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English Mum’s Christmas Wine List (according to Knackered Mother) 2012

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Christmas wine (image via Sunsetlily on Flickr)

I’m so lucky to have fabulous friends. I know, I know, lots of people have friends, but not too many people have friends who are wine experts. I know, right? Still, it comes with its downsides - she makes me spend hundreds on wine y’know.

It’s been a busy year for the gorgeous Helen, who was not only voted Blogger of the Year at the International Wine & Spirit Competition, but HAS A BOOK OUT THIS YEAR! The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club: Everything you ever needed to know about wine - and much, much more. And if that’s not enough she also won Red Magazine’s Hot Women Award in the blogger category. PHEW!

Luckily for me, she is vey vey lovely, and has decided that she’s still not too famous to write her lovely annual Christmas wine guide for English Mum.

Over the last few years, I’ve written about the ideal wines to go with traditional Christmas feasts for my mate, the very fabulous English Mum. We’ve done the classic route - Champagne, Chablis, Claret and Port. And we’ve done the not-so-classic route – Prosecco, Maconnais, New Zealand Pinot Noir and Sauternes. Then last year, we did more of a food-and-wine-matching thing. All useful stuff, hopefully. But what we haven’t done is How Wine Can Save Your Life. In other words, what wines you can buy as perfect last-minute presents that make you look like a) you know what you are talking about and b) show you really care…

The Husband
So, you could go for classic Bordeaux, but this in fact gives the game away. You’ve thrown money at it in the hope that you’ll blind him with expensive wine. There’s a better way: Rhone red. Something from the Rhone, made with the Syrah grape, delivers power and knowledge and love in a glass. Now that’s a present. Go for Hermitage (about £20), or for a slightly cheaper option, Crozes-Hermitage (about £10).

The Mother-in-Law
This is where a bottle of Bailey’s isn’t going to cut it. (Quick fact: I know the man whose dad invented Bailey’s. Imagine that! What a legacy). No, Bailey’s will betray the fact that you really didn’t know what else to buy them. What you need here is sparkles, possibly pink. So, either a bottle of Rose Champagne or – more fun but similar in price, about £20 – a bottle of Prosecco and a bottle of Campari. Then you can bond over Dirty Prosecco (just add a splash of Campari to a glass of Prosecco and marvel at the colour and taste).

The Favourite Auntie
My sister – known to my children as Auntie Alex, obviously – is, according to them, the funniest person they know. And she’ll be even funnier after a few lugs on what is quite possibly the most delicious sloe gin I’ve tasted this year: Sipsmith’s Sloe Gin (£23, Waitrose). Not only does it taste quite delicious, it is also beautifully packaged. Says I love you like no other gin can.

So, hope that helps and here’s wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

KM x

You can find Helen’s blog, Knackered Mothers” Wine Club, just here

In which I taste Asda’s Christmas wine selection (not all at once) *hic*

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I am loving Asda’s Extra Special range again this year. Last year, if you remember, I travelled to Leith’s to see (and taste) a little of the Extra Special Christmas range they’d developed in association with Asda, and this year, they sent me a few of their wines to try. I don’t have an Asda near me, sadly, but I’ll be having a drive to stock up. Here are my top picks:

Chardonnay La Maison Elyse £7.17 - don’t be put off because it says Chardonnay - hey, it’s what makes Champagne, remember? This isn’t oaky AT ALL and is deliciously creamy. I ate it with salmon and pasta so I reckon it would be a winner with your smoked salmon starter.

Asda Extra Special Falanghina 2011 £5.00 - I cannot believe this wine is only a fiver… peachy, fruity and rich but still crisp, I LOVED it. I’ve never had Falanghina before but will be seeking it out. We had it with halloumi, rocket and pancetta wraps, but I it would be a delightful party wine, to be sipped with friends and nibbles. Yum scrum.

Asda Extra Special Pinot Grigio 2011 £5.00 - I don’t usually buy Pinot, but we both thought this was delicious, so I’m kind of changing my mind now - light, crisp and appley, but not so acidic that you can’t drink it on its own. Which I did. All of it.

Asda Extra Special Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 £5.00 - gorgeously fruity, full of ripe berries and - I’m not very good at this, but - chocolate? Raspberries? Whatever, it’s delicious and if you come across it, stuff your trolley. You’ll thank me.

