I stopped commuting into 'The Great Wen' (William Cobbett c1820) nearly three years ago and don't miss it, generally. There are, however, a few disadvantages of not visiting on a regular basis one of the world's best capital cities, such as losing contact with some of the few old colleagues who also genuinely qualified as friends, and perhaps more relevant to this context, the greatly reduced opportunity to browse the shelves of a wide range of smaller, dedicated wine merchants.
Thus it is once again to Tesco that I have turned to select:
I have nothing against supermarkets, although I do prefer to do my shopping in the excellent Wigginton Community Shop, it's just that the range of wines available tends to be somewhat predictable and for my purposes, being continued exploration, they can be somewhat limiting. The majority of wine sales in UK are made by supermarkets and that makes sense as it is where most people buy their groceries, but I suggest that it serves to reinforce buying habits and price expectations. If you see a bottle of wine made from a recognisable grape variety, described on the label as '...rich opulent plum and blackberry flavours, rounded off with a hint of cocoa and vanilla.' that is on sale (undiscounted) for £7, why wouldn't you? (see later)
Call me old fashioned, but there is something very pleasing about entering a specialist wine merchant's shop and strolling past the racks of bottles ranging from those available in supermarkets to those I could never justify the expense of buying, as I had the pleasure to do last week in the exceptional Topsham Wines. I enjoy having to think what the information on the label means not, I hope, in a wine snobby way, but in a way that encourages engagement with the product in some slightly deeper way than being attracted by a well-presented logo. Please don't tell me this has anything to do with 'mindfulness' or any such over-promoted guff.
The biggest and most convenient alternative to supermarkets is of course the internet. Either through direct sales, wine clubs or larger merchants. I am a member of the Wine Society and have great respect for them, but buying on-line seems a bit cold somehow. It also makes the volume of my purchases much more obvious when boxes are delivered to the front door, rather than being brought out of the boot of the car under the cover of night. The One has never even raised an eyebrow, so it must be some deep-rooted guilt connected to my own self-loathing, but enough of that. I have visited the Society's showroom in Stevenage and enjoyed that and also once went to the sadly defunct shop they had in Montreuil until 2016, on a particularly wet weekend, but that takes a bit of effort. So supermarkets are likely to remain my most frequently used sources. Ho Hum.
What of this week's wine? I do like to try less expensive (under £10?) wines from time-to-time just in case there is bargain hiding in plain sight. This isn't one. It is worth the £7 I paid for it, but only just. There is nothing wrong with it. It is very fruity, in that it tastes like undiluted Ribena, is at least off-dry if not sweeter, has little discernable acidity or alcohol, despite it being 13% abv, but some tannin that is revealed if you chew the wine before swallowing. Some people will enjoy this and consider it to hit the spot, but for me the sweetness and concentrated mouthfeel are too much.
On the plus side it claims on the label to be 100% carbon neutral. I don't know what the measure for this accreditation would be, but imagine the fact that it was lovingly bottled in Avonmouth must help. Whoops! That sounded a bit snotty. Given that mankind will almost certainly be eradicated within the next few generations due to our mismanagement of the global environment, I apologise for that. Not only is there nothing wrong with bulk wine transportation, it alongside alternative packaging, should be encouraged. Trouble is, that line of thought makes me feel I should try only to consume local produce and whilst English wine is improving all the time it would limit my exploration even more than shopping in supermarkets. Oh, hell. Now what to do?
In the meantime: buy again? No.
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