An article celebrating 15 years of Red magazine in the latest issue looks at changes in society, technology, fashion and culture among other things during that time. And as someone who loves a celebrity - a friend of mine lovingly refers to me as her favourite star f*cker, such is my appetite for entertaining tales about famous people - for me, the change in celebrity culture is the opposite of exciting. In 1998, celebrities were proper. We're talking Madonna, Naomi and the Spice Girls (stay with me). In fact, in that same year Woody Allen made a film called Celebrity starring Winona, Charlize and Leo. No surnames required when you are that famous. But the explosion of reality TV shows has led to numerous 'celebrities' (yes, I'm doing air quotes) and it just doesn't mean what it used to. God, I sound old. On a positive note, Johnny was spotted in our local restaurant at the weekend. No surname required.
Current white in the fridge: Tesco Finest Picpoul de Pinet 2011, £6 on offer, Tesco
If the weather is pissing you off, I can fix the problem, albeit temporarily. Pour a glass of this - Spring-like, with cheek-suckingly-fresh citrus fruit brought to you from sunny vineyards in Southern France - and lie in a hot bath reading my friend Rachael's book, Sealed With A Kiss. I'm half way through (the book, not the bottle) and loving it. You will be transported, to France by the wine or the West Coast of Scotland by the book. Your choice. And on the wine, if you are stuck in a Great Wine Rut (as discussed in this post on Mama UK's site) then the Picpoul grape is just the wine to get you out of it.
Current red in the rack: Heredad del Rey Reservada Yecla 2010, £8.99, Waitrose
Talking of wine ruts, if you are stuck in a Rioja one - and there are worse places to be stuck, let's be honest - and fancy trying something different then this juicy red is a good start. Same country, different grapes: this is made from the Monastrell grape (also known as Mourvedre in France) with a dash of Syrah too. Like the wines of Rioja, the wine does have some oak flavours from time spent ageing in barrels, giving it a slight hint of vanilla and spice. But, overall this one from the Yecla region in South Eastern Spain is lighter, brighter and (I think) better suited to Spring. Now we just need the weather to match.
Cheers, dears xLabels: 2010, 2011, France, Monastrell, Picpoul, Red Magazine, red wine, Spain, Tesco, Waitrose, white wine, Yecla