No “trick-or-treat” but this coming Sunday I am intending to open, probably from noon until 5.00 p.m. At least no congestion charge; free parking outside the Shop and it might give an opportunity for some of you busy people to drop by and ask those awkward questions that you never have time for – about wine fridges…building a cellar…cellar lay-out…what you might need thinking ahead for Christmas…
As it is that funny Scottish tradition, now re-packaged gaudily and a half as Halloween I might lay on some hot mince pies or similar and a shot of delicious 1988 Guyana & 1990 Jamaican Rum.
Open from noon until 5.00 p.m.
This coming, Sunday, 31st October.
I don’t believe it, 2010, are you sure – yup, that time of year so we are now looking at Cloudy Bay 2010. It is not one of our top picks but there seem to be die-hard Cloudy Bay buyers amongst you and we have just 8 cases, arriving hopefully tomorrow, or Friday.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon-Blanc 2010 Marlborough, New Zealand at £ 16.95 per Bottle
Silly-season:
Well arriving at the departure point on Sunday night’s X-Factor I was somewhat struck by the coincidence that the three remaining contestants were all black. It doesn’t matter from which of the three hundred and sixty degrees it comes but the mere word racism, or racially prejudice, will bring out anything from feigned indignation to outright ire in almost all. So how did we get here? A numbers game perhaps, coincidence maybe but two of these last three were actually really, really good singers. Usually X-Factor throws up a couple of class acts and the remaining truly sub class (Storm Lee take note) but this year is a high water mark. We should count ourselves lucky: I had lunch on Sunday with the South African winemaker, Adi Badenhorst, and he said South Africa’s equivalent is a horror show from beginning to end. Anyway, so how does Wagner, not the original Dicky Wagner, get through to the next round and these two have to degrade themselves with a sing-off? There has to be a reason but maybe not overtly and it might simply be more as I judge the Eurovision Song Contest – not simply anti British, or rather anti English and anti somebody else sentiment, but merely the same bad taste. If you are from a Balkan Country, chances are you’ll like the same naff twangs of a ukulele etc from your neighbouring Balkan or if you live anywhere near Greece your music would be best blended with plate smashing…? Or was it just a case of what we know better? Whatever, the bottom line is that you have to question Joe Public’s taste. Small beer when it comes to a television programme but positively disturbing when one think of a Referendum or Election. Scary.
Half-term is invariably when us battered parents have to provide the overpriced popcorn and sit in and watch Children’s’ Films. In the case of “Legends of the Guardians” it was beautifully made but pretty turgid stuff story-wise. Okay for 7 or under, not above that. “Despicable Me” however was a real treat. Great for kids, even better for grown-ups. “Africa United” is also worth seeing. A simple tale and pretty easy to guess where it’ll all end but in a word it was charming. Amazing, in amongst all that child soldiers; violence; drugs; AIDS; bribery etc., standard African stereotypes, yet the deft touch of the Director, Debs Gardner-Paterson maintains this as a feel good movie for sure. Long wanted to see “The Boy in Striped Pyjamas” and finally got to it on DVD. Fine sentiment but I just cannot get my head round a range of English character actors, all with different regional accents, especially a lisping David Thewlis, and it just makes for such unconvincing Germans, with or without a conscience.
Well not exactly a pay rise but perhaps a promotion of sorts. When I said last week that the current Public Sector Cull should afflict job descriptions of anything over one or maximum two words, I came in under the bar as a Wine Merchant. Bobby of Guernsey e-mailed back to say I should be promoted to Vintner. So there we have it, safe for now, your new Vintner. If you remain unconvinced, pick-up a copy of Private Eye and almost all of their stinging criticisms are reserved for officials with excessively long job titles.
46% per cent of Oxford’s workforce is employed in the Public Sector. You can only ever have a two-tier system with an equation like that.
Tonight I’ll be having a look at The Sampler; then Harvey Knickers; and then 28-50 just off Fleet Street. Anything as memorable as Bar Boulud’s hamburgers or the Fox & Anchor’s chips, I’ll let you know.
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