I have been focusing on wines at mostly the £ 20 mark of late but this is a real everyday offering for a decent Chianti around the 3 10 mark:
Chianti Riserva 20007 Terra Firma at £ 10.95 per Bottle
Classic and traditional Chianti Sangiovese with those dry, almost dusty, herby flavours. Simple.
You couldn’t expect much more at this price but accessible and truly, a “kosher” Chianti for pennies over £ 10.00.
Despite the name, some of you have already asked, nothing to do with Guy Hands.
&
Moric Blaufränkisch Burgenland 2009 Burgenland, Austria at £ 16.00 per Bottle
Blaufränkisch, like a Zinfandel, is a grape that I tread very carefully with. When they get it right however, it is different, engaging, and liable to prove a real treat.
Here is a perfect counterpoint to the dry and traditional Chianti above.
Moric, who incidentally produced the highest ranked (Robert Parker) Austrian red have created a lovely, fresh, vibrant, wonderfully silky textured Blaufränkisch with black cherries predominating.
Whether you want to be adventurous and try something different or stay safe as this in one word is good, this’ll accomplish both.
(Stock in on Friday)
Weekly indulgence:
Hennessy Cognac 150th Anniversary blend, special edition at £ 390.00
Own glass decanter and presentation case.
A one-off Anniversary Bottle. No current listings in the World as far as I can see.
Silly-season:
In a European Union Project they are proposing to commit £ 7,600,000 to a five year study as to “why we feel full when we have eaten?” I feel confident that I could save this project £ 7,500,00 and 4 years and 364 days and suggest, we are full, perhaps because having just eaten we are. After five years, I hazard to guess, no conclusion, or something that took a few mates in a Pub one evening to determine.
Your T.V. License: “Across the B.B.C. the Delivering Quality First workstreams are sizing up their tasks… The working groups are already seeking synergies across divisions, for example the T.V. and Radio teams are considering everything from distribution to production. Jessica Cecil, director of the D.Q.F. Project explains, “we’re considering it in the round. We can look at it as an integrated story for audiences and the B.B.C.” Silly old me, there I was thinking this was merely about a producer; a director; a scriptwriter; a cameraman; and one or two actors.
In London they say you are rarely more than six feet from a rat. Pretty close to the truth I surmise. But by the same token, for any man (or woman) in a given Metropolis you could probably say that you are never more than six feet from an invention by a Scotsman. Think about it. At ground level, tarmac. On any other floor, television, in every damn room these days. Telephone. Are you ever, except in Norfolk, more than six feet from an invention by a canny Scot? I think not. The bagpipes however was not one of their greatest contributions. Hats off to the Jocks.
The remake of “True Grit” alas missed out in the Oscars but I have to say that Jeff Bridges voice was or I am sure will be, a real classic. Made Jimmy Stewart seem as normal as can be. His voice was like he had a mouthful of Bourbon littered with drowning wasps. Masterful but at times you really do need subtitles! On to an actual Oscar winner, “Inside Job”, best Documentary. Most of my customers are City bods so really don’t need to see this as they know what credit default swaps are and who the B.S.D’s are. One screenwriter told me this was shoe-in for an Oscar as it so effectively got people to “hang themselves”. Alas the big hitters like Hank Paulson, Richard Fuld, Ben Bernanke and many other top names simply “declined to be interviewed”. The only major player was the French Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde. Those 3-4 that did hugely embarrass themselves may well have been key Government advisors but were mostly the brittle academic College Professors and not the steely cogs in that great wheel. I think the subject of course was momentous but am not convinced that as an out-and-out documentary this was Oscar class. I’ll see next week “Waste Land” to see if this better deserved last Sunday’s Oscar. It does still amaze me, that if I owned say a £ 1,000,000 House outright, no debt, that I would attempt to borrow some £ 30 to £ 35 Million against that. Would my Bank facilitate a leverage of 30-35 times?!! For anyone who does not waer a pinstripe suit to work, this is a must-see. For those who do, you pretty much know the script already.
Formula mark-ups, as you might already know, really annoy me. Here are a few short-cuts:
B.Y.O. (Bring-your-own) or more accurately, corkage –
My local Indian & Fish ‘n Chips charge £5 but for some more famous local names:
Bibendum - £ 20 (If a dining room can exude plutocracy…)
Le Café Anglais – £ 15 (Again, a sense of Art Deco theatrics about this imposing room)
Chez Bruce - £ 20 (Rarely bettered south of the river)
Sally Clarke’s - £ 10 (Oh so safe)
The Glasshouse - £ 18 (Surely a result?)
Hakkassan - £ 25 (Pure theatre for Euro Trash and anyone who values life style over life)
Hereford Road - £ 15 (Far better in the evenings)
Kitchen W8 - £ 15 (Will be trying this on Sunday week with a Canadian customer…)
The Ledbury - £ 45 (Terrific reputation but not really in the spirit of things mate!)
Locanda Locatelli - £ 25 (Lessens the blow on a Super Tuscan for sure)
Nobu - £ 25 (Does anyone still go there?)
Osteria Basilico - £ 10 (For Trustafarians on a budget)
The Ritz - £ 46 (The best kitsch dining room, not the best dining room but you can always redress the balance after on the roulette wheel in the even more kitsch basement)
Rules - £ 20 – (For a taste of the Empire)
The River Café - £ 30 (If you don’t get mugged on the nearby Peabody Estate, is this the most over-rated?)
St-John - £ 15 (School dinners meets French Butcher)
Wheeler’s – £ 15 (For any Politicians with taste left, this has to be the relative bargain)
Zafferano – £ 30 (With a decent bottle in mind you’ll still save a packet amidst the faux Mafioso)
Tuggy & Henry
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