My husband says I flap. I can’t deny that sometimes I get in a flap.

He’s proud that he doesn’t flap, he just calmly get things done.

SCENARIO 1

He missed the bus he needed to get him to the train station on time. This was because he couldn’t find his debit card. He asked me if I’d seen it, I hadn’t but stopped working to help look. He started to think he’d left it at the petrol station the previous evening. While he continued to look, I got the number of the petrol station, called them and established the card was there.

Of course he needed id to claim the card. Luckily I’d put his passport in his “things you can never find” drawer.

I drove him to get his card and dropped him off in time to catch his train – he didn’t flap.

SCENARIO 2

I was preparing for a wine and food pairing event. I’d spent all day cooking, everything was ready, I just needed to get dressed and load the car. As I dressed, I noticed a hole in my skirt. I chose a different outfit but it needed ironing. I’d nearly finished when I noticed a stain on the shirt. Another outfit chosen but now I’m late – the car still needs loading!! I’m starting to flap. While I’m racing about swearing at my clothes, my husband’s playing Raving Rabbids. In a panic, I ask him if he would iron a shirt for me so I can start to load the car. Shirt ironed, he restarts the game as I rush in and out with wine, glasses, and carefully prepared dishes. Finally I’m in the car about to leave when I realise I’ve left my fabulous beetroot chutney in the fridge. I race back in and my husband, having just returned from the kitchen with a drink, looks up. “The Chutney!!” I screech. “Yeah, I was wondering if I should mention that” he says, restarting his game.

My husband says I flap, I can’t deny that sometimes I get in a flap.

He’s proud that he doesn’t flap, he just calmly get things done.

A regular booking for a wine and food pairing party – I love these! I can be really adventurous with the wines, flavours and combinations safe in the knowledge that the guests will enjoy the whole experience.

I was setting up in the immaculate kitchen, ready to serve the dishes with the appropriate wines in the adjoining dