The Demon Drink

Every other week there is an alcohol-related story in the news - mostly the Daily Mail and their obsession with wine and the middle classes - but the last few days have seen a positive binge on bad booze stories. First, a major drinks company got slammed for funding midwives to educate pregnant women about the dangers of drinking alcohol when pregnant. Today there was a report about how the drinking habits of parents affect their children's behaviour with alcohol. Now, I haven't seen my two year old sniffing and spitting a Sauvignon and declaring it 'too grassy' recently, but having read today's report, I am on it like a hawk.

This week's white in the fridge: Villebois Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2010, £9.49, Naked Wines
Definitely not too grassy. The Loire Valley in northern France is famous for producing great Sauvignon Blanc wines - Sancerre is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape - but given the cool climate, some can be cheek-suckingly lean and lemony. Not so this one: it is ripe, fruity but still cool. Very, very summery; the perfect antidote to this shitty weather and match to my pre-supper mood.

This week's red on the side: Tesco Finest Touriga Nacional 2008, £4.75 on offer, Tesco.com
This is made from the Touriga Nacional grape, Portugal's biggest name in terms of red grapes. It is a key component of many Port wines (the fortified stuff that gets blamed for headaches whenever people drink it, forgetting the copious amounts of wine they've usually had beforehand). This one is made by one of Portugal's most famous producers and is rich, dark and loaded with bramble fruit and spice. Delicious with steak, so it was. 

Pip pip x

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