Hi Winos

It’s July and that means it must be summer. Today has been one of the hottest days of the year and the weekend forecast looks promising… and what goes better with the sun that Riesling, Rose and wines from the Loire! More luck than judgement from me but what the heck… enjoy the sun and the wine!

New post

The second Grape Debate took place at the West London Wine School last week and the subject was Riesling; a brilliant event with lots of learning, laughing and dodgy tactics ensued…

http://confessionsofawinegeek.com/2014/06/29/the-grape-debate-riesling/

 

#newwinethisweek

The first rose of the year comes from Spain; it’s time to get to know Rosado!

http://confessionsofawinegeek.com/2014/06/30/newwinethisweek-week-26-rosado-spain/

 

Monthly wine writing challenge

It’s been a while since I entered the online monthly wine writing challenge but this month’s topic of “Values” got me interested. There are 17 articles this month – have a read and vote for me… I mean vote for the best one!

http://thedrunkencyclist.com/2014/07/01/mwwc10-time-to-vote/

 

Supermarket wine

Waitrose are promoting their Loire Valley wines (offers end 15^th July) so what better way to enjoy the July sunshine. I wrote this article on Loire wine earlier this year if you need some inspiration:

http://confessionsofawinegeek.com/2014/03/28/spring-into-the-loire/

 

La Mariniere Muscadet 2013, Muscadet (Waitrose £5.39 was £6.39)

Muscadet will be cool again – so refreshing and a perfect with seafood.

 

Champteloup Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Touraine (Waitrose £6.69 was £8.99)

Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire without the price tag of Sancerre and POuilly Fume – crisp citrus fruit with a delicate grassy edge.

 

Domaine du Vieux Vauvert 2013, Vouvray (Waitrose £7.99 was £8.99)

Chenin Blanc is made in so many different styles – this one is dry with apple crispness and just a touch of honey – I love Chenin.

 

Croix de Chaintres Saumur-Champigny 2012 (Waitrose £9.59 was £11.99)

Don’t forget the reds! This 100% Cabernet Franc is bursting with red fruit and has the classic Cab Franc herbaceous note – try it chilled, a lovely way to kick off your weekend.

 

And if you’re in Sainsbury’s make sure you pick up a bottle of their Taste The Difference Priorat – you don’t get much Priorat under £20 never mind under £10 – here’s what I wrote about it in article last year:

Taste The Difference Priorat 2009, Spain (Sainsbury’s £8.50 was £11.00)

This is fab. Blackberries, black currants and a touch of damson jam, but there’s also a fabulous savoury edge and an earthy minerality. Refreshing acidity, nicely judged oak and balanced powdery tannin. This is still a young wine but so what, it tastes really good right now.

 

Wine in the news

We start with sad, sad news as hail hits Burgundy again, potentially destroying the livelihood of many winemakers:

http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/06/hail-crushes-hopes-for-bumper-burgundy-vintage

 

11 signs you might be turning into a wine snob:

http://www.thesavory.com/drink/11-signs-you-might-be-turning-wine-snob.html

 

Are we being conned by restaurant wine lists?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27998052

 

Sarah Ahmed picks 20 great Aussie wines from The Wine Society

http://thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/australia/twenty-great-australian-wines-wine-society

 

Tasting Dom Perignon:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/dining/tasting-dom-perignon-from-various-decades.html?_r=0

 

7 of the best places in the world to drink wine:

http://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/2013/11/21/7-of-the-best-places-in-the-world-to-drink-wine/

 

Light relief

Some very good (and some very bad) one-liners this week:

Why do men find it difficult to make eye contact? Breasts don’t have eyes.

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

How do you get a sweet 80-year-old lady to say the F word?

Get another sweet little 80-year-old lady to yell *BINGO*!

As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools.

What did one ocean say to the other ocean? Nothing, they just waved.

A day without sunshine is like, night.

A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don’t need it.

What is faster Hot or cold? Hot, because you can catch a cold.

Love may be blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

I say no to alcohol, it just doesn’t listen.

If you can’t convince them, confuse them.

Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? A stick.

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Time is what keeps things from happening all at once.

If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

I just let my mind wander, and it didn’t come back.

I can handle pain until it hurts.

A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist.

Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

The boring stuff

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Cheers & enjoy

 

Wine Geek

 

http://confessionsofawinegeek.com

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@winegeekconfess