Fellow Wine Lovers,<\/p>\n
Nine quintillion, two hundred and twenty-three quadrillion, three hundred and seventy-two trillion, thirty-six billion, eight hundred and fifty-four million, seven hundred and seventy-five thousand, eight hundred and eight – 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a mighty big number and is in no way linked to the fact that it was Wayne\u2019s birthday earlier this week as that would just be a cheap joke.
\nNor is it the scientifically predicted age that Madonna will stop making boobs to attract attention.<\/p>\n
And it isn\u2019t even the odds of Mario Balotelli re-reading and vetting a tweet before he sends it.<\/p>\n
No, it\u2019s a number invented by You Tube as a maximum for viewings of a single clip. They had to do this because a certain clip had exceeded their previous limit and so it had to be re-pegged. Any ideas on the clip in question? Kim Kardashian and her attempt to break the internet? Cats being cute? The naked man climbing through a baler and emerging as a hay bale with arms and legs? No, none of these I\u2019m afraid. It was in fact Gangnam Style. Yep, a song with a strange fetish dance involving galloping. Are we really in a better place now than we were pre-world wide web?<\/p>\n
Gone in 60 Seconds<\/strong> By skilfully remixing cheeky, ambient-techno-rock beat combo, Apollo 440\u2019s well known 1999 #10 hit Stop the Rock, I hope to have come up with a good enough strapline to remind you that you really can\u2019t stop the Block. It may go out of commission for a while as stocks run low and vintages finish but it has its own potent life force that overcomes all adversity and allows it to return harder, better, faster and stronger than before. I am of course referring to the South African legend in its own lunchtime, THE CHOCOLATE BLOCK. (Cue applause)<\/p>\n Now the cheering has subsided I can confirm that we have indeed lassoed ourselves a reasonable chunk of the 2013 vintage. For those of you as yet unversed in this wine, here are a few bullet points:<\/p>\n \u2022 Produced by Boekenhoutskloof which, in their own words, \u2018is the magical little wine farm where we raise the bar (and some of our more conventional neighbour\u2019s eyebrows) when it comes to creating some of the country\u2019s finest wines.\u2019 It won\u2019t all be gone in 60 seconds but it is a popular wine, so don\u2019t be backward in coming forward!<\/p>\n It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/strong> M B Talmard Macon Uchizy 2013, Burgundy, France (\u00a314.99)<\/em> Mentoste Rioja Reserva 2004, Rioja, Spain (\u00a317.49)<\/em> Pauletts Trillians Sparkling Red NV, Clare Valley (\u00a314.49)<\/em> Soave Capitel Tenda Tedeschi 2013, Veneto, Italy (\u00a312.99)<\/em> High School Musical<\/strong> So, solve the problem \u2013 send them to our wine school! After six weeks they will emerge blearily, having tasted about 60 wines and exercised their palate to its extremes. Rush them to the nearest restaurant and they will now confidently order the Gruner Veltiner or the Nebbiolo and know why they\u2019re doing it. Everyone wins.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to know more we have attached details or pop in and have a chat with us and we can show you how it works.<\/p>\n The Old Curiosity Shop<\/strong> What colour\u2019s the King, Alex? The King\u2019s Ginger, Wayne…<\/p>\n Out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fellow Wine Lovers, Nine quintillion, two hundred and twenty-three quadrillion, three hundred and seventy-two trillion, thirty-six billion, eight hundred and fifty-four million, seven hundred and seventy-five thousand, eight hundred and eight – 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. That\u2019s a mighty big number and is in no way linked to the fact that it was Wayne\u2019s birthday earlier this week […]<\/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-529","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\/529","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=529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":530,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529\/revisions\/530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCan’t stop the Block, you can’t stop the Block, Can’t stop the Block, you can’t stop the Block, Can’t stop the Block, you can’t stop the Block, Can’t stop the Block, you can’t stop…<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2022 They are based in Franschhoek, South Africa, a wine travellers dream destination.
\n\u2022 It\u2019s a blend, perhaps not for the faint-hearted, this vintage is 71% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Grenache, 5% Cinsault, 1% Viognier. Wumf!
\n\u2022 Not only does it come in normal bottle size but we also have a limited quantity of magnums should there be requirement to share.
\n\u2022 It\u2019s \u00a323.99 per bottle and \u00a350 for the oh-so-sexy magnum.
\n\u2022 We also offer 6 bottles for \u00a3120, which is the same deal we have done for the last two years and is still set up on the till so we might as well stick with it!
\n\u2022 There is no chocolate in it because that would be just weird.
\n\u2022 And wrong.<\/p>\n
\nAs it\u2019s now December and we are all gearing up for the frenzy of festivities, we like to do our bit to oil the \u2018wheels\u2019 and ensure they are all kept well oiled – so it\u2019s a great excuse for us to open a few more wines over the weekend to help this.
\nSo what are we going to open?<\/p>\n
\nMallory and Benjamin produce just one cuv\u00e9e of Macon each year from their 20 hectares just north of the Macon hills. Richer and riper than many, it has a generous weight, subtle, almost tropical fruit with aromas of melon, ripe pear, lemon oil and almonds and rich, bready character on the palate from extended lees aging and a long fresh, finish with hints of apple. A good all-rounder, from start to finish.<\/p>\n
\nWe first came across this wine in its 2001 incarnation and were smitten. This follow on vintage we loved too. Partly for only making it again in another stonkingly good vintage, but also because it was so delicious again. The plummy, cherry fruits are nicely accented by the wood spicing, and the tannins fruit and acidity are all really well integrated. A glassful of joy!<\/p>\n
\n76% Shiraz, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. Pauletts have been known for producing wines of finesse and elegance since their first vintage in 1983 (Neil had spent 10 odd years at Penfold\u2019s before buying this property) This extraordinary speciality red sparkling wine is a cool climate blend from vines situated on the Trillians Hills in Clare Valley. It is a deep ruby colour with a lively mousse yet the savoury and plum aromas and subtle tannins give a lasting impression of elegance and well balanced restraint.<\/p>\n
\nRicardo Tedeschi is a man who takes his wines very seriously. His vineyards are all on slopes, aiding the ripeness of his grapes. He even leaves a few bunches to be a little overripe – adding them to the main blend improves the texture and complexity, he tells me. Whatever he does, it works for me – this is richer than many, with some orchard fruit notes and a creamy touch of almond alongside the minerality one expects from a decent example.<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019re still struggling to find the perfect gift for your perfect person then perhaps we might be able to help. We\u2019ve all been there with this marvellous person who is witty, engaging, caring and considerate but frankly useless when it comes to the wine list. \u2018I\u2019m sure the house white will be fine\u2019 is a well used mantra but it does somewhat limit the excitement your tastebuds get.<\/p>\n
\nThis Saturday is small business Saturday where small businesses around the country will be doing something special to attract your custom (Alex has even had a haircut!).
\nSo please do shop at your local small shops, you\u2019ll find them welcoming and friendly.
\n
\nDevils Playground<\/strong>
\nLast up, it\u2019s the Wimbledon Park Primary School Christmas shindig on Sunday from 12 until 3pm.
\nAlex will be performing his civic duty and serving mulled wine again but he is also threatening to bring some spirits down with him to sample. So if anyone wants to find out why we\u2019re making such a fuss about our new Amaretto then Sunday might be just the time.<\/p>\n