Do you prefer penguins or skateboarders? Personally I am a penguin man, although this caused a bit of controversy when I reviewed Hawksmoor. I did, though, fall in love with the beef. But, having revelled in Hawksmoor’s meat, I felt obliged to sample what most London foodies consider to be the competition in the steak stakes, Goodman.
I’ve been a W man for so long that people are starting to call me George Bush. So, when will you believe my double dip recession prediction? You might have to admit defeat at the end of Q1 2011, if GDP growth is negative for the second quarter. But I must admit that even I thought that interest rates would have to start rising before we took the second dive. If all it took was a VAT increase, then we are potentially heading for more of a “plummet”, than a “dip”. All of which leads me to continue looking for best value wine.
And that sometimes means belief in your future health by investing in en primeur wines.
If you are looking for a cheap and cheerful Malbec, you could do a lot worse than try this specimen from Naked wines.
Imagine a bowl of fresh cherries and vanilla ice cream. Not as dark and devious as many Malbecs but tasty and good with or without food. Seems like incredible value at £7.99 (less a mysterious discount of x%*) which probably means you are paying little more than a fiver.
* x = 1/y+3σ (no I can’t work out Naked prices either).
I must be honest and say that I don’t buy much wine from Virgin. However, I have a legacy account which costs me £20 per month that I will probably never cancel and here is why.
Close your eyes and go and do your wine shopping at your favourite retailer (I like The Wine Society, Majestic, Naked Wines, BBR and a few others including independent shops both bricks and clicks). A few months later, simply remember that you have been paying some dosh to Virgin and go and look at your account.
I just did this and discovered that I had £300! This comprised £220 of my money plus £80 that Virgin had kindly added as part of their Wine Bank programme.
Next, click on the Champagne pages and you will find very reasonably priced branded champagne. The prices even compare favourably with the supermarkets and that is before you account for the implicit 25% discount from the Wine Bank “interest”.
I selected a 12 bottle mix of Mumm, Taittinger, Roederer and my personal favourite brand, Perrier-Jouet. They are arguably not going to set the world on fire but it makes quite a pleasant drink at about £18 per bottle and will impress your friends no end.
For friends you are not so keen on, maybe you should stock up with Freixenet.
Much has been written about the Magpie. It is the doyenne of Fish ‘n’ Chip restaurants. Well, if you are from London. But what if you live in Yorkshire? What if you are well versed in high quality chippies with tablecloths. Does the Magpie stack up to the best Yorkshire can offer?
Amy has been kind enough to allow me to taste a couple of samples from La Gramière in the past, and I loved them, but this is the first time I have actually bought a bottle. Mind you, at £16.99 from Naked Wines, it better be good!
A free day in Vienna and a hatful of recommendations for lunch, many of which were either closed or impossible to find. My iPhone had given up on data so my life-raft (Google maps) was not the usual powerful tool in my weaponry. Relying on analogue techniques from ancient history: Metro maps, street plans and gut feel, I stumbled across a very posh place next to the KK Hofburg Theater.
A plastic cork. Oh my GOD! Hugo Mesquitah (@mesquitah) will kill me if he knows I even looked at this bottle, never mind drank the wine.
This came from Naked Wines at a pretty expensive £9.49. But, then again, there is such a super-complex array of discounts that the real price could be anywhere between £3.50 and £750.
The wine is typical Mabec and tastes of dark chocolate and cherry liqueur (probably Thornton’s) and has a velvety texture. Very nice and possibly even worth a tenner. A bit lighter than most Malbecs and a refreshing 13.5% ABV.
I recommend drinking young (as it is plastic corked), trying to avoid the “face” price, and following WART advice to drink at circa 16°C. Snap some up quick though. Before you know it, Gaucho Grills will be serving this at £56 per bottle.
Beaujolais 2009 is reputed by Wine Society marketing materials as even better than 2003 and 2005. Since I really enjoyed wines from both those vintages, I was prepared to fork out £150 for a case of some of the finer ones, like this Fleurie. Normally tasting of Bazooka Joe and about as serious as a school playground, wines from this most charming of villages are great summer barbecue and salad wines.
But this year, there is more headmaster than pupil in the wines. No hint of bubblegum in Trenel, but a lovely zingy tartness tasting of ever so slightly unripe strawberries and tinned pineapple. My other selections were from Moulin à Vent and Morgon. I expect them to be even more serious and maybe long lasting, not least based on their more expensive price tag.
From the Wine Society at £9.95
I’ve just placed my first order with Naked Wines. Is this news? Not really, I suppose, but the strange thing is the reason why. Naked has persistently pestered me, offered free samples, discounts and special offers and I have resisted for over a year.
I attended EWBC 2010 and witnessed something very interesting. Naked founder, Rowan Gormley, (fortunately wearing clothes in front of several hundred people) standing side by side with Willi Klinger of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, a top guy by any standard, running a mass taste-off between 11 Austrian Wines.
Stumble It!