Wine Selection Cava Rosado £3.78 – A beautifully soft, crisp and fruity rosé sparkler that’s bursting with lovely strawberry flavours – perfect for all festive celebrations and SUCH a bargain! I’ll be drinking this on Christmas morning and I’m not even sorry.

Thank you to the lovely team at Asda for sending me the wines. I love you all xx

My Florida diary, part 4: How do you poo in space? The Kennedy Space Center, The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel and dinner at Kouzzina

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After a restful night at the gorgeous retro Helmsley, we set off early towards the east and the Space Coast. Arriving a little late, we had to nip in the back at our scheduled lunch with an astronaut. If you’re visiting, don’t miss this amazing experience. To be accurate, it’s not like an intimate lunch, it’s more a big, full restaurant, one person talking at the front kind of lunch. Still, this suited us fine and we were happy to listen to the amazing Bob Springer, veteran of both Space Shuttle Atlantis and Space Shuttle Discovery and and all round good guy. There aren’t many times you hear ‘and this is a photo of earth I took out the window of the shuttle…’ We shared the lunch with an enormous party of Chinese school children. They were very well behaved, but of course Bob had to field the ubiquitous ‘how do you poo in space?’ question, which he fielded bravely, and with pictures (if you really want to know it’s all done with suction. And leg straps). We were all impressed.

The Apollo/Saturn 5 Center is also AWESOME. The films are humbling and actually quite emotional, plus you get to sit in a galleried area and watch as an entire countdown to launch is re-enacted in an actual mission control centre. We also got to visit the huge launch area complete with the biggest single storey building in the world, a hangar so huge that looking at the ceiling nearly makes you fall over backwards. Our gorgeous guide, the incredibly knowledgeable Andrea Farmer, PR for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex let us into a secret too: Atlantis is going to be permanently exhibited at Kennedy, the planned date being summer 2013. I’m SO going back. Check out kennedyspacecenter.com or follow them on Twitter @ExplorespaceKSC.

Our home for the night was the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, my favourite, I think, of all our Florida accommodation. The rooms were beautiful, and the actual hotel (well, hotels, there’s Swan and there’s obviously Dolphin) feels slick and classy, but is child-friendly too. Quite a feat. There are bars and restaurants galore, a white sandy beach, stunning waterfalls and lush gardens. In the evening, we wandered along Disney’s Boardwalk (one of my favourite places) to Kouzzina by Cat Cora, a frankly fabulous Greek restaurant. The food was ridiculously good: we started with amazing dips: tzatziki, a spicy aubergine dip, taramasalata and hitipiti (red pepper and feta) served with delicious warm breads, followed by gorgeous melty Kasseri, a sheep’s milk cheese flamed so it’s lusciously gooey, served with toasted ciabatta. Our mains were a tasting trio of braised short rib with feta mashed potato, lamb slider and a fisherman’s stew, and we finished off with an oozy chocolate centred budino cake, baklava and outstanding sorbets. The wines were stunning too, and we staggered out just in time to watch the fireworks over the water before waddling back to the Swan, replete.

For more information, check out the Visit Florida Facebook page.

I travelled to Florida with Visit Florida and Virgin Holidays. If you’d like to recreate my trip, here’s some information about a very similar seven nights in Orlando from £949

Seven nights in Orlando with Virgin Holidays, including scheduled flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick or Manchester direct to Orlando, two nights accommodation at the 5V Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, two nights accommodation at the 3V+ Sunset Vista Beachfront Suites, two nights at the 5V Longboat Key Club & Resort and one night at the 5V Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotel, all on a room only basis with car hire included starts from £949. Prices are per person based on two adults travelling and sharing a standard room, price includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Prices are based on departures 12 – 14 Nov 2012.

Start your holiday before you’ve even taken off in the v-room at Gatwick Airport or Manchester Airport; Adults £20, Kids £12

Virgin Holidays is a member of ABTA and is ATOL protected

To book: www.virginholidays.co.uk, 0844 557 3859 or visit one of their 90 stores located in Debenhams and House of Fraser stores nationwide

 

Union Jack cakeage and English wine tasting - a pretty fabulous Jubilee weekend

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So what a wonderful Diamond Jubilee it was, then. We didn’t do very much until the Tuesday when we had my big bro and his family round for some yummy food, wine and a mahoosive cake (see above) but we watched the festivities on the telly and moaned about the rain: very British.

Last night saw us finally visiting the lovely Neil Irvine at No 2 Pound Street in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Neil and his partners all have a background in wine/hospitality and this lovely wine shop is always worth a trip if you’re in the Home Counties (or even if you’re not, frankly!). The shop prides itself in stocking unusual, quirky and interesting wines, and also boast a fine array of fabulous British foods too. Their cheese selection is wondrous and shortly due for expansion and the cured meats are fabulous. More of this later. Neil has been promising me a little English wine tasting evening for a while and we went along to visit him and check out his pick of the best that England has to offer. We weren’t disappointed.

What we love about No 2 is not only that it is a gorgeous wine shop and deli, but it’s a lovely meeting place too. While we were there several people popped in for a glass of wine (the wines by the glass are eclectic and brilliantly chosen) and a chat - they’re open until 11pm Monday to Thursday and midnight on Saturday!

On to the wines, then. I took the liberty of photographing the labels for you in case you’d like to give them a go. I took basic notes on each one - they’re a mixture of what we thought and what Neil suggested we might pick up during the tastings. Neil made us laugh when he said that up until quite recently, English wine traditionally had a kind of ‘beardy, corduroy, dandelion, elderflower’ kind of reputation, but now that’s changing, especially with our sparkling wine which is now beating Champagnes and winning serious awards.

Up first was Denbies’ Flint Valley (Non Vintage) £9.60, which was acidic, crisp and fresh, and with just 11% abv was nice and light too. A fabulous start.

A quick note on English wine pricing here as well: we’re never going to compete with your four quid a bottle types in Asda - what with minimum wage and small yields - think of English wine as you would an artisan-produced food product and you won’t go wrong. We found some fabulous wines and felt that they were all worth the money.

Next, we tried two types of wine made from Bacchus grapes:

The very delicate Welcombe Hills Bacchus 2010 £15.50: I thought I could smell elderflower and grass, and Neil suggested maybe blackcurrant as well. Delicious.

Cornwall’s Camel Valley Bacchus Dry 2011 £17.00 - richer (from being grown in Cornwall’s lovely microclimate) and almost exotic fruit tasting. Very dry. We were divided on these two, with exactly half of us liking the Welcombe Hills, and the other half lovely the more viscous Camel Valley.

Next we tried Stopham Estate Pinot Blanc 2010 £14.70: I LOVED this wine. There was a lot less acidity than the Bacchus wines (the appropriate term is ‘fleshier’ apparently!) - it’s much softer tasting. Again we were divided with some liking the more acidic Bacchus varieties, but I loved it. Easy drinking.

We took a quick break for some of No 2’s amazing food. We chose a cheese and meat platter and feasted on fennel salami from Monmouthshire, Shropshire black ham, air dried spiced beef, wild venison and cracked green peppercorn salami, Lincolnshire Poacher cheese (lush!), some gorgeously orange Shropshire Blue, some very strong and pongy but delicious Nuns of Caen, make in Herefordshire, and some delicious Bells Bloomin’ White (I hope I got that name right) which was creamy and rich with mould on the outside.

We then tasted a bit of a secret project. Element 20 £16.50 (calcium is the 20th element in the periodic table) is made from grapes grown by Denbies - 80% Chardonnay, 20% Bacchus. It’s fermented in oak barrels and tasted lovely with our platter of English cheese and charcuterie. You won’t find this in many places but it’s worth seeking out.

Onto the rosé now, with another wine from Welcombe Hills, this time their 2010 Rosé £13.20. This wine is England in a glass: I could really taste lush strawberries, cut grass and sunshine - it’s like a day at Wimbledon! Delicious. The Gusbourne Pinot Noir 20101 £16.50 was our last favourite - a very light red, it didn’t really stand up to our strong cheeses, but Neil assured us that it’s a lovely drinking wine.

