at 13.30. We’ve no idea who will win the Men’s race but one bit of sage advice we heard was to keep an eye on Arnaud De Lie in the Lotto Dstny team. In the Women’s race it’s difficult not to talk about Annemiek Van Vleuten defending last year’s win but think there’s a decent chance of seeing Zoe Backstedt on the podium. As always staying upright will be key!

On the wine front, in the red corner we’re going to open Domaine des Mailloches Bourgeuil 2019 (£13.49) Located in Restigné, in the heart of the Bourgueil appellation, Domaine des Mailloches is an old vineyard dating back over 100 years. Family owned for 8 generations , today it is Samuel Demont who farms the 16 hectares of Cabernet Franc. We think it’s fresh red and black fruits and rich but supple palate would be perfect to partner with Pan Hegarty!

The white (orange) corner will be the Cramele Recas Solara Orange 2021 (£13.99). We tasted this Romanian beauty again this week and were reminded how delicious it is, why not come and discover if you agree with us?

So, as mentioned earlier, we’ll be off to the quiz night at 4.30pm – find out tomorrow if the Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club!

Cheers!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

How are those ski slopes?  Have you been elegantly swishing to the left and to the right making gentle soundwave patterns down the mountain? Or do you tackle the slope head on whizz straight down the mountain in a more ‘Spy Who Loved Me’ sort of fashion?  Here in Wimbledon Park we’ve had some lovely sunny days, the doors been open and the sweater stayed off till late afternoon. Skiing? Not so much.

Whilst we’re on the subject of spies,  a large number of police forces, the Ministry of Defence, The National Crime Agency and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary have all been taken to task for using video cameras made by Chinese firms despite flagged security and ethical concerns. Just imagine, the UK could be one great Truman Show, or we could all be Candid Camera stars on Chinese Central TV and not even know it.  At least we won’t have to worry about all those pesky balloons!

Whilst we’re talking Canada it’s capital, Ottawa, is home to the world’s largest naturally frozen ice rink. The Rideau Canal Skateway is 4.8 miles long and normally welcomes around a million skaters between January and March. None at all this year though as Ottawa is experiencing one of its mildest winters ever and the temperature has not been cold enough to freeze the ice to a safe depth.

In Margate, a new work of art by Banksy appeared. Entitled Valentine’s Day Mascara, the comment on domestic violence features a 1950’s style women with a blackeye and Marigolds pushing her husband into a freezer. The only trouble with it is that the freezer has been removed so our hero housewife is left on the wall with just her husband’s legs which seems a bit more sinister than perhaps intended!

Now often when I get to this part of the Weekly Wine I begin to notice that I have completely forgotten where I was heading when I started out. This week is certainly one of those, the swishing left and right was key, but key to what exactly? I think I might have to abandon that idea as one of those known unknown items in the weekly briefing!

We could mention Kier Starmer announcing that Jeremy Corbyn won’t be a Labour candidate at the next election, we’ll see how that plays out, I can’t see him going quietly. Meanwhile, Starmer has headed off to Kyiv to assure Mr Zelenskiy that nothing would change under Labour. After Wednesday’s flag laden press conference I’m beginning to wonder if plans aren’t afoot to make him appear rather statesman-like!

Not much noise on the Conservative front, 30p Lee-anderthal is spouting all sorts of nonsense that’s best ignored. The blond scarecrow, still not in Uxbridge and West Ruislip, has been ranting about the expansion of ULEZ, conveniently forgetting it was originally his idea!

On the wine front, anyone with $35 million down the back of the sofa might want to cast an eye over Juslyn Vineyards in St Helena, Napa Valley. Lord and Lady Butler who own the estate on Spring Mountain are selling up, wanting to downsize. Seems a great opportunity for the area, they even have a well which is increasingly important in parched California.

This segues nicely into a glass of wine. After the flooding and landslides experienced in New Zealand this week we thought we’d show some solidarity with them.

White-wise we shall open Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (£21.99). This probably needs little introduction now, but safe to say we still think it’s the best NZ sauvignon we’re being offered. More restrained than many from this region, with a lovely zesty complexity.

Running around in the red corner will be Clos Henri Petit Clos Pinot Noir 2019(£20.99). The Bourgeois family behind 10 generations of Sancerre growing in the Loire were so excited about the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc arriving from Marlborough in the early 1990’s they headed out and bought some land. Planting was finished in 2003 and the estate is now farmed organically. We think it rather ace, come and tell us what you think.

