Hi Winos

Another week crossed off, another week closer to Christmas; it’ll be time to start thinking about what you’ll be drinking before you know it (do you like that catchy little ditty??). Anyway, this week’s #newwinethisweek features one of my Christmas selections from last year’s feast; a big favourite of many, Rioja. As well as that there are some cracking supermarket deals, a couple of new events and all of the usual nonsense, so plenty to get you through your fabulous weekend!

#newwinethisweek

Many people’s go-to wine, but how many of you know what’s in the bottle and how it’s been aged… it’s time to learn a bit more about Rioja:

http://confessionsofawinegeek.com/2014/10/06/newwinethisweek-week-40-rioja-tinto-spain/

 

Supermarket wine

This week there are some nice offers at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose; some nice fizzy deals, a few big-hitting reds and a couple of new world whites:

Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV Champagne (Tesco £24.74 was £32.99)

Castillo San Lorenzo Gran Reserva 2007, Rioja (Tesco £9.99 was £15.99)

Finest White Burgundy 2012 (Tesco £7.99 was £9.99)

Lanson Black Label Brut Champagne NV (Sainsbury’s £20.00 was £34.00)

Taste the Difference Ribera Del Duero 2011 (Sainsbury’s £7.50 was £9.00)

Taste the Difference Chilean Chardonnay 2012 (Sainsbury’s £6.50 was £8.00)

First Press Chardonnay 2012, Napa Valley (Waitrose £13.49 was £16.99)

Jean-Luc Colombo Crozes-Hermitage 2012 (Waitrose £10.49 was £13.99)

Yalumba Organics Shiraz 2013, South Australia (Waitrose £7.49 was £9.99)

Carrara Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2009, Tuscany (Morrisons £9.49 was £10.99)

Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Marlborough (Morrisons £6.59 was £9.99)

Wine in the news

Bordeaux concern about a grape-rotting fly:

http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/587609/concerns-rise-as-grape-rotting-fly-found-in-bordeaux-vineyards

Are the discounters disruptive?

http://www.harpers.co.uk/news/discounters-are-most-disruptive-force-in-retailing-in-20-years-say-grocery-and-drinks-chiefs/372373.article

The 8-step hangover guide… I’ll try it out this weekend!

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/best-wine-hangover-recovery-guide-ever-work-days/

More controversy heading Bordeaux’s way!

http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/10/bordeaux-s-crus-bourgeois-say-oui-to-a-new-classification

 

Wine events

Thursday 13^th November, 7PM to 9PM

Bordeaux walkabout tasting – £40

Roberson, 348 Kensington Hight Street, London W14 8NS

More than 40 great wines will be open from quality producers including Gruaud-Larose, Pichon-Baron, Grand-Puy-Lacoste and many more. You can work your way around at your own pace, dipping in and out, or take them in order and compare the wines of the different sub-regions such as Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Experts from some of the châteaux themselves will be on-hand to answer questions.

http://www.robersonwine.com/store-and-tastings/bordeaux-the-walkabout-tasting-164

 

Monday 17^th November, 7PM to 9PM

Guigal Château d’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie Vertical 1995-2009 – £95

West London Wine School, The Wine Cellars, Big Yellow Storage, 71 Townmead Road, Fulham, SW6 2ST

Domaine Guigal is the most famous producer of Cote Rotie in the Rhone valley. Guigal also produces great wines from a myriad of appellations in the Rhone valley including; Chateauneuf du Pape, Hermitage and Cote Rotie. The benchmark for quality in the appellation is set by Guigal Cote Rotie wines. Vintages on Tasting: 1995, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009.

http://www.westlondonwineschool.com/product_info.php?id=476

 

Light relief

A newlywed couple moves into their new house. One day the husband comes home from work and his wife says, “Honey, you know, in the upstairs bathroom one of the pipes is leaking, could you fix it?” The husband says, “What do I look like, Mr. Plumber?” A few days go by, and he comes home from work and his wife says, “Honey, the car won’t start. I think it needs a new battery. Could you change it for me?” He says: “What do I look like, Mr. Goodwrench?” Another few days go by, and it’s raining pretty hard. The wife finds a leak in the roof. She says, “Honey, there’s a leak on the roof! Can you please fix it?” He says, “What do I look like, Bob Vila?” The next day the husband comes home, and the roof is fixed. So is the plumbing. So is the car. He asks his wife what happened. “Oh, I had a handyman come in and fix them,” she says. “Great! How much is that going to cost me?” he snarls. Wife says: “Nothing. He said he’d do it for free if I either baked him a cake or slept with him.” “Uh, well, what kind of cake did you make?” asks the husband. “What do I look like,” she says, “Betty Crocker?”

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!”

Three guys, stranded on a desert island, find a magic lantern containing a genie, who grants them each one wish. The first guy wishes he was off the island and back home. The second guy wishes the

A guy has a talking dog. He brings it to a talent scout. “This dog can speak English,” he claims to the unimpressed agent. “Okay, Sport,” the guys says to the dog, “what’s on the top of a house?” “Roof!” the dog replies. “Oh, come on…” the talent agent responds. “All dogs go ‘roof’.” “No, wait,” the guy says. He asks the dog “what does sandpaper feel like?” “Rough!” the dog answers. The talent agent gives a condescending blank stare. He is losing his patience. “No, hang on,” the guy says. “This one will amaze you. ” He turns and asks the dog: “Who, in your opinion, was the greatest baseball player of all time?” “Ruth!” goes the dog. And the talent scout, having seen enough, boots them out of his office onto the street. And the dog turns to the guy and says “Maybe I shoulda said DiMaggio?”

Three kids come down to the kitchen and sit around the breakfast table. The mother asks the oldest boy what he’d like to eat. “I’ll have some fuckin’ French toast,” he says. The mother is outraged at his language, hits him, and sends him upstairs. She asks the middle child what he wants. “Well, I guess that leaves more fuckin’ French toast for me,” he says. She is livid, smacks him, and sends him away. Finally she asks the youngest son what he wants for breakfast. “I don’t know,” he says meekly, “but I definitely don’t want the fuckin’ French toast.”

A guy is sitting at home when he hears a knock at the door. He opens the door and sees a snail on the porch. He picks up the snail and throws it as far as he can. Three years later, there’s a knock on the door. He opens it and sees the same snail. The snail says “What the hell was that all about?”

A guy meets a hooker in a bar. She says, “This is your lucky night. I’ve got a special game for you. I’ll do absolutely anything you want for $300, as long as you can say it in three words.” The guy replies, “Hey, why not?” He pull his wallet out of his pocket, and one at a time lays three hundred-dollar bills on the bar, and says, slowly: “Paint…my…house.”

 

The boring stuff

Please let me know if you would rather not receive this excellent weekly email and I will take you off the list.

Remember you can register on the site to receive email as soon as new articles are published.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the newsletter and blog then please forward this email or drop me a mail with his or her email and I will gladly add to the list.

If there is anything you would like me to write about please drop me a mail and I will do my best to oblige.

 

Cheers and have a great weekend!

Wine Geek

 

confessionsofawinegeek.com

wine@confessionsofawinegeek.com

@winegeekconfess