By Joe Fattorini
The paparazzi lining up
Behind our austere, intellectual demeanour, our roving reporters (or ‘sales team’) at Bibendum like nothing more than spotting a ‘sleb’ having fun with a Bibendum wine in one of their accounts. And this year the rich and famous seem to have been a thirsty lot.
Like Wallsend warbler and Tantra devotee Sting. The message in his bottle seems to be to go Italian, as he was spotted sipping Minini Pinot Grigio and Terre di Federico II Shiraz in Durham recently. Every sip he took of the light, pear and almond scented white seemed to leave Mr Trudie Styler walking on the moon, whilst the rich and lush Sicilian red left him so happy he couldn’t stop crying. Do you like Sicilian Shiraz Mr Sting? ‘I do do do’ he replied, according to our reporter’s imagination.
In fact, despite its Sex and the City roots, Pinot Grigio has been the choice of quite a few male rockers. They don’t come less feminine than the mono-browed, Manchester moaner, Liam Gallagher. He’s clearly both a quality and a quantity man, as he and his pals worked their way through six bottles of Riff Pinot Grigio in the sun. Elegant, refined and delicate… we’re talking about the wine now… by bottle six Liam definitely, maybe seemed to enjoy it.
Talking of Sex and the City, the sex was off the menu, but then in fairness the city was Sunderland, when Sarah-Jessica Parker ordered a bottle of New Zealand lovely Huia Pinot Noir earlier this year. And she’s not the only elegant lady to fall for the supple grape’s silky charms. Because Loredona Pinot Noir was the red choice for what must have been the ultimate ladies’ lunch this summer. First Lady Michelle Obama poured the delicious Californian at the G20 summit as she discussed world peace, environmental geo-politics and handbags with Sarah Brown, Dame Kelly Holmes, J K Rowling and that big girl who plays Nessa off Gavin and Stacey.
But whilst Bibendum wines have oiled the wheels of international diplomacy, they’ve almost bough the wheels off the domestic political machine. ‘David Cameron actually drinking Prosecco’ screamed the headlines, as the Tory spin doctors furiously insisted it was Jeio Brut, not Lanson that warmed up the Conservative leader for his Chancellor-in-waiting’s ‘Austerity Speech’. But the policy backfired as furious Tory grandees and ex-Bullingdon Club members insisted Cameron had ‘let the side down’ and ‘gone pinko’, whilst threatening to ‘de-bag and radish him in the Corpus Christi quad’ some time before the next Commons recess.
Well that’s all for now, but before we go here’s a few clues about ‘paps’ we couldn’t print. Which Royal turned down three wines from our Fine Wine list in favour of a ‘Pale Ale’, and who was the elderly actor supping Vincent Giradin En Truffieres Santenay Rouge in a country house hotel after a long day filming, politely discussing the ‘lovely chest’ of the restaurant manager. Once the super-injunction is lifted we’ll let you know.
Tags: News
Good going – lot’s of celebs seem to be loving Bibendum’s wine, has any one else been spotted?