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Welcome aboard this week’s musings from the coldest ship on Arthur Road.  We can’t be the coolest because obviously Saucer & Cup and Whisk will always take that, so we’ll stick to what we’re good at, whilst keeping our fuel bills down low-low.

The news is not the place for us to find our entertainment this week – the greed of our politicians firmly put into the shade by Mother Nature reminding us all that there are greater powers at work, that the real world outside of SW1 can be a truly cruel place and that life is more precious and valuable than any pot of cash.

So, we looked for our distractions elsewhere.  In sport, where we often find succour, it was a mixed weekend for the PV staff. 

The Everton match on Saturday did not make Wayne smile as much as he usually does and the Scotland Rugby team’s visit to Twickenham was successful once again, the second time in 3 years that they have bested England at HQ and the third time in 50 years – good start, Mr Borthwick.  A key moment in the match was when Scottie ‘Duhan’ van der Merwe (born Edinburgh, May 2017) showed the world what can happen if six of your opposition haven’t quite got the hang of the new tackling rules yet.  A great, great try, without a doubt.  We’ll be waving our green passports this weekend though, when the World’s #1 team goes up against the World’s #2 at the Aviva….

Meanwhile, we imagine many of you will be waving your passports at us as you ski-daddle off to foreign climes for half term fun and games.  Whilst you are packing and deciding what to take out of the already overflowing bags, remember that next Tuesday is 14^th February – Valentine’s Day.  So, take out that extra sweater and replace it with a card and a half bottle of Champagne – we recommend Lété-Vautrain – £17.99 – and that way you will be well prepared for that moment on Tuesday when ‘oh, I don’t think we should really bother with Valentine’s day’ turns into a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates!

On a separate, and completely unrelated, note – should you need some conversation starters for those awkward chairlift silences – the Number 1 songs today in 1983 and 1993 were Down Under by Men At Work and No Limit by 2 Unlimited – proper one hit wonders that should get you all singing!

Anyway, back to Valentine’s Day.  According to BBC Good Food, these were the four most popular Valentine meals, based on what people searched for last year:

1. Steak with peppercorn sauce
2. Dauphinoise potatoes
3. Spaghetti carbonara
4. Beef Wellington

So, what have we learnt?  I imagine steak is probably one of their most searched food items anyway; everyone likes Dauphinoise and if you’re in the French Alps, it’s local; carbonara is quick and easy whilst Beef Wellington feels more suited to the polygamists/polyandrists amongst us!

However, that’s not going to stop us tasting some wines this weekend that might be suitable for Tuesday…

Domaine Treloar ‘La Terre Promise’ 2019 – £19.49 – This is a lovely rich blend of Grenache Gris, Macabeu and Carignan Blanc from our chums Jonathan and Rachel at Domaine Treloar down in the south of France.  From 35-60 year old vines, it has a lovely quince and buttered toast character and is made with natural yeasts and minimal sulphur.  Named after the Bruce Springsteen song ‘Promised Land’, this is a wine that we don’t put on tasting nearly as much as we would like to and frankly it would be an absolute joy with a plate of cheesy taytos.

Sottano Selección Blend 2019 – £18.99 – This is a blend of Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Franc; dark in the glass as you’d expect and with lovely aromatic berry aromas with a hint of violets and wood smoke. The palate is rich and layered with cassis and berry fruit notes, coffee and wood spice with a touch of black pepper to end on. It worked well with a rib-eye, and we’re lining it up for some ox-cheeks, which apparently is the secret ingredient for a Beef Wellington for two!

That’s about it for us, a kind gentleman from Brussels has just passed me a Vegemite sandwich – there are no limits – although sadly it seems Burt Bacharach has reached his limit – mind you, six Grammys, three Oscars, 73 Top Forty hits in the US and 52 in the UK wasn’t a bad life’s work!

The blues they send to meet me won’t defeat me, it won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet me…

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Well, at the risk of bringing rain to anyone’s parade, it’s been rather Spring-like this week, hasn’t it?

Stood here in Arthur Road we see a lot of life passing our window. Sons and daughters who seemed to be in buggies just last week walking from school on their own in smart new blazers, football crowds on the way to Plough Lane and grumpy traffic tooting with impatience at that oversized lorry trying to reverse around the corner to go back the way they came. Why don’t they update their SatNav?

