An Occasional Tipple: Make the best of both worlds with beautiful wine
Out walking with my darling French wife, the enigmatic Madame G, I was suddenly struck by how lucky we were.
Not simply to still feel so happily in love after so many, many years but also to be living here. You see, I was escorting my Madame to her weekly Irish dancing class and to get there we had to pass a most convivial crowd awaiting an Orange parade. For all our troubles, aren’t we blessed to have two such rich and intertwining cultures? Wouldn’t it be great if we could all just get along?
On which note, I've heard some people talking about building bonfires in their back yards on Friday evening. Not too near the oil tank now! Perhaps you're nervously checking the forecasts online and praying for a dry evening. If you are, I wish you well and would urge you to stay safe, drink responsibly and only build your boneys in approved areas.
Those of you planning to imbibe al fresco, whether it's at the various cultural celebrations or simply at garden parties and barbecues etc, and who fancy something a bit classier than the ubiquitous blue WKD or Buckfast, you may wish to try today's first selection, the pale, delightfully crisp and very complex 2023 Sand Boy Rias Baixas Alborino (widely available in local wine merchants, generally £15-£18). This aromatic Spanish white- think herbs and freshly-cut grass- has an intriguing palate with notes of citrus and stone fruit leading to a brisk, tingly finish with very mild acidity. My Madame and I enjoyed ours with a broad bean, goat’s cheese, dill and tomato salad on the patio in the evening sun.
In the Gleug family we have even bigger fish to fry this week. None come bigger than the man at the head of the clan, my esteemed father, Cornelius Gleug, who turns 75 again on Thursday and will no doubt be expecting a bit of a fuss. He loves nothing better than a fine Barolo but I'm going to try to tempt him slightly off his usual piste this year with the sombre, brooding and opulent 2023 St Emilion Grand Cru (£12.99, Lidl). Well-defined, ripe blackcurrant and plum flavours, a lean, muscular body and an intensely expressive deep garnet hue combine to create a memorably expressive and mellow drop. One for rich meats like BBQ beef or smoky pork.
Last but not least, here’s one for all you lovers out there. After the auld fella's birthday celebrations, my lover and I intend to flee the statelet and head down to Dublin to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We shall visit Farmleigh House before spending a romantic evening canoodling, playing Gin Rummy and other games while sharing today's WINE OF THE WEEK, the dark, decadent devilishly smooth and resoundingly fruity 2023 Dada Art Malbec (£8, widely available). An abundance of muscular, ripe blackberry and plum flavours dominate its seductive, delicately spiced palate before a magnificently lengthy finish with beguiling notes of oak and black pepper. I suspect we'll enjoy ours with lamb chops, fried capers, fried potatoes and green olives.
I'm out of breath now so I think we'll leave it there for today. Have fun whatever and however you celebrate over the holiday period. It’s the most wonderful time of the year tra-la-la. Till next week, tipplers, sante!