By Alan Witt
Best before?
40 years ago I visited a winery in New York State. After a tour and during the tasting session the guide said “Our aim is to make very bottle the same and as reliable as Coca Cola”. As the only European present I explained that we had the opposite view and half the fun was opening the bottle, sniffing the cork and eventually deciding whether one had a winner. Few agreed with me then. Well, four decades later I have changed my mind.
Most of my purchases these days are at the British owned warehouses in France and my wartime austerity upbringing still means that I mainly drink ‘New World’ bargains-and I am seldom disappointed. British wine buyers are almost certainly the most knowledgeable in the World and give us the widest of choices. Even our little village’s general store offers well over a hundred labels to choose from. But at the same time I do treat myself. Otherwise, how can one ever know that it is special? The main problem is that I find myself awaiting a special occasion and these become increasingly rare. The photograph above shows just some of my special bottles most of which are now probably way ‘over the hill’.
Having said all that I never lose the opportunity to try wines from little know regions, Chinese, Japanese, Georgian (whilst in the Soviet Union in 1963),Indian and so on. In the early 70’s I used to belong to a local wine-tasting society. I remember clearly (yet maybe for the wrong reasons) an evening of Australian wines. They were dreadful-gosh, what a change now.
Having had the good fortune to travel all over the United States I have been impressed by some wines from the lesser known States, even some from Texas. As Lyndon Johnson might have said “Guys, a day without wine is like a day without Coca Cola”.
This post was submitted as an entry for our Argento competition.
Tags: Argento competition
I can tell you that the port is still good. I had a 1934 colheita not long ago and it was still tasting fine. Have you ever heard of ‘Open that bottle’ nite? Once a year in the States, there are a couple of wine writers who encourage all of us to open that special bottle, just for the hell of it. Maybe you should do an open that bottle week!
Cheers, D
I strongly agree. Wine are there to be drunk and like the old saying goes…life’s to short to drink bad (or average for that matter) wines.
We should organize a UK version. I will simply use this opportunity to drink some more good wine.
sounds like a great idea! let me know when that week will start!
Cool there’s 3 of us already!
The Record…
I think you write superbly, wish I could write this well. Thanks….
Mr. Record,
You can also share your writing skills with us
Check out http://www.bibendum-times.co.uk/journalists/ and get involved!
Thank you for your kind comments and suggestions.Unfortunately,I also have collections of ’special’ malts,ports,brandies and exotic drinks collected during my travels so if I follow your advice I may not be in a position to submit any further contributions.
Despite being a moderately well-off family,wine originally was made from elderberries or parsnips to be followed at Christmas by a bottle of Mateus Rose.This practice only ceased when the house was full of table lamps using the bottles as bases.
Even in the 80’s when visiting a sister in Carlisle I tried to find somewhere selling wine.Hard to remember but as recently as then I was told that I would have to go to the wine merhant in the city centre.Now,every kitchen sink soap is full of honest working men drinking wine.Appreciation of a good pint is now a middle-class occupation.As a student I worked in the local off-licence and we stocked two red and two white wines.Customers would come in apprehensively asking what wine would go with their spag bol or cod in parsley sauce .
We are spoiled for choice now but I will take your advice and am about to open a bottle of 1960 Mateus Rose.