Boris Johnson, the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, could be that oversized lorry. His constituency office, about 19 miles up the A40 from Westminster, really should update his SatNav. In the last fortnight he’s taken more than one serious wrong turn. Firstly, he pitched up in Kyiv, some 1500 miles to the east of Uxbridge, possibly in the belief that he was James Cleverly. Returning from Kyiv he seems to have overshot by some 3650 miles and ended up in Washington DC having a chat with the Speaker of the House. Perhaps he’s pretending he is still Prime Minister. Maybe, all along, he has been Mr Benn?

It could, of course, just be a distraction from the fact that the National Audit Office is investigating the state funding, to the tune of £220,000, of his legal defence against the “Partygate” investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committee. This will, of course, determine whether he committed contempt of Parliament – an allegation he denies. Personally, I think a man who made £1 million last month by after dinner speaking can afford to pay for his own defence!  Dominic Raab may have shouted at his last civil servant, it looks like we’ll hear sooner rather than later. Finally, in a sign the world really is still slightly crazy, there is talk of a comeback from Lettuce Liz Truss. Talk is that she’ll try and position herself as an “intellectual visionary” who was misunderstood at the time.

In other news, Shell has announced the biggest profits in its 189 year history, clearly switching from seashells to oil in the 1880’s has paid off! Centrica has admitted that contractors working for British Gas broke into vulnerable people’s homes to fit prepayment meters, something that thankfully Ofgen has banned this morning! The Bank of England raised interest rates as did the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy has ordered an investigation after allegations that broken bolts on HMS Vanguard were fixed with glue. The terrifying part is that HMS Vanguard is a nuclear submarine and as far as we can see on our tube of No More Nails it doesn’t seem to mention nuclear coolant pipe insulation!

The transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday with Chelsea the big spenders, spending £288 million, which is more than all the transfers in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 added together. How big is their team bus now? No pressure Mr Potter!

Meanwhile, 2^nd division Portuguese side, Oliveirense, have signed 55 year old Japanese player King Kazu on loan from Japanese club Yokohama. He has previously played in Brazil, Italy, Croatia and Australia and has plans to play till he’s 60!

Saturday sees the return of the Six Nations with a returning Gatland-inspired Wales hosting favourites Ireland in the early game (14.15) at Cardiff whilst Twickenham will be filled to the rafters as England host Scotland (16.45). I still have Italy’s name for the wooden spoon despite them beating the Wallabies in November and they play France on Sunday (15.00)

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film Groundhog Day (yes really), I would just mention that Phil saw his shadow this year so, according to folklore, Pennsylvania will have six more weeks of winter!

Tasting this Weekend

We thought we’d take a trip to Chile. Representing the white corner will be a family favourite at Wayne’s house…

Aromo Viognier 2021 – £9.99 – from the Maule Valley, one of Chile’s traditional wine growing areas, just about 250km south of Santiago.  There’s not a great deal of Viognier planted there but when you taste this you’ll wonder why.  We really rate this wine and have been selling it for over 10 years now, one way or another as it is consistently great value, great quality with lovely peachy-apricot fruit characters and a nice crisp finish. 

Whilst sneaking into the interesting red category will be…

A Los Viñateros Bravos Volcánico País 2021, Itata, Chile – £17.49 – over the years we have tried our fair share of wines from the grape variety País.  Most of them, to be fair, have been a bit ordinary and we could easily understand why it was, for the most part, distilled into Pisco.  You can imagine the eyes rolling when this was poured into the glass.  It is not like any of the others.  Really lifted aromatic fruit on the nose, fresh and juicy, almost spritzy even in the mouth and with really fine tannins.  A proper vin de soif that’d be perfect with some slow cooked pork.

Fellow Wine Lovers,

The film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was released in 1998, to much critical acclaim but also much collateral damage caused by mosquito brained Vinnie Jones breaking into Hollywood.  Anyway, as I’m sure most of you are aware of the subject matter of the movie, it might lead you to wonder what a southeast London gangster caper has to do with a southwest London wine shop and at this point I can assure you, they have very little to do with each other.

However, there is a quote that I often recall, made by Tom as he makes a deal with Nick the Greek:

Well, this seems to be a waste of my time.  That is 900 nicker in any shop you’re lucky enough to find one in.  And you’re complaining about 200?  What school of finance did you study?  It’s a deal, it’s a steal, it’s the sale of the …. century!  In fact, Nick, I think I’ll keep it!

