Solace for the soul with great wines

That was the wise counsel I gave to my dear friend, Edgar, who recently confided to me of his relief when he heard that his teenage son had finally found a girlfriend.

You see, he had long suspected that Edgar Jr.’s interest in matters of the flesh lay with his own sort.

Not that Edgar is homophobic, he just knows how hard it can be when you’re that kind of fella in this kind of world.

It hadn’t occurred to Edgar Sr that his son’s liaison could just be an adolescent phase, an experiment.

Still, as long as he doesn’t get the poor girl pregnant, hey?

Swallows are a wonderful metaphor for the human soul.

To fly, they first must fall, and hopefully get up again.

If you ever see a swallow walking along the ground you are looking at a dead swallow.

My father, Cornelius Gleug, was wont to refer to flighty young girls as swallows flitting from branch to branch...like a social butterfly!

Restless souls seeking solace might be a more compassionate view.

As for me, this poor boy has fallen many times and is still learning to fly...but he was getting up again and dusting himeself down.

In the meantime solace shall surely be found with a nice wee swallie this weekend - fingers crossed.

First among near equals but just about gaining the nod by no more than the shortest of short heads to be sure to be sure to be sure as today’s Wine of the Week is the rustic, robust and delightfully savoury 2020 Montaria Reserva Vinho Tinto (£9.99, Naked Wines, available by visiting www.nakedwines.com).

A medium-bodied lubricious palate with plenty of berry and cherry flavours, nicely balanced by soft tannins, before a magnificently lengthy finish with hints of black pepper, this Portuguese red will benefit from being served very slightly chilled.

It proved an ideal match to the spicy meatballs in a rich tomato sauce which my darling wife, the redoubtable Madame G., served up for supper at our lovely home, Rose Cottage, yesterday evening.

Closer to home, today’s second recommendation is the intensely flavoured, supple and full-bodied 2020 Calvet Prestige Bordeaux (£7.50, available at Tesco).

A sensual and voluptuous red wherein dark cherry mingles on an ineffably soft palate alongside ripe juicy plum flavours and intriguing violet aromatics with just a hint of spice in its luxurious, peppery finish.

Enjoy with your coq au vin ce soir, mes amis!

Lovers of whites, there’s one for you too, I can never forget you.

Our final selection today is the exceptionally zippy and zesty 2020 M&S Classics Chenin Blanc (£8).

A delightfully tangy palate full of round, gently spiced fruit flavours and citrussy backnotes combines with grassy aromatics and hints of mineral in this racy South African white which will be an ideal match to seafood or poultry.

So there you have it, tipplers, three fine bottles.

Don’t swallow them all at once or you will surely fall but may not fly.

And all you Edgars, accept your sons and daughters as they are for they too must fall if they are to fly.

Till next week, tipplers, sante!

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you