As of 10:00 on 30 May 2024, 134 MPs have announced that they will not stand again at the election on 4 July. MPs intending to stand again have until 4pm on 7 June to deliver their nomination papers and so it is likely that further announcements will follow in the coming days\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s an awful lot of leaving-do\u2019s and cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the 134 MP\u2019s not returning, 82 started out as Conservatives, 36 Labour, 9 SNP, 3 Sinn F\u00e9in, 2 PC, 1 Green and 1 DUP. In percentage terms, that translates to 100% of Green\u2019s leaving town, 50% of PC, 42% of Sinn F\u00e9in, 22% of Tories, 18% of SNP, 18% of Labour and 12.5% of DUP. Clearly the Lib Dems are doing something right as no-one is stepping down and none of them ended up on the naughty step\/independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, none of the main party leaders in the 2019 election are still in charge which only goes to emphasise the capricious nature of UK politics today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere, the Donald has been Tangoed but I think we should all wait until July 11th<\/sup> before we get too excited\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut we move on and away from politics, for now, to discover that we were right all along. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has released a report revealing that 70% of beer and wine served in UK pubs and bars is short-measured and that when beer was short, it was typically 4% less than a full pint, while wine was usually 5% below the standard 175ml glass. Not sure we\u2019re going to pop down to The Wandle and read them the Weights and Measures Act but it\u2019s nice to know we weren\u2019t always imagining things\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a follow up, another CTSI survey gauging opinion on the inclusion of the beer head in the pint measure was divided. 35% believe the head should not be included and 23% think it should be \u2013 which means that 42% of people abstained\/are incapable of deciding between 2 polar opposite choices\/don\u2019t give a toss, which could also end up being true on July 4th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou heard it here first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sport and booze collided somewhat unpleasantly earlier in the week when the French Open organisers had to ban drinking in the stands \u2013 raucous behaviour and spitting were the complaints from players \u2013 I wonder if the AELTC and Pimm\u2019s are feeling a little nervous?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week I mentioned some new wines on the shelves, so I thought I might introduce some of them today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year, whilst driving through France, Alex and his wife ended up in the delightful city of Reims, in the heart of Champagne. Being \u2018in the trade\u2019, Alex has been lucky enough to visit the city a number of times, usually on someone else\u2019s dollar, however his wife has not been quite so fortunate. Alex was excited by the prospect of finally seeing the Cathedral without scaffolding up the fa\u00e7ade whilst his wife seemed more invigorated by the prospect of formation champagne drinking. So they came to a compromise: a quick spin around the outside of their Notre-Dame and then off to the restaurant they\u2019d had recommended by the lady whose house they were staying in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caf\u00e9 du Palais<\/em> is in the heart of the city, opposite the courthouse (hence the name) and it was suggested as having the both the best Croque-Monsieur\u2019s and best champagne list in town. Win, win, what\u2019s not to like. So they ate and drank and, as luck would have it, got into long conversation with the owner about champagne, of course. Now this man is connected. He had just had lunch that day with Garance from Thi\u00e9not and was going for dinner the following night with someone from Billecart-Salmon, from memory. Anyway, after a cellar tour, a couple more glasses and perhaps some of their famous tarte tatin, they wended their way, with the abiding memory that the wines from De Saint-Gall were ones to definitely look out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFast forward a few months and Alex discovers that one importer in the UK has these wines, so he made contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve started at the top, no messing about but a GC B de B from a cracker of a vintage, how could we resist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De Saint-Gall Orpale Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2012 – \u00a3125<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ll endeavour to be a little less lyrical about the rest of the wines otherwise we\u2019ll be here until close\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHITES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nGuillaman Colombard-Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Gascogne, France – \u00a311.99<\/strong> \u2013 a zippily fresh drop with grapefruit and passion fruit character on the nose and a rounded palate showing those same fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJ Fernando Verdejo 2023, Rueda, Spain – \u00a314.49<\/strong> \u2013 lovely and tangy and fresh with a drop of minerality in its midst to add a bit of texture<\/p>\n\n\n\nWestcott Estate Chardonnay 2021, VQA Niagara Escarpment, Canada – \u00a329.99<\/strong> \u2013 just wow. Our first venture into Canada for over 10 years, this is awesome \u2013 like a burgundy but at the richer end with great poise<\/p>\n\n\n\nORANGE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBel A Ciao Vin Orange 2022, Vin Atlantique, France – \u00a316.99 <\/strong>\u2013 it\u2019s organic and it\u2019s orange, how on message are we? A blend of mostly Semillon with a splash each of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, it has tangerine and wild flower aromas leading to more tropical but still citrusy notes on the palate with a lightly spiced lemon note to finish, definitely worth a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\nROS\u00c9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCh\u00e2teau Paquette 2023, C\u00f4tes de Provence, France – \u00a318.49 <\/strong>– a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourv\u00e8dre and a local variety Tibouren, which is what brings the garriguey herbiness. It transpires that this small estate in Fr\u00e9jus was recommended to our supplier by Elizabeth Gabay MW, the world\u2019s foremost expert on ros\u00e9!<\/p>\n\n\n\nRED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLe Voisin d\u2019En Face Syrah 2023, IGP Ard\u00e8che, France – \u00a316.49<\/strong> – northern Rh\u00f4ne but you know, not named as such. Beautiful nose, hint of spice and a rich, fruitful palate \u2013 more approachable in its youth than any of its posher peers would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKlinker Brick Winery Brickmason 2018, Lodi, USA – \u00a318.99<\/strong> -a blend of 80% Zinfandel, 10% Syrah and 5% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah. Bright red fruits, a touch of juicy blueberry too, lovely freshness of finish and a little tannic grip give it great balance \u2013 a barbecue shoo-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCh\u00e2teau d\u2019Anielle 2015, Saint-\u00c9milion Grand Cru, France – \u00a327.99<\/strong> \u2013 I know, who\u2019s buying claret in June? Well, if you got caught in the monsoon yesterday afternoon, perhaps it wold be you! We often find a lot of good Bordeaux in the summer months and this is one we\u2019ve had our eye on for a while, keep it in mind!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe should probably let you get back to work now \u2013 we\u2019ll be opening the Guillaman Colombard-Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong> and Le Voisin d\u2019En Face Syrah <\/strong>tonight, so come and let us know what you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFinally, yes, we have read the article in The Guardian about Orange wine sales \u2013 we do have a few but aren\u2019t planning on extending the range particularly. Sherry, White Port, Madeira, Riesling, Torront\u00e9s, Rum, chilled reds – all are examples of what has been touted as the drinks of the summer in previous years, without actually ever getting close to toppling Ros\u00e9 from its perch, just saying!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And with that, we\u2019re taking our cynicism out for a drink, filled right to the top please\u2026..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fellow Wine Lovers, Seems like weather forecasting has yet again proved itself to be a bit of a dark art and, in fact, Wayne\u2019s cooking activities provide a more accurate guide to future meteorological activity. We call him Weather Vane Wayne. Having expected rain on Sunday and cloudiness on Monday, we actually ended up with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1834"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1835,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions\/1835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}