Brilliant, you should all watch the movie again.

In other news, the Park Vintners annual 6 for 5 January offer comes to a close next Tuesday – that’s a 16.666% off six bottles for the more mathematically inclined and, frankly, it’s a deal….

Elsewhere, life in the Wild Westminster continues apace for our parliamentary outlaws – pick your favourite rogue frontiersman, there are plenty to choose from currently – Jonathan Gullis probably the worst after managing to plumb new depths on Wednesday.

Meanwhile on Arthur Road, Alex went to Cavan Bakery and got some sausage rolls and left without paying,  He then went to Saucer & Cup and took away a couple of coffees, again without paying.  The Coop was his next stop as he came away with some soup and apples, once more his wallet stayed in his pocket.  On his return to the shop, having been informed of his activities, I thought that rather than ask him directly whether he had knowingly not paid these bills, I would actually ask my newly appointed ethics advisor what I thought with a view to getting a reply in about six months’ time.  Obviously, Alex still has his job and will just brazen out this minor bump in the road but, in the meantime, if anyone could lend him £800,000 unsecured that would be great as he has some bills to pay….

A quick scan through the booze news doesn’t give us much to talk about unless you have shares in Diageo.  One article did catch our eye though and it was the classic January page filler telling us what the ‘key trends’ will be this year; here’s the list, in no particular order, but focus on these and you’ll be the hepist of cats:

• low/no alcohol drinks (water?)
• tequila rather than Gin (last year it was Rum that would breakthrough, we’ll see)
• light-bodied wines
• off-the-beaten track styles and regions (because have you seen how Burgundy now costs)
• sustainability including organic, vegan or carbon neutral wines
• packaging – tin of wine anyone?
• drink less but better (this fits nicely with our business model)
• at-home drinking rather than going out out (alsofits nicely with our business model)
• and finally make sure that as much as possible you only buy on-trend drinks in creative packaging formats and presentation vessels, such as single serve, pouches and cans, to show that you are fully in tune with today’s evolving lifestyles and drinking occasions (what does this even mean?)

So there you go, this year’s trends, we’ll check in December to see how you’ve all got on!

Back to the here and now, it was Australia Day on Thursday, so to bring a little sunshine into our lives this weekend we thought we’d open a couple of wines from Margaret River

Flametree Chardonnay 2020 – £18.99.  Showing no compromise in quality since the 2019 version was proclaimed Decanter White Wine of the Year, this is stunning.  Citrus, floral and grapefruit notes on the nose lead to a tad richer palate with the same fruit characters, light creamy oak notes and a dry, savoury finish.  A wonderfully elegant wine.

Flametree Embers Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 – £15.99.  Wines from Margaret River always seem to exude a little more elegance than the slighter beefier versions from the other side of the country and this wine only emphasises this.  A cracking drop, this displays aromas of violets, ripe black fruits and just a hint of chocolate and coffee too; lovely and juicy in the mouth, with fabulously forward fruit, it comes as no surprise that Langton’s Master of Wine, Andrew Caillard, once opined that “Winemaker Cliff Royle is regarded by critics as one of the most gifted winemakers of his generation.”

Come and have a taste.

That’s it from us for now, come and buy some wine, 6 bottles we suggest, and if you know anyone who’s birthday is on Sunday, wish them well and let them know that they share their day with such greats as Tom Selleck, Oprah Winfrey, Clare Balding and Mikey Nyren!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

It’s the World Economic Forum at Davos again and the airport is, as usual, awash with private jets whilst the great and good gather to discuss “Cooperation in a Fragmented World”. According to PwC’s annual CEO report, a majority of global CEO’s expect some degree of impact from climate change in the next 12 months—primarily in their cost profiles (where approximately 50% expect a moderate, large or very large impact) and their supply chains (42%).

Not enough of them to fly on a scheduled flight though, eh? Similarly, Rishi Sunak has taken three internal jet flights in 10 days. We wonder, if they were all made to travel by train, might we get a better service?

January 18^th 2022:  On Newsnight, Nadhim Zahawi made a statement that his tax affairs “were and are fully up to date”.

January 15^th 2023: The Sun on Sunday leads with a story that Nadhim Zahawi has agreed to pay several million in tax to settle a dispute with HMRC.

