Actually, gone fishing, crabbing, shell-seeking, rock-pooling, sand-in-sandwiches picnicking and all that.
We'll send you a virtual postcard, but can't promise to post it before we get home.
In the meantime, here's what I've just packed in the food box:
Current white in the fridge: Maurel Vedeau Sauvignon Blanc/Grenache, £4.74, Tesco.com
Uncomplicated Southern French blend of two grapes, the aromatic Sauvignon Blanc and the slightly faceless Grenache but the former makes the latter look good. Easy peachy fruit with a twist of lemon, this is a great starter for under two for £10. Hope you get my David Nicholls' film reference there. One Day comes out soon, I just hope the film as as good as the hype.
Current red on the side: Fairtrade Tilimuqu Cabernet/Bonarda, £6.99, Waitrose
Picked this up in Waitrose last week. Another blend and again, as above, the former grape (Cabernet) makes the latter (Bonarda) look good. Lovely bramble fruit with a tickle of spice on the finish, this is a gorgeous red that usually brings a Shepherd's Pie to life. Made from grapes grown in the La Riojana region in Argentina, this is Fairtrade and organic and delicious.
Happy holidays x
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Thursday, 11 August 2011
The Riot Act
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
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
Monday, 8 August 2011
Amy, Amy, Amy...
I had Amy Winehouse songs on repeat for much of the weekend, after reading a very thoughtful article about her in the Saturday papers (which I can't link to, bloody paywall). Listening to that brilliant voice, it is hard to comprehend that she ended her life in such a fragile state. Better to remember her like this:
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Would you buy wine from this woman?
I've been blogging away for the last few years, recommending a couple of wines every week, whatever I happen to be drinking that I think you might like too. I'm now wondering whether you might want to buy wine from the site. You tell me what you want and I'll source it exclusively for the KMWC. Tried and tested for the tired and tested, if you like. If so, would you want to buy the odd bottle or stock up on fridge-door whites and on-the-side reds by the case, delivered to home? If you do have a view, please let me know, either here or by email. By way of thanks for your time and trouble I'll put names in a hat and send a case of wine to whoever's name my children pick out.
Current white in the fridge: Domaine Naudet 2009 Sancerre, £12.99, Waitrose
I rarely spend quite this much on a bottle of wine, unless I am in a restaurant obviously. Even then, I'll ask about the provenance of the house wine before venturing further down the list. Anyway, this thirteen-pounder was bought by a friend who came over for dinner last week. I think she might have panic-bought in Waitrose, thinking if I get it from the wooden racks, it has got to be good. And indeed it is. I'm just sorry I didn't open it when she was here. No really, I am. Made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape and grown in the Sancerre region in France, this is elegant, uptight but so lime-fruit intense it is worth it. I drank this with nothing but music for company. It sang.
Current red on the side: Gran Fabrica 2001, £5 currently at half price, Tesco
Just to bang on for a bit, if you spend £4 on a bottle if wine, more than half of that £4 goes to pay duty and tax. Once you've added packaging, shipping and a retail mark-up into the mix, there's not much left to pay for the stuff you are actually drinking. If, however, you spend £5 on a bottle of wine, you are spending the same amount on duty, tax, shipping and packaging (roughly) so you get much better value for money on what you're putting in your glass. Go to £10 and you're laughing. Some half price wine deals don't deliver on the promise but this one does. And in Tempranillo-laden spades. More brooding than Marlon on that motorbike. This one does need food, something spicy and/or meaty.
Chin chin x
Current white in the fridge: Domaine Naudet 2009 Sancerre, £12.99, Waitrose
I rarely spend quite this much on a bottle of wine, unless I am in a restaurant obviously. Even then, I'll ask about the provenance of the house wine before venturing further down the list. Anyway, this thirteen-pounder was bought by a friend who came over for dinner last week. I think she might have panic-bought in Waitrose, thinking if I get it from the wooden racks, it has got to be good. And indeed it is. I'm just sorry I didn't open it when she was here. No really, I am. Made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape and grown in the Sancerre region in France, this is elegant, uptight but so lime-fruit intense it is worth it. I drank this with nothing but music for company. It sang.
Current red on the side: Gran Fabrica 2001, £5 currently at half price, Tesco
Just to bang on for a bit, if you spend £4 on a bottle if wine, more than half of that £4 goes to pay duty and tax. Once you've added packaging, shipping and a retail mark-up into the mix, there's not much left to pay for the stuff you are actually drinking. If, however, you spend £5 on a bottle of wine, you are spending the same amount on duty, tax, shipping and packaging (roughly) so you get much better value for money on what you're putting in your glass. Go to £10 and you're laughing. Some half price wine deals don't deliver on the promise but this one does. And in Tempranillo-laden spades. More brooding than Marlon on that motorbike. This one does need food, something spicy and/or meaty.
Chin chin x
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