Fellow Wine Lovers,<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a different world out there Wayne and I\u2019m not sure I understand it.<\/p>\n
Lately, we\u2019ve been travelling up west at least once a week to tantalise our taste buds with wines of, sometimes dubious, distinction. We\u2019ve been mingling with pencil-tie-sporting sommeliers, with dangerously cool people who own wine shops in North London, with voluptuously bearded East End pop-up bar public school boys, and also with people from the West Country.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a cocktail of diversity and it has sometimes left us bewildered by the world outside our SW19 cocoon.<\/p>\n
It all started as we left the tube and walked around the corner into what smelt like an invisible sweet shop. Oh no, it was just someone vaping.<\/p>\n
What?<\/p>\n
When was the decision made that huddling under awnings, sucking on what resembles a cross between a pimped biro and a Dr Who prop, that then expels \u2018smoke\u2019 that smells of candy floss, was the perfect replacement for smoking? You\u2019re grown-ups \u2013 either smoke or don\u2019t smoke – don\u2019t make the Marlboro Man spin in his grave any faster.<\/p>\n
The wine tastings themselves were less weird and actually quite interesting in places \u2013 there will be wines arriving over time, as fruits of our labours.\u00a0\u00a0 The observation we would have is that within the wine trade and perhaps elsewhere, there is such a thing as \u2018venue fashion\u2019.\u00a0 Years ago Excel was all the rage.\u00a0 Olympia seems to slip in and out of favour.\u00a0 Currently, clubs on Pall Mall, One George Street, Lindley Hall and Tobacco Docks seem to be venues of choice \u2013 each of these hosting more than one event, to the extent that we started to feel like regulars.\u00a0 Venue fashion, who knew.<\/p>\n
And then, returning on the train we would settle down with the local freesheet and read stories that would once more bewilder…<\/p>\n
We read about proposals to stop swearing in the Army.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry but isn\u2019t swearing and army in the same box as pope\/catholic and bears\/wood.\u00a0\u00a0 Apparently, thank G**, \u2018the Ministry of Defence insists it isn’t about to ban swearing in the British army completely\u2019 (BBC NEWSBEAT 23\/02\/16).<\/em><\/p>\n To put it into perspective, The Ministry of Defence, was referring to the use of abusive and insulting language towards new recruits. Bullying is bad.\u00a0 There are plenty of examples of when things have gone too far in all walks of life.\u00a0 Swearing is not nice but we do think the playground mantra \u2018sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me\u2019 could be applied here.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the Army – there is a distinct likelihood that there are far more dangerous and scary things just around the corner, and we don\u2019t mean people vaping.<\/p>\n Other selected headlines that caught our eye:<\/p>\n Donald Trump cements frontrunner status after big win in Nevada (The Guardian)<\/em> \u2013 oh my…<\/p>\n New Zealand to make its first Prosecco<\/em> (The Drinks Business) <\/em>\u2013 why?<\/p>\n Cameron ‘put on a proper suit’ jibe at Corbyn at PMQs (BBC)<\/em> \u2013 really, sartorial advice in the Commons?<\/p>\n Woman launches \u00a34.2m legal bid against gastropub after tripping over rope outside venue (The Daily Mirror) \u2013 <\/em>no comment…<\/p>\n Kylie Jenner is ready to retire’: Kylie on being tired of materialism and her Instagram persona (The Daily Telegraph)<\/em> – yep, we had to google her but we kind of know what Instagram is… having consulted the kids<\/p>\n fuddy-duddy <\/em>\u02c8<\/em>f<\/em>\u028c<\/em>d<\/em>\u026a<\/em>d<\/em>\u028c<\/em>di\/noun informal: a person who is very old-fashioned and pompous<\/em><\/p>\n curmudgeon k<\/em>\u0259\u02d0\u02c8<\/em>m<\/em>\u028c<\/em>d<\/em>\u0292<\/em>(<\/em>\u0259<\/em>)n\/noun: a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person<\/em><\/p>\n Meanwhile back in SW19…<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Life is far less bewildering for which we are thankful. We buy wine, we sell wine and we make sure the fridges are stocked up.\u00a0 This week we have taken delivery of a few new wines, three from a well established South African producer Uitkyk<\/strong>, a couple of cases of Chateau Beau Site 2005<\/strong> from St Estephe, a couple of cases of Christophe Vaudoisey Volnay 2012<\/strong> and a box of JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling 2011<\/strong>.\u00a0 All wines that we will more than happily drink ourselves unless you fancy some!<\/p>\n There\u2019s rugby splashed all over this weekend, kicking off tonight with a thrashing in Cardiff and then a mauling in Rome and a pasting in Twickenham tomorrow afternoon. As we mentioned before, we are offering Sambrook\u2019s Battersea Rye (2.79), Park Brewery Killcat Pale (2.59) and Rocky Head Session (2.50) <\/strong>on a 6 for 5<\/strong> deal.\u00a0 It\u2019s also mixable so hopefully there\u2019s something for everyone there.<\/p>\n However, should beer not be your thing then we will have some wines open to taste. Looking through our files we were shocked to discover that we haven\u2019t put Wairau River Pinot Gris 2014 (14.99)<\/strong>, on the tasting counter since early 2013.\u00a0 That all changes now \u2013 this is the wine we regularly recommend with spicy, asian food but also as a delicious aperitif.\u00a0 As for red, we will be opening Chateau Montfaucon 2012 Cotes du Rhone (13.99)<\/strong>, a wine that we used to sell when we had a shop in Clapham and have only just recently managed to get hold of again.\u00a0 Wayne\u2019s recent note says \u2018nice dark spiced fruits, minerals, long finish, pleasantly warm like a baby Chateauneuf du Pape\u2019<\/em>.\u00a0 Come and see if you agree.<\/p>\n That\u2019s it from us, we\u2019re off to buy some skinny jeans and some Banoffee Pie e-liquid for our e-cigs \u2013 don\u2019t worry we\u2019ll post it all on instagram later…<\/p>\n MTFBWU<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fellow Wine Lovers, It\u2019s a different world out there Wayne and I\u2019m not sure I understand it. Lately, we\u2019ve been travelling up west at least once a week to tantalise our taste buds with wines of, sometimes dubious, distinction. We\u2019ve been mingling with pencil-tie-sporting sommeliers, with dangerously cool people who own wine shops in North […]<\/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-698","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\/698","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=698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":699,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions\/699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}