January 18^th 2023: A spokesperson for Zahawi said on Wednesday: “Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs were and are fully up to date and paid in the UK.”

Take them at their word; they are elected to serve us!

Jacinda Ardern has resigned as Prime Minister in New Zealand saying: “with such a privileged role comes responsibility – the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not”.  There are grown-ups somewhere at least!

At the other end of self-awareness, and indeed the world, a woman in Canada is suing a bar for serving her drinks. The woman was at a Marilyn Manson gig at Budweiser Gardens in 2019 before choosing to drive home intoxicated. She went the wrong way up a street before crashing into a house, severing its gas line and causing an explosion that damaged four houses, injured seven people inflicting damage valued at somewhere in the region of C$15 million. Of course it was the bars fault…

On the sports front the transfer window is in full effect, it seems West Ham, Wolves and Nottingham Forest have all got the check books out, and many others are still on the zoom calls negotiating. Bizarrely Adam Clayton has moved from Doncaster to Bradford on a free transfer and we didn’t even realise he’d left U2!

Tasting This Weekend

With Burns Night appearing on the calendar next Wednesday we thought we’d taste a couple of wines that might be suitable.

Now, clearly you’ll have to use your imagination a little as we won’t have an army of Gordon Ramsay’s downstairs at the microwave knocking out portions but…

We’ll start with the Cock-a-leekie soup and our suggestion for partnering that will be Martin and Anna Arndorfer’s Handcrafted Grüner Veltliner 2021 (£16.99). We think it’s gently spiced pear and apple fruit character will be spot on.

To go with the wee beastie itself we might go as far as suggesting Domaine La Font de Notre Dame Gigondas 2019 (£22.99). Silky dark fruits, herby garrigue notes and a fresh long finish should set of the wee beastie’s peppery character rather splendidly.

Finally, it seems that the Heavenly Supergroup is swelling in numbers at a quite alarming rate as we nod farewell to David Crosby – Long Time Gone seems like an appropriate listen, on many levels….

Travel well.

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Well, it’s already week two of 2023 and summer is just around the corner. 

Whilst we wait for those long evening shadows and early morning swims in the dappled dawn light, we might as well amuse ourselves in other ways and what better way than through the top of a wine glass.  To help matters, we’ve dusted down our annual offering for January (codename: VAT bill crowdfunder) which is the good old BUY SIX, PAY FOR FIVE mechanic. 

It’s as simple as it sounds – buy 6 bottles and we’ll then promise to give you a 16.666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666% discount off the purchase – not too shabby?  There are a few exceptions to this offer – spirits and top shelf Champagnes for the most part but that still leaves plenty for the discerning shopper.  Some of you have already taken full advantage of this deal and will likely return for round two but many of you are yet to dip you toes into this wine lake.  We suggest you don’t tarry too long, we’ve got 76 empty cardboard boxes waiting to be filled (I counted) we have more stock now than we’ll likely have on the 31^st and then we’ll be back to the standard 5.00000000% discount so, in this instance, he who laughs last won’t be laughing very much….

Sales pitch done, what else do we have to say?

Well, it seems once more it’s about winners and losers this week:

Winners

• We’ve got to start with Harry really – 1.4 million copies sold of a book none of us want to read PLUS achieving global front page coverage in the newspapers PLUS sending many pro-monarchy commentators into apoplexy
• Elon Musk – now a Guinness World Record Holder for losing the most personal fortune – perhaps $200 billion in just 14 months – and unlikely to be broken too soon as the current world’s richest person only has $203 billion…
• Prince Andrew – the previous incumbent of the Spare role has a few days off
• Kevin McCarthy, who absolutely nailed it by winning the 15^th ballot mainly thanks to 6 people abstaining and him giving away some fairly hefty concessions to far right election deniers – you go, Kev
• Ray & Dave Davies/Emilio Estevez & Charlie Sheen/Noel & Liam Gallagher – siblings who properly know how to have a proper family spat and would consider tripping over a dog bowl and having their necklace broken as happy times
• Gareth Bale – finally managed to shed the pesky day job and can now fully focus on his golf swing
• Wayne’s toothache is finally subsiding so drinks on the veranda this weekend are back on!