And now a red. Again from Welcombe Hills, the Pinot Noir Precoce 2011 £16.00 (literally ‘precocious’) was a far deeper red. It tasted riper and really fruity and a lot softer too. Fleurie lovers would adore this. We loved it.

And finally, we started on the English fizz! We started with a bang by cracking open the very popular Camel Valley Brut 2010 £31.00 from Cornwall. This was a HUGE hit with us. This wonderful bottle of Cornish sunshine has delicious fruity flavours and is elegant and gorgeous - it’s lighter than champagne I think - a bit like Prosecco, and it’s been beating the likes of Bollinger in recent awards. Seek it out!

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée £29.00 from West Sussex is blended from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes and has just rebranded away from a classic Champagne-like look to a more English, quirky label. It has delicious, creamy bubbles and traditional Champagne elements of toasty, biscuity flavours. Lovely.

And last but not least, Gusbourne Estate Blanc de Blancs £29.00 is obviously Neil’s fave (you should have seen him pouring this with a massive grin on his face). In Champagne terms, Blanc de Blancs would be the most elegant, classic wine, and this doesn’t disappoint. A fabulous celebration fizz with a price tag competitive with the Champagnes it beats off with a big stick!

And finally, hiccuping somewhat, we hit the shop. What did we buy? Well, a lot of the Welcombe Hills wine: the 2010 Rosé, the Pinot Noir Precoce 2011 and the Bacchus 2010 white and also that delicious Stopham Estate Pinot Blanc. And we’ll be back. Oh yes, we’ll be back to hear more of Neil waxing lyrical about his beloved wines, and to share a glass (or four!) with him again very soon.

Massive thanks to Neil and all the staff at No 2 Pound Street for taking the time and making the effort to treat us to such a wonderful evening. And to my big bro and his wife for joining us.

 

 

 

 

Tenerife part 3: it’s all about the food: mojo, papas arugadas and flan

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The afternoon we arrived at Bodegas Monje was utterly stunning. The sky was a shimmering turquoise and the rows of vines glowed emerald green, rolling down towards the sea. What a gorgeous place.

First up was a tour of the winery (meaning that we had to head into the gloom of the cellar… boooo.) Still, I learned absolutely loads about wine making (the winery produce a stunning range of wines, mostly exported to the USA).

Next, it was upstairs to the rather beautiful cookery school, to get a crash course in Canarian cooking and test some of those stunning wines as well:

First on our menu was that Canarian staple (and my Disreputable Dad’s absolute favourite): papas arugadas (meaning literally ‘wrinkled potatoes’). We had a bit of a laugh when we discovered that the type of spud used is ‘Quinegua’ - pronounce it in a Spanish accent and you’ll see exactly how it got its name: King Edward!

.

We watched as the small potatoes were barely covered with boiling water and an eye watering amount of sea salt was added (at least two handfuls, but don’t worry, the potatoes will only absorb as much as they need - we tested this theory). The potatoes were then covered and boiled for about 20 minutes, depending on size. When tender, they were then drained and returned to the heat where they were tossed and shaken until all the remaining water was gone and they took on their traditional wrinkly, dusty appearance. Delicious.

Next we moved on to the sauces. Traditionally, red mojo sauce is served with meat and green with fish. We were on the green team (the green can be coriander, but is just as often parsley or a mixture of the two) and set to work. Mojo is traditionally made entirely by hand in a pestle and mortar and takes LOADS of elbow grease. I bet there aren’t many flabby upper arms to be seen on the island, what with all that pounding!

For Green Mojo

6 cloves garlic

1 tsp sea salt

1 green pepper, deseeded and finely diced

One small (and very hot) green chilli

1/2 bunch fresh coriander (or parsley)

2 tsp cider vinegar

2 wine glasses of olive oil

First, crush the garlic with the salt, then slowly add in the green pepper, pounding until it’s all completely pulped. Now add a tiny piece of the green chilli (to taste, but if they’re as hot as the ones on Tenerife, a teeny tiny square is all you need), then add in the coriander and keep pounding. When everything is completely pulped, add in the vinegar ad the oil.

We added a handful of crushed almonds and sultanas, which adds a little sweetness and thickens the sauce, but this is optional, as is an avocadeo, which adds a lovely creaminess.

