I was having problems buying a Christmas present for BH and hit upon the idea of purchasing a box of wine from a popular wine company. It was half price so I realised I was snagging myself a bargain. Most of the bottles were delish, (as you can guess, we've drunk most of them!), and BH was delighted with his gift.
Now we both like a drop of wine, but I gag at the thought of drinking Pinot or Chardonnay. That's not to say I'm a wine snob or even a wine buff, but I know what I like. In the summer BH and I quaff van loads of White Granache (I don't even know how to pronounce it), and thoroughly enjoy our little tipples. I love champagne for special occasions even if there is nothing to celebrate, and will always buy a bottle when I see it on special in the supermarket.
Bart thinks we're both alcoholics, as he sees the bottles stacking up in the recycle bin and is worrying for our livers. Now it's come to the time that I need to order another case at the full price, and I'm not really sure what to order. It probably seems a bit frivolous in this time of economic strife, and I'm not ignoring the fact that I'm getting less for my money, than I did, one year ago. The price of petrol and butter is one of my gauges to how the economy is doing, and the fact that my butter has reached the same price as a litre of petrol, and the fact that very few are complaining now it has reached the £1.30 mark makes me wonder what people are doing to help tighten their belts. Yesterday I had our mechanic come over to have a look at the car for its yearly service. Back in November and January he thought that his phone had gone on the blink, as he'd had no calls. It seems that most people are putting off their regular services basically to try and save money. When I suggested to him that it may be a false economy, he replied "I would do exactly the same myself." What a shocking state of affairs when people have to put off potential problems to save money.
But back to the wine. Depending on whats on offer in the supermarket and where I'm travelling to I generally go for the cheapest wine I like. So, I suppose I am saving money in a weird way. To save even more money I could stop buying it, but the BH would not be too happy as it's his only real vice. So, I'm humming and haaing over which wines to pick. They've selected a mixed box of whites for me, but I'm not too keen on Chilean wine and can get my South African from the actual vineyards whenever I visit SA (I know, lucky me!). I've seen a nice box of Chablis for £69.99 (for six), the only real problem being that I never pay more than £10 for a chablis (cheapskate that I am!), but I do know that they are better than the ones I normally go for.
BH is sometimes given a mixed case from a very nice client and we always enjoy them but forget to note which ones we actually like and the ones that we're not too happy about. I've also found that depending on my mood the taste of the wine differs, and I know that depending on the food eaten, the wine tastes very different.
The year before last I was in South Africa and went on a tour of some the very best vineyards. One of the group was a french lady who knew her wines very well. During our lunch at La Petit Ferme in the Franschhoek region, she introduced me to the french way of drinking red with cheese.She picked a gorgeous Merlot from the winery and a plate of local cheeses with some Gorgonzola and some Stilton. She instructed me to pop a lump of Stilton into my mouth, then take a sip of the red wine and swill it around altogether. It was a divine experience and one I had never done before.
So, what do I choose? I think my minds already made up, although I want the Chablis, I'm not sure that we really need anymore wine. I want it but I don't need it! Think I may pop down the supermarket for just one bottle of something yummy!
Now we both like a drop of wine, but I gag at the thought of drinking Pinot or Chardonnay. That's not to say I'm a wine snob or even a wine buff, but I know what I like. In the summer BH and I quaff van loads of White Granache (I don't even know how to pronounce it), and thoroughly enjoy our little tipples. I love champagne for special occasions even if there is nothing to celebrate, and will always buy a bottle when I see it on special in the supermarket.
Bart thinks we're both alcoholics, as he sees the bottles stacking up in the recycle bin and is worrying for our livers. Now it's come to the time that I need to order another case at the full price, and I'm not really sure what to order. It probably seems a bit frivolous in this time of economic strife, and I'm not ignoring the fact that I'm getting less for my money, than I did, one year ago. The price of petrol and butter is one of my gauges to how the economy is doing, and the fact that my butter has reached the same price as a litre of petrol, and the fact that very few are complaining now it has reached the £1.30 mark makes me wonder what people are doing to help tighten their belts. Yesterday I had our mechanic come over to have a look at the car for its yearly service. Back in November and January he thought that his phone had gone on the blink, as he'd had no calls. It seems that most people are putting off their regular services basically to try and save money. When I suggested to him that it may be a false economy, he replied "I would do exactly the same myself." What a shocking state of affairs when people have to put off potential problems to save money.
But back to the wine. Depending on whats on offer in the supermarket and where I'm travelling to I generally go for the cheapest wine I like. So, I suppose I am saving money in a weird way. To save even more money I could stop buying it, but the BH would not be too happy as it's his only real vice. So, I'm humming and haaing over which wines to pick. They've selected a mixed box of whites for me, but I'm not too keen on Chilean wine and can get my South African from the actual vineyards whenever I visit SA (I know, lucky me!). I've seen a nice box of Chablis for £69.99 (for six), the only real problem being that I never pay more than £10 for a chablis (cheapskate that I am!), but I do know that they are better than the ones I normally go for.
BH is sometimes given a mixed case from a very nice client and we always enjoy them but forget to note which ones we actually like and the ones that we're not too happy about. I've also found that depending on my mood the taste of the wine differs, and I know that depending on the food eaten, the wine tastes very different.
The year before last I was in South Africa and went on a tour of some the very best vineyards. One of the group was a french lady who knew her wines very well. During our lunch at La Petit Ferme in the Franschhoek region, she introduced me to the french way of drinking red with cheese.She picked a gorgeous Merlot from the winery and a plate of local cheeses with some Gorgonzola and some Stilton. She instructed me to pop a lump of Stilton into my mouth, then take a sip of the red wine and swill it around altogether. It was a divine experience and one I had never done before.
So, what do I choose? I think my minds already made up, although I want the Chablis, I'm not sure that we really need anymore wine. I want it but I don't need it! Think I may pop down the supermarket for just one bottle of something yummy!
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