Too much perspective?

I was talking to a friend last week about how the loss of someone you love puts everything in perspective. We were driving along a forest road, the snow blanket still tucked neatly over the landscape. The silence that followed our pondering was loaded. Up until the point when she said: “a bit like that guy in Spinal Tap.” Me: huh? Her: “Nige. Or is it David? You know…too much f*cking perspective.”

Laugh? I nearly died.

This week’s sparkling on the side: Michel Gonet Champagne Brut NV, £18/bottle, Tesco Wine Club
Madame de Pompadour said that Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it. I beg to differ. It gives me red cheeks and makes me slightly burpy. That aside, this is a brilliant Champagne from a producer not many have heard of. Get past the functional label and you’ll find a wine with spark, flavour, complexity and depth made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Jancis Robinson (my heroine) wrote about it in the FT a few weeks ago. Get some before it runs out. We did and I accidentally on purpose opened a bottle whilst decorating the tree.

This week’s red on the side: Brewery Hill Shiraz 2008, £8.99, Naked Wines
This is one wine from a mixed case that I bought from Naked Wines. Being in the trade nosey, I knew something about this newish online wine company and liked what they were doing. I went to the website to look around but didn’t buy. Then I got an email asking if I would like to buy a case from them and only pay duty and delivery costs. It sounded too good to be true but the wines have been lovely so far (four of them devoured in one night with friends). This one is a brute made by a winery based in the McLaren Vale, Australia. Big flavours. I like. Definitely worth a look. 

*my mother sometimes reads this, so can’t swear.