This could well be one of the most expensive bottles of wine I have drunk. I bought half a dozen Rousseaux from the Wine Society for nearly £300 which compared to my average bottle price of £5 to £10, was a breathtaking purchase decision.
As one aperture in my life opens, another closes. Having recently discovered a long lost Godmother, today I learnt that my Godfather (unrelated) has passed away.
Virgin is a brand I associate with innocence, inexperience and ineptitude. Only joking. It’s more about customer service, keen price and reasonable quality. Except for Virgin Rail of course. Those of you to have had the misfortune of travelling from Manchester to London on the Virgin service have my sympathy.
I was thinking of writing a thoughtful and considered post tonight but I am starting to slip into Gary Lineker mode already.
McCLAREN OUT!  McCLAREN OUT! I’ve been completely consistent on this. Even after five 3-0 wins on the trot (to weak opposition) I still opined that Steve McClaren should resign with (not much) dignity.
The first mistake was made by the FA in the early Sven days when McClaren was appointed assistant with the openly stated aim that he was being groomed for next England manager, the only visible qualification being that he was English. Then, when Sven was deposed, the FA, in their infinite wisdom, approached “Fil” Scolari and only when he turned the FA down did they grovel to McClaren and pretend it was his job all along.
Oh, how we now long for the Sven-Goran Eriksson days. He was accused of being the “quarter final” man. I’d rather have a “quarter final” man than one who can’t even qualify from possibly the easiest European group imaginable. The last time England failed to qualify for a major tournament was when Graham “Turnip Head” Taylor failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
To be honest, although I am bitterly disappointed that England have not qualified for Europe, one has to look for silver linings at desperate times like these. The most obvious of which would be to hear of Steve McClaren’s immediate resignation, and if he doesn’t resign by midnight then the FA will lose 1% credibility for every minute after midnight tonight that they don’t sack him. So they lose my support at 0140h on 22 November 2007 in such circumstance.
In the interim, please appoint Terry Venables as a temporary manager while we wait for someone worthwhile to become available (Martin O’Neill?, despite not being English). El Tel will at least be capable of winning a few friendlies, and who knows, maybe one day Sven will throw his hat back into the ring???!!!
Talking of Sven that brings me to Man City and in the photo below I wonder if Georgios Samaras will ever play another game for my glorious team. While I ponder, I sip away at Château de Cor Bugeaud 2005 to see if that will lift my spirits.
Less than a week after its release (or some might say escape) the fuss about the poor quality of Beaujolais Nouveau this year is already rife. So, always keen to avoid the inanely topical, I thought I might take the opportunity to delve into the past.
Anyone got an update on Diego Maradona? Regular readers know that I hate the Argies with a passion normally reserved for mindless football thugs. However, when it comes to wine I try to make allowances, and it just so happens that my thuggery dissipates faster than the bubbles in a bottle of cava, once an open bottle of Argentinean wine is placed on the table.
I love the Faldeos Nevados Malbec, so I really should have tried the Bonarda from the same producer earlier than this. Bonarda, is not, although it sounds so, the name of an Italian porn star, but an indigenous grape of the cheating football nation. Albeit not the cheating football nation that brought you the Mano de Dios, it originated in Italy! Enough of the football insults, what was the wine like?
I’ve got tennis elbow. Or rather, I’ve got the super-modern equivalent: Wii wrist. If you look at availability in the shops, and prices on Ebay, it seems that Nintendo are doing rather well compared to the overpriced, under specified and arrogantly marketed Sony Playstation 3.
The Olympic Games are coming to London in 2012. Like most Olympic preparations there are rumours of delays, accusations of bribery and corruption, confirmation of massive cost increases, and public doubts that anything will be ready on time.
This is all entirely normal in the run up to any Olympics. However, unlike other recent hosts, we have contrived to produce the most astonishingly inept logo, and at £400,000, it looks about as cheap as a Northern Rock mortgage.
Rapsani from Tsantali Winery claims to be “The wine of the Gods of Olympos” but I take this with a pinch of salt since, elsewhere on the bottle the label breaks out into a nasty bout of francophilia, claiming the wine to be “Appellation d’Origine de Qualité Supérieure”.
I was once served Salice Salentino at the Flying Pizza “from zee heel of Italy’s boot, signor”. I loved it, and later discovered the heel was, in fact, Puglia. Since then I have looked out for wines from the area and spotted Pillastro Primitivo 2002 at STWC for less than a tenner. Robert Parker awarded this wine 88 points apparently. I don’t award points as (a) I am no expert; (b) wine is too subjective and personal; and (c) I can’t be arsed.
This Pillastro at 13.5% was full bodied and displayed red cherries, nutmeg and some leather. Quite a serious wine for only slightly more than the cost of a Blair family holiday. Drinking this wine is a bit like eating a rich fruitcake but I’ve already made one reference to Tony Blair so perhaps I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
I’ve been a bit healthier than usual recently. Walking up mountains in Switzerland; exercising on my cross trainer at home; eating lots of fresh fruit; cutting down on fried food; and even eating Bran Flakes.
I used to think that Bran Flakes were disgusting but, like a lot of things in life, you grow into them as you get older. Olives, oysters, snails, mustard and Armagnac were all off my list until at least my thirties but now I love them, (not sure I will ever pick up a taste for anchovies though).
You may recall the last time I tried a Zinfandel, it was awful.
So I wonder if Zin is one of the things I will grow into after a number of tastings?
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