I have only recently returned from a trade customer trip to Northern Spain covering Rioja and then heading east to Ribera del Duero and Rueda. None of our guests had been there before and they were all bowled over by the stunning scenery and the vibrant late Autumnal colours throughout the vast expanse of vineyards. Helped by the high temperatures and the relentless sunshine, not to mention the company, this was a trip to remember. We started with a visit to old friend Antonio Navajas, the Rioja producer with whom we have been working for 15 years. His new winery was hugely impressive, especially to our first timers, but the subsequent visit to Bai Gorri blew them away. The whole winery is set into the hillside on six levels each one being the size of a football pitch. With clever use of glass and stainless steel this was a James Bond set in the making. We half expected Jaws to emerge or to come across Blofeld stroking his cat. All the wine making processes are carried out using gravity to transfer the juice and the different levels of the winery represent the various stages of winemaking with the ground floor storing the barrels ready for bottling. Here too was the restaurant and after a superbly organised tasting of the wines we settled down for an 8 course 4 hour lunch with a great view of the stunning vineyards. I have never seen such an impressive modern winery and having been so warmly welcomed this made a huge impact on us all.
I cannot say that the subsequent visit to world famous producer Vega Sicilia made us feel the same. This is by far the most expensive wine in Spain and ranks as one of the best wines in the world. A visit is very rare and our host, a Spanish wine expert, had been unable to get in for 10 years!! The winery itself  is impressive but the arrogant and cold manner in which we were received left us in no real mood to enjoy the wines even though they were good despite being hugely overpriced. 

******************************************

Writing this in November I still live in hope that the chancellor will give us all a last minute reprieve on VAT but based on the fact that the last recorded miracle was some time ago I can only assume we are all going to have to react to the increase. However you will pleased to hear that we do NOT intend to put any retail prices up until April, by which time we will have received supplier increases and a further duty hike in the budget. So be prepared - we can be generous in the short term but it will not last long! I would rather one price rise than three and also it makes administration a lot easier. It just means a 2.5% loss for a few months for us!!! 

********************************************

The saga of Leslie from Longworth continues (she was the lady who buys a 1/4 bottle on a Monday and makes it last all week!!). I presented her with a challenge. At a recent village event she was more than generous when pouring wine for others whilst quietly sipping from her own thimble, but on the evening I gave her a 1/4 bottle of Champagne which I knew would create a problem. She either had to behave outrageously and drink it all at once or she had to find a way to preserve the bubbles for a week. Perhaps she asked four friends around for a wild night(!) or did she try the silver spoon technique?  (An old wives’ tale whereby you place a spoon upside down in the neck of the bottle which apparently makes the bubbles last longer). This may be the last you hear about Leslie - she books into a clinic next week!! 

********************************************

Wine Trivia

A raison dropped into a glass of Champagne will repeatedly bounce up and down between the top and bottom of the glass.

Methyphobia is fear of alcohol