For Red Mojo

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

1 red chilli (again, as much as you like, but a small piece if they’re the very hot fiery ones)

1 slice toasted bread

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 wine glasses olive oil

1 tsp sweet paprika

Again with the red, the garlic is pounded with the salt before the other ingredients are added one by one, making sure they’re completely broken down before the next ingredient is added. The toasted bread works as the thickener in the red mojo. Both were absolutely delicious. We ate the red mojo with some pulled pork and those gorgeous potatoes.

We also had a demonstration of how the locals eat Gofio, the baked corn flour from the mill we visited in La Orotava. The Gofio is mixed with ground raisins and almonds, milk, a splash of water and local honey. It’s worked into a firm dough and that’s it. It’s eaten sliced with goats’ cheese, and maybe even some mojo sauce. We were divided on the gofio but I thought it was really lovely.

I adored the food on Tenerife: the seafood was delicious and very fresh (the ‘wreckfish’ was delicious, but I’m struggling to find out whether this is just local to Tenerife, or if it’s called by another name elsewhere), and obviously we ate an enormous amount of flan (I suppose we would say creme caramel), delicious custardy slabs, sometimes served with the dark caramel sauce, or sometimes with other little drizzly sauces, but often just plain.

Muy delicioso!

If you’d like to see more foodie photos from my trip, check out my Facebook page.

Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide to Easter

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So my lovely gorgeous friend Helen, wine expert, International Wine Challenge judge, writer of Knackered Mother’s Wine Club and all-round wine smarty pants, is used to my incessant pestering for guest posts on wine. Happily, she’s lifted the restraining order just enough to accept a request for a no-holds-barred guide to Easter wine, even how to match wine with the dreaded chocky egg. Over to you, lovely Hells:

Now that Spring has definitely sprung and Easter Sunday is in sight, there’s been a shift in what I look forward to in my glass at the end of the day. There are a few more aromatic, ‘floral’ whites such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling rather than the winter-warming oaked Chardonnays and higher-than-average-alcohol Viogniers making it into the fridge. The deep, intense Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon- dominated red wines are moving over for lighter, fruitier Gamay, Sangiovese or Pinot Noir style wines. Given the unpredictability of our weather I’ll keep some of those winter warmers in the wine rack, just in case. But, with fingers firmly crossed, here are some wines that should put a spring in your step and just happen to go a dream with traditional Easter fodder:

Fizz-tastic!

The shops are chock-full of sparkling wine deals at Easter time so you really can take your pick of the bargains. Of course, you can go for a cheaper Prosecco but it really is worth spending a bit more on something that gets its bubbles from being fermented in the bottle a second time. If you like a lean, elegant style of Champagne – think Kate Moss pre-Pete Doherty– go for a Blanc de Blancs. That means it is only made from Chardonnay grapes. If you like your Champagne with more flesh and curves on show – think Elizabeth Hurley in THAT dress – go for a Blanc de Noirs. This means it is only made from the permitted red grapes, Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier. If you can’t choose between the two, go for a blend of all three grapes but make it a Premier Cru (meaning made from grapes grown in slightly higher-rated vineyards than your average Champers): Tesco do a brilliant one in their Finest range.

Red Wines ♥ Lamb

Assuming you’ve got a huge leg of lamb stuffed full of garlic and rosemary in the oven, you’ll need a red to go with it. You can try a white, but the fat (from the lamb) and the acidity (from the white) will fight and both will taste the worse for it. However, give the lamb a juicy red with some lovely supple tannins and everything will taste as it should. Both Cabernet Sauvignon and the lovely, if slightly slutty, Tempranillo grape from Spain – what Rioja is made of – are great matches for lamb. If you are doing a lighter take on lamb, going easy on the garlic & herbs, then a New World Pinot Noir will also make a great match. Try one from New Zealand or Chile (the latter being slightly cheaper).

Wine & Chocolate

I know lots of people who swear by red wine and chocolate being a heavenly match. I’m not one of them. Years ago, when working as a wine buyer for a big supermarket I developed a range of wines to go with particular foods. One of the wines on the list had to go with chocolate so, hard as it was, I tasted about 50 different wines with a variety of puddings including chocolate. Almost none of the combinations worked. Tannins, found in red wines, are not bessie mates with chocolate. The best match is either a light Moscato-style fizz or a lovely thick sweet wine like Banyuls from France.