Losers  

• Elon Musk, for reasons that are quite apparent
• Prince Andrew, as above
• Rishi Sunak, because he’s PM right now
• Suella had her ‘is the Bear Catholic?’ moment when she conceded that a ‘small minority’ of the super-rich arriving on very big boats and  being given golden visas between 2008 and 2015 ‘were potentially at high risk of having obtained wealth through corruption or other illicit financial activity, and/or being engaged in serious and organised crime.’  And we just thought they were here for the weather and high taxes, not trying to wash up
• Us – according to INRIX, London has the Highest Traffic Delay Times in the world, with a last mile speed of 10mph and, to add to the chaos, the most congested road is the A219 from Fulham to Morden, through Putney – time to put on the Lycra perhaps?
• Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, when responding to the fact that 150 officers are under investigation, said “We’ve got some officers who we sacked, but other legal bodies, who have a power to reinstate them, did. So I’ve got officers who we determined shouldn’t be police officers and yet I have to keep them. It sounds bizarre – I’m the commissioner, yet I can’t decide who my own workforce is.”
• The NHS, for having Steve Barclay
• Andrew Bridgen
• Democracy in Brazil

Gosh, I hadn’t realised there would be so many losers, so, moving swiftly on, what shall we taste this weekend?

Well, given you’ll all be coming in to buy 6 bottles, why not put a couple of new experiences for the new year in there?  To help with this we’ll open a bottle of white from The Republic of North Macedonia and a red from Georgia…

Tikveš Smederevka 2020 – £10.69.  The Tikveš winery is in the central part of Macedonia, a paradise of mountains, lakes and, of course, vineyards.  The wine is a real crowd pleasing style from a less trodden path, crisp fruit here from the Smederevka which is softened by a dollop of Riesling in the blend – a rival to Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps?

Vachnadziani Saperavi 2019 – £11.49.  Saperavi is a truly ancient grape variety with the Georgians discovering examples 8,000 years old stored in clay amphorae.  However, this example is a tad younger, juicy in the glass with lots of light, bright fruit, a hint of spice and a decent length finish – definitely a danger that you might find yourself onto the second glass sooner than you thought!

If, however, you’re taking a bit of a break from the beautiful bottle then we have just listed a couple of low-low alcohol wines that we tasted before Christmas.  Wednesday’s Domaine is their name and they produce the Piquant White (0.04%) that is based on the Airén grape variety and the Sanguine Red (0.18%) based on Tempranillo.  Obviously we’ll always be more about the booze but it has to be said these two are the best we have tasted ever – chill the red a little and you could imagine yourself on a barge in the Loire in those long evening shadows….

Wednesday’s Domaine – £15 per bottle.

That’s it from us, just a quick mention that, as happens every year, we will be CLOSED ON TUESDAY 17^th JANUARY as it seems every man and his dog is having a portfolio tasting that day – apologies for this.

And it’s hi, ho silver lining – and away you go now Jeff – I see your sun is shining

RIP to another music legend….

Fellow Wine Lovers,

As is customary at this time of the yea, we have chosen to give you a roundup of events of the last 12 months:

January 2022 found us quoting Labour MP Diane Johnson: “When the prime minister has to spend his time trying to convince the British public that he is stupid not dishonest, isn’t it time for him to go?”  We were also reading about Liz Truss on Wikipedia.

February 2022 saw the launch of Operation Hillman which involved The Met Police sending a questionnaire to many people in Westminster regarding Partygate:  “As these questions are part of Operation Hillman, which of the following Hillman motor vehicles did you see at Downing Street? Minx, Husky, Super Minx, Imp, Hunter, Avenger or Hustler (please tick all that apply)

To help our sponsors, do you prefer Claret or Beaujolais with your Brie de Meaux?”

As it turned out not answering the questionnaire got you off the fine for insufficient evidence, regardless of any CCTV footage!

March 2022 we found ourselves mentioning Rwanda. A bat that had been missing for 40 years was rediscovered in Nyungwe Park.  After being scolded for being late for supper, the pair of Hill’s Horseshoe bats were measured and their call recorded to make it easier to identify them in future and then released.

April 2022 arrived and the fools were still in charge. Mad Nads was selling Channel Four and Chancellor Rishi Sunak discovering his wife’s ‘non-dom’ tax status whilst breaking an election manifesto pledge not to raise tax on the rest of us. ‘Replicas’ by Tubeway Army turned 43.

