Fellow Wine Lovers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, that didn\u2019t take long. Shorts<\/a> and sunglasses off, sou\u2019westers on, September starts with a splash! By all accounts, it may cheer up this weekend but next week looks like the start of something different \u2013 Autumn. So, this could be the last barbecue weekend for a while, or this could be the weekend that you clean the barbecue in preparation for hibernation \u2013 imagine the delight when you open it up next April and it\u2019s gleamingly clean rather than covered with white mould and dead snails… yep, I think we all know that\u2019s not going to happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, welcome back, bienvenido, bienvenue, v\u00e4lkomna. Since you\u2019ve been gone, we\u2019ve welcomed two new businesses to the street and lost one too. The Felt bakery opened its doors in late July and seems to have quickly garnered local support. Not long after this opening we saw the closure of Wimbledon Tapas, which will be much missed. After many chaotic years under the previous management, they really seemed to be doing good business now, with the evening suntrap a popular destination. However, the apparent allure of life in Liverpool resulted in an upping of sticks<\/a> but the good news is that they were immediately replaced by Bengal Bistro, adding some spice to our lives. Currently they are operating as a BYOB, so, you know, if you fancy a bit of Riesling with your samosa, perhaps we can help. Finally, whilst on a field trip to the Pig & Whistle, we noticed that A1 Cars has a new neighbour \u2013 Sakura Sushi House, which seems to have some lovely clean white tiles in the kitchen however, beyond that, we cannot comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Politicians are also back from their summer recess, at a canter, almost as if they never left. I mean, they are all off again for conference season at the end of next week, so they need to start fast. The Chancellor, having put us all through months of uncertainty last year between the election and her budget on 30 October, has decided to inflict similar misery upon us once again this year. The Budget will take place on 26th<\/sup> November, just in time to put a massive dampener on many people\u2019s favourite time of year (no Alex, not the Ashes, the other thing). There is a whiff of sadism about this, keeping us all on tenterhooks whilst drip-feeding potential proposed measures and stimulating unease. For a guide, last year September and October were dreadful for business; no one was sure what was going to happen so were nervous to commit to long term plans and thus loathe to spend money in case they spent it in the wrong direction \u2013 not the best look for the party of business and growth. Fortunately for Keir and Rachel, Angela has charged in to hog the headlines and deflect from economy chat. Did she evade or did she avoid? Her finances appear far too complicated for 2 vintners to pick through because if the 3 \u2018professionals\u2019 she consulted couldn\u2019t get it right what chance Wayne & Alex? Equally, if you can\u2019t trust the pros, where do you turn?!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the water, it\u2019s been a mixed week for the POTUS. The highlight for him must have been reading online that he was dead. He was able to confirm that, in actual fact, he wasn\u2019t and thus proved to us all that a lot of things that you read on the internet and social media aren\u2019t necessarily true \u2013 who knew! However, his joie de vivre was promptly chastened, as the aforementioned internet<\/a> became flooded with photos of the Putin-Xi-Modi love-in; don\u2019t they know he\u2019s the most important man in the world? How dare Narendra laugh in the face of tariffs and cuddle up to Vlad, it\u2019s almost as if they don\u2019t take the POTUS seriously!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other news, the bruises on Donald Trump\u2019s hands definitely come<\/a> from too much flesh pressing and glad handing and definitely not<\/u><\/a> chronic venous insufficiency, FAKE NEWS, FAKE NEWS, FAKE NEWS!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wayne has been watching cycling this week, which may not come as a surprise. He\u2019s not been watching the Tour of Britain though, which is Geraint Thomas\u2019s swansong ride, finishing in Cardiff on Sunday. The fact that this stage starts at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales<\/em> could mean there isn\u2019t a dry eye in the house<\/a> and we can surely expect some pearls of wisdom from the great man at the finish line \u2013 buy some tissues. Alex has been watching the rugby world cup, even persuading his daughter to watch some of the Australia v USA match which was an absolute belter. Talking rugby, it looks like the red trouser\/Quba jacket brigade will now be supping Nyetimber at the Twickenham Autumn internationals rather than Bollinger \u2013 we imagine the Sussex fizz producers must have come in with one hell of an offer to see off the mighty Champagne house \u2013 either way it\u2019s quite a serious changing of the guard! Cricket is a bit of a mixed bag at the moment, however the golf<\/a> will soon get exciting, as the Ryder Cup looms on the horizon and the captain\u2019s picks have been finalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n