I had always thought that loss and emotional pain would lead me to drink: a medicinal cure without a prescription, effective in dulling the heartache and fading the reality of the days that lie ahead. But, in the recent grief I have faced, drink has not cured my ailments in fact I’ve recoiled at the thought of sinking an extra glass in fear of loosing grip on my control. What it has done is made me realise my emotional attachment to wine. To me it embodies happy times, memorable occasions, a journey of discovery with friends, family and work mates. It’s for this reason that I’ve not posted for a while, wine simply has not been in my glass but as the cloud starts to lift and the darkness fades I am grateful that the happy season is what greets me on the other side and if recent events have taught me one thing it’s that there’s truth in the old saying “life is too short to drink bad wine.”
[In song] On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me an expensive bottle of bubbly…
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Sometimes only Champagne will do: when celebrating a big occasion like an engagement or wedding or as the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve. Billecart Salmon’s Vintage 2004 Champagne* is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, 20% of which was vinified in oak, and is the bottle for just such an occasion.
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Right now it is tasting crisp and fresh but with a nod towards its ageing potential in a tasty lemon biscuit sort of way. I’d be inclined to get a bottle now and drink it next year because I prefer my Champagne with a bit more age. But at this stage in its youth I’d say this vintage is just what you need to waken your palate at zero hundred and keep dancing into the wee hours!
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* Available from Berry Bros & Rudd, Hedonism Wines, Harrods and champagnedirect.co.uk, RRP £65.00
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My Nana is 95 and she loves a drink, years of routine has her body clock set for a tipple at 6pm every day. She has varied her favourites over the years, sherry, rum and coke, brandy on ice, but as far as aperitifs go she’s never enjoyed sparkling wine. It’s just too bubbly.
I know what she means, gulping down a glass of liquid and gas can make you, well… burpy, and that’s not very ladylike. So I was interested to hear about a new trend in France to decant Champagne which calms the sometimes aggressive bubbles. ………
I had my hair done the other day. Colour, trim, blow dry, the lot. I walked around swooping my do in a way that’s only possible in the 24 hours after walking out of the salon. I saw a lot of people in that time. My old flat mates, my colleagues at work, the regular people that are always on my bus and of course Mr B.
It’s more than just the extra swoop a freshly done do gives, it’s an extra little spring in your step and maybe the odd ‘did he just wink at me?’ blush. I felt all of these things the other day, that was until two days later when Mr B cocked his head, looked at me and asked ‘have you done something with your hair?’ No one had noticed my bouncy new bob. Suddenly it wasn’t just my hair that felt deflated. ………
Mr Bouquet and I are hosting a New Years Eve party. It’s like second nature these days, it’ll be the third one I’ve held in the last four years… If it wasn’t for the fact we make a seriously mean punch I’d wonder if our guests send their RSVP in anticipation of us opening some of the good stuff. Au contraire mes amies, it’s a house party, there’ll be wide spread memory loss before midnight so what’s the point? And the clear up the next morning is made much less painful at the sight of that bottle of Bollinger still intact on the wine rack. Trust me.
New Years day is typically greeted with a headache, a blur of take-aways, recycling bags and forfeits ………
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