Happy Easter x

A Curiously clever combination: butternut squash risotto and NZ wines

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Grub's up!

I love butternut squash. I love its sweetness, its softness, and its beautiful orangey colour. I love risotto too, and the combination of both of them is one of my favourite meals. I happened to mention to the lovely Matt, fellow blogger and ‘Wine Evangelist’ (I love that title) at Curious Wines that I was going to knock up a butternut squash risotto and he very kindly offered to send me a couple of wines to taste with it. ‘I can’t taste wine’, was my initial reaction, but with the promise of help and tasting notes, I felt much better. Was I in? Too bloody right I was.

#1’s homecoming from bleeding his Grandparents dry in England seemed a good enough time for a little celebration, so I put the vino on ice and set about making the butternut risotto:

1 butternut squash

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

7 or 8 sage leaves, finely chopped

Butter

1 onion, finely chopped

350g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)

2 litres chicken stock

Parmesan, grated, and some for serving

So preheat the oven to 200/gas 6. Peel and deseed the squash and cut into cubes. Spread the pieces out on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over about half of the finely chopped sage leaves:

Drizzle the chunks with oil and sprinkle with sage

Roast for about 30 mins or until soft and slightly caramelised. You can do this in advance and allow the squash to cool, if you like:

Caramelised roasted sagey butternut squash

For the risotto: allow the stock to come to a simmer in a saucepan, then keep warm on a low heat on the hob:

Chicken stock

Grab a heavy based pan, put it on a low heat and melt a tablespoon of butter. Glug in some olive oil (about 2 tbsp should do it), then gently fry the onion until it’s translucent (try my trick of adding a pinch of caster sugar to stop it browning too quickly). Then add in the rice, stirring around until it’s all glossy.

Add half the squash and the finely chopped sage. Now just keep adding ladlefuls of stock, one at a time, stirring constantly and making sure all the liquid is absorbed before adding another. When all the stock is gone - this might take half an hour or so - the risotto should be nice and creamy, still with a teeny bit of bite to it.

Now add in the rest of the squash and stir in the rest of the sage (the smell is amazing). Turn the heat off, have a quick taste and season generously, then stir in another knob of butter, and a handful of grated parmesan, put the lid on and leave it to sit until you’re ready to serve. Finally, ladle the risotto into warm bowls, topping with some grated parmesan, and serve:

Risotto, and a nice hunk of Parmigiano

Now to the wine. Our first contender was the Waipara Springs Premo Dry Riesling 2006 (€12.99 from Curious Wines), and wow did this baby surprise me. I think the last time I tried Riesling it was some medium German shocker (you can read all about what Curious Wines’ Mike has to say about Riesling here), but this was amazing - so zingy it was almost fizzy on your tongue. We’re no wine buffs, but could actually taste something citrusy, (#1 had a sip and reckoned he could taste grapefruit - and do you know what? It was actually on the tasting notes - he’s far too young to be this good) and the crisp, acidity was a perfect foil for the creamy sweetness of the risotto. Yum.

Onto the next one, then. Next up was the Tussock Pinot Gris 2007 (€14.99 from Curious Wines). You can read Matt’s notes about Pinot Gris here. This was a different kettle of fish. You could see instantly that it was much darker in colour, and for those of you who might find the Waipara Springs a little too sharp, this was much softer and really, really pleasant, although still retaining a crispness that again complemented the risotto perfectly. Try as we might, though, our dodgy palettes couldn’t make out the promised pear/apple notes - but I think that was our fault rather than the wine - and there was a lingering aftertaste that I can’t describe (help, Matt!) but that was absolutely delicious. Although this was lovely with food, we could well imagine polishing this one off whilst tucked up on the sofa in front of Lie to Me.

Sadly, after finishing two bottles of wine between us, I can’t read many of my notes and lost one of the pieces of paper, but the Waipara Springs definitely came in the winner with an impressive score of 16/20. So that’s it, then, my first ever wine tasting. I’d like to thank Mike and Matt for their patience, copious notes, encouragement… and the free wine, oh and for the slightly giggly game of poker that followed. Bless you.

Now whose turn is it to wash up?