Watching the news this week has been shocking, depressing, awful. People's lives and livelihoods have been wrecked. It felt just a little bit wrong but I was glued to the TV, distracted only by twitter. Last night found me bingeing on opinion pieces, with a Newsnight chaser. Tonight there is a Question Time Special. Cue more jaw-jaw. I know I don't understand what drove people to do what they did, but children are not born bad. Not sure where I'm going with this. I'll stop and do wine instead.
Current white on the side: La Leyenda Chardonnay/Torrontes 2010, currently 2 for £10, Tesco
This is a blend of two grapes, the gets-everywhere Chardonnay and the doesn't-get-out-much Torrontes grape. On its own, Torrontes is very floral. Like a floral maxi-dress (why? why?) on its own it is possibly too much. Put it with Chardonnay and it is the vinous equivalent of adding a denim jacket. Much better. There's a note of jasmine and honey and it tastes of tropical fruit. Gorgeous with a chicken and crispy bacon salad that I didn't make.
Current red on the side: Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet 2008, £6.96 on offer, Waitrose
Lordy, Penfolds was one of the first wines I remember trying, back in the 1980's when I was in my early teens. Then, New World wines were exactly that. New. Now they are positively old (corked) hat. The Australians were the first to 'do' wine marketing. They put the grape variety on a usually colourful front label and sold us a brand, that being sunshine in a glass. Looking at the Penfolds label in front of me now, it has the feel of a classic. An old skool New World wine, if you like. It is still delicious: squashed blackberries with a sprinkling of brown sugar. Seconds please.
Peace out x Labels: 2008, 2010, Argentina, Australia, cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, red wine, Shiraz, Tesco, Torrontes, Waitrose, white wine