Fellow Wine Lovers,<\/p>\n
In the realm of the \u2018drinks and drinking\u2019 media it feels like some of the grown-ups have gone on holiday and the student interns are running amok. Certainly we have found two items this week that I\u2019m sure wouldn\u2019t make front pages around budget time or Christmas. <\/p>\n
So, first up and a serious contender for headline of the year and one that would appeal to the aforementioned students:<\/p>\n
Mutant worm could help alcoholics<\/strong> This breakthrough doesn\u2019t actually sound like it\u2019s going to help alcoholics address the health issues of their disease, more it\u2019ll just make them able to drink more efficiently and for longer. <\/p>\n In the article the parting shot was: \u201cThe research could even be used to develop a \u2018James Bond\u2019 drug someday, which would enable a spy to drink his opponent under the table, without getting drunk himself.\u201d <\/em> Mo\u00ebt Ice Imp\u00e9rial, a refreshing take on summer style<\/strong><\/p>\n Our love affair (?) with Mo\u00ebt has been documented over the years but this we thought was worth page space. Launched in 2012 but only drifting onto our dusty radar last week we just had to share.<\/p>\n We like Champagne. We like the bubbles, the flavours, nuances, elegance and, damn it, the decadence of a glass for breakfast on a Tuesday. But there exist certain expectations (see previous sentence) and Champagne as a concept\/brand\/drink doesn\u2019t really need to play around with its image to gain mass appeal. It doesn\u2019t have to try and emulate cider, for example.<\/p>\n Enter Mo\u00ebt Ice Imp\u00e9rial. From their 2012 press release we glean: <\/p>\n The world\u2019s first-ever champagne specifically created to be enjoyed on ice, Mo\u00ebt Ice Imp\u00e9rial is a refreshing take on summer style. \u201cMo\u00ebt Ice Imp\u00e9rial is a radically new way to drink champagne, and with a single sip, whisks you away to its warm and sunny world,\u201d said Arnaud de Saignes, International Director of Marketing and Communications for Mo\u00ebt & Chandon.<\/em><\/p>\n Poetic licence, fine. But Champagne on ice \u2013 bit Magners, luv. It comes in a white bottle and in one of the photos is served with a slice of lime too. Sol, anyone? Oh and it\u2019s sweet too \u2013 45g\/litre of sugar, or sweeter than Liebfraumilch if you wish. Think of a dry Asti Spumante and you\u2019ll be close.<\/p>\n But we haven\u2019t tasted it, it could be awesome, it retails for about \u00a360+ and perhaps the last words are best left to Arnaud de Saignes:<\/p>\n “Whether enjoyed on ice by the beach with friends or experienced online, Mo\u00ebt Ice Imp\u00e9rial is itself a luxurious destination.”<\/em><\/p>\n We admit to being not the most savvy when it comes to new media, but can someone explain how you can enjoy a drink online \u2013 or in fact can anyone explain what the hell he is talking about? Luxurious destination, I ask you….<\/p>\n Why you should come to Wine School and why you shouldn\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n As you may have read before we are doing our wine course once more after the summer has sizzled, starting on 17th September and drifting through until 22nd October. <\/p>\n That\u2019s right, those Wednesday evenings that form the midweek watershed can now be filled with purpose. You\u2019ve been good on Monday and Tuesday, gone to the gym and played tennis but by Wednesday the prospect of a glass of wine has greater appeal. How about justifying it as educational? We\u2019ll taste about 60 wines over the 6 weeks from all over the world and from an array of varieties. We\u2019ll taste white, red, rose, sweet, fizz and even corked wine, should this take your fancy! We\u2019ll talk about food matching, wine lists, sommeliers and anything else you want to ask us questions about. We have even been known to give Champions League updates.<\/p>\n So really now the question is: why shouldn\u2019t you? Frankly I cannot think of one good reason, even Wayne\u2019s jokes have an endearingly comforting quality, reminiscent of an old cardigan…<\/p>\n So sign up today – \u00a3150 per person and a solution to the \u2018what shall I do on Wednesday\u2019 crisis!<\/p>\n Why you should vote for us in the Time & Leisure Food & Drink Awards 2014.<\/strong><\/p>\n Because it would mean the world to us, we would be really grateful if you could and Waitrose don\u2019t deserve it.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.timeandleisure.co.uk\/food-and-drink-awards\/2279-best-wine-retailer.html<\/p>\n Wine & Cheese evening – Thursday 4th September at 8pm.<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re taking a break from tastings in August but very early September sees us back on track, matching wine to cheese and continuing our quest for the perfect match. If you don\u2019t want to miss out on that eureka! moment then book your place today. \u00a320 per person<\/strong> and a fun evening out. Places as ever are limited, first come, first served seems to be a well established rule so let\u2019s stick with that. 020 8944 5224<\/strong> or shop@parkvintners.co.uk should attract our attention!<\/p>\n What shall we drink this weekend<\/strong> There will be red open too but I have to be honest here, I think we\u2019ll decide on that one once the weather has decided which way it\u2019s going to break.<\/p>\n An email filled with wine talk and no mention of sport \u2013 don\u2019t tell Alex.<\/p>\n I\u2019m off to git me a mutant worm and a bottle of hooch!<\/p>\n Bon weekend!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fellow Wine Lovers, In the realm of the \u2018drinks and drinking\u2019 media it feels like some of the grown-ups have gone on holiday and the student interns are running amok. Certainly we have found two items this week that I\u2019m sure wouldn\u2019t make front pages around budget time or Christmas. So, first up and a […]<\/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-439","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\/439","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=439"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439\/revisions\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI won\u2019t bore you too much with the science (why let facts ruin a good story) but Professor Jon Pierce-Shimomura from the University of Texas\u2019 College of Natural Sciences and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research<\/em> has apparently done something clever involving the words potassium, modified and cell membranes. The worm in question is made insensitive to alcohol (that\u2019s the mutant bit) while still able to carry out its usual functions operating heavy machinery and driving a cab. <\/p>\n
\nOnly in Texas….<\/p>\n
\nShaping up to be hot and thunderous apparently, so I\u2019m recommending wine.
\nVery exciting news for us this week was that one of our wines finally broke ranks and hit the big time, getting some airtime on the Food and Drink programme. Maias Branco 2013 – \u00a311.39<\/strong> is the wine, the estate being situated at the foot of Portugal\u2019s largest mountain range, Serra da Estrela. Fleshy, almost golden delicious apple fruit and a lovely balanced finish, we think it\u2019s fab and so do the celeb chefs now.
\nYou can see for yourself here, fast-forward to 12 minutes 45 seconds and you\u2019ll see what I mean. And just for this weekend, if you do watch the clip you can have the wine for the price she suggests it costs!<\/p>\n