May 2022 found Wayne on his bike in Mallorca avoiding a high pollen count here, the Tories lose Wandsworth Council and the Negroni, the Mojito and a Pina Colada named as the UK’s top three cocktails. Also fines landed on the desks of those caught up in Operation Hillman seemingly regardless of whether they were driving an Imp or a Minx!

June 2022 arrived almost as a surprise with some sunshine and some disgruntled Peers who were distinctly unhappy with the catering. “There are only so many smoked salmon or prawn and crayfish salads one can take week after week”

“limited range of pre-packaged sandwiches”

“Could the sandwiches be presented on a plate with a bit of salad rather than in cardboard?”

Moving quickly into July 2022, we saw the Sri Lankan President flee the country, the Italian government collapse and Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss say nasty things about each other to show who was the best person to lead the Conservatives. Moeen Ali scored the fastest half century in T20, the Lionesses got through to the Euro final at Wembley, Marianne Vos in the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France Femmes and the start of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

August 2022 and most of you had fled the area. Wayne was left to contend with Truss and Sunak still knocking verbal lumps out of each other but now in a series of fancy dress costumes that most of us would call work clothes. La Vuelta a España started with a Time trial in Utrecht and Tory Peer Stuart Rose warned “you can’t grow your way out of inflation”.

September 2022 found us with a new King, Liz Truss as Prime Minister and Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor. Truss and Kwarteng decided to introduce a budget to grow us out of inflation that we now know cost the country around £70 billion. Remco Evenepoel won the Vuelta a España.

October 2022 rolled in with us wondering if No.10 would end up on Air BnB but Superman Sunak stepped in to save the day from the real crazies. Wales lost to the Cook Islands in the Rugby League Cup and the James Bond film Dr No celebrated its 60^th birthday.

November 2022 found jungle watchers witness disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock chomping on unmentionables in I’m a Celebrity. Superman Sunak turned out less than Super and performed a U-turn on his decision to skip COP27 in Egypt whilst Lady Mone became embroiled in a very unpredictable PPE and VIP lane scandal that saw her take a leave of absence from the House of Lords and flee the country.

So here we are, rapidly approaching the end of December 2022. The clowns are still in charge both here and in Westminster. The clowns in Westminster would like to remove your rights to equal pay in 2023. The clowns here would like to thank you all for your kind support in 2022 and wish you a happy New Year filled with good health, opportunity and laughter.

We’ll be open until 6pm today, noon until 6pm on Saturday and then we’ll return on Friday 6^th January at, yes, noon!

Godt nytår!!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

If you’re reading this then we think you probably know what has happened. We won’t dwell on the three Prime Ministers, four Chancellors or five gold rings.

Alex is resolutely refusing to wear red just to avoid any cases of mistaken identity by the young folk around town and we’ve very nearly completed our Christmas pilgrimage through the albums Spotify thinks we need to listen too. Clearly we have listened to too much Buena Vista Social Club and not enough Stereophonics this year.

We’re busy sorting your Christmas wine stocks but if you’re stuck for a last minute gift, might we suggest a gin from Decanter’s Top 10 for Christmas.

The Eclectic Gin Society Spice Blend (£39)

A great Christmas gift for wine lovers who are also partial to craft gin. This is blended in small batches of 140 bottles exclusively for Vindependents, a buying group for independent UK wine merchants. The quirky label design shows a collection of objects representing each different merchant. The Spice Blend is a classic London Dry style, with mellow baking spice aromas, lots of cinnamon and star anise. The punchy, super-spicy palate is balanced by rounded fruitiness, crisp apple and juniper bite, with a pink peppercorn finish. Makes a superbly spicy G&T. – Julie Sheppard, Decanter Dec 5^th, 2022.

We’ll be here tomorrow, Christmas Eve, from 10am till 4pm but do come earlier rather than later as Alex has a bit of a drive ahead of him once we’ve locked up.

We’d like to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas. If it’s not too late to move from the naughty list to the nice list, go for it – we’ll be rooting for you!

Opening Hours for the remainder of the month…

Today: Now till 7pm

Saturday 24^th:10am -4pm

Thursday 29^th – Saturday 31^st: Noon-6pm

Fellow Wine Lovers,

So that’s that then, this week we have come to the end of an era.

When he burst onto the scene as a precociously talented teenager, the world immediately paid attention as he did things that teenagers weren’t yet supposed to be able to do.  Whilst physically not as strong as many of his opponents, over time he grew and developed and very soon everyone in the world knew his name and was keen to get a glimpse of his talents.  There was always an arrogance and a swagger about him, some people found it annoying whilst others understood it to be part and parcel of being the best in the world.  Whilst famous for his speed, athleticism and his trademark diving when in the vicinity of a net, away from sport he was probably most famous for his love of money, which ultimately could be what he is remembered for most.

Boris Becker was released from prison on Thursday and was expected to be immediately deported to Germany – bye, bye Boom-Boom – never again shall we see you charging up Marryat Road on Finals Sunday, red faced from too much sun/hospitality, next stop Hemingways…. How the mighty are fallen!

(Alex, shall we keep this on file to recycle when Ronaldo moves to Saudi/USA/Newcastle?)

Now that football has come home, carrying its customary quantity of silverware, and Morocco have finished a campaign that has been a delight to us all, we can now get back to watching Harry & Meghan on Netflix.  Or we can sit in the corner and squirt lemon juice into our eyes, which would probably be more enjoyable.  Or we can start thinking about the next big event on the horizon, which is a mere 9 days away.

Yep, let’s talk Christmas and avoid politics this week.

A couple of weeks back we had our Champagne & Fizz evening, which was a lovely event – 8 bottles of bubbles and trays of smoked salmon, what’s not to like.  Anyway, of course, all the wines were very well received; the differences between Champagne and English Sparkling were duly noted; and the out and out winner on the night was an almost unanimous decision.  As often happens, it was the most expensive wine on show but everyone agreed it was well worth it, when put into context:

Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru Millésime 2008 – £75

100% Chardonnay, from Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, from an outstanding vintage, it was always likely to be a popular drop.  The consensus was that the 12 years on its lees had added enough brioche and breadiness to the delicious fruit and the age had given it a really nice balance and length.  Antonio Galloni put it in a more erudite manner when he gave it 94 points:

‘Moncuit’s Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Millesimé (sic) shows a different facet of its personality in this version, with lower dosage vis-à-vis the Brut version. Here the flavors are brighter and more sculpted throughout. Hints of toastiness, almond and tangerine oil add an exotic flair that makes the Extra Brut absolutely beguiling. Lower dosage seems to exalt the minerality and bright acids of the year, while pushing the fruit a bit into the background. Both Brut and Extra Brut bottlings are terrific; choosing among them comes down to personal preference. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged November 2020.’

And the context I mentioned earlier?  Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV, should you be able to find any, retails for £75 and it’s not even vintage…. IYKYK, as the kids say!

Keeping with IYKYK, we have added Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Brut Reserve (£29) to our cracking 3 for £75 fizz deal.  You can mix it with Lété-Vautrain Brut 204 if you’d like!

Tasting this weekend

It’s the last full weekend before the big one, so let’s have some fun:

Domaine Moingeon St Aubin 1er Cru ‘Les Frionnes’ 2019 – £35.99  A couple of years ago we were involved in a MW study that compared St Aubin with Puligny Montrachet and we were really struck by the quality we were getting in St Aubin.  This is a joyous wine, elegant with lime blossom, peachy fruitiness and a touch of nutty creaminess from a barrel ageing.  A perfect partner with white meats, should you encounter any in the next week or so and an impressive if perhaps surprising match with a cheeseboard.

Cantine Povero Barolo Priore DOCG 2017 – £33 ‘The king of wines and wine of kings’.   The Priore is aged for a minimum of 38 months which gives it intense garnet red colour whilst the nose and palate show notes of violet, cassis, wild rose, cinnamon, anise, leather, and perhaps too earthy character of the Langhe, such as truffles, dried mushrooms, and hazelnuts. The palate is warm, dry, earthy, and full and it should come as no surprise that it got a Gold Medal and 95 points in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022!

La Fleur de Bouard 2012 – £30 Hailing from Lalande de Pomerol, this is owned by the same family as Chateau Angelus.  80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is very much the modern style of claret.  Really voluptuous on the palate with black cherry and berry fruits, toasted spice, mocha, and a hint of graphite.  The tannins are oh so silky and it has an impressive velvety finish.

Plus we still have the Porto Krohn 2003 – £50 in the eto and plenty of Foxdenton Estate Christmas Liqueur – £23, should you fancy tasting something sweeter.

That’s it from us, time for us all to get back to work – we’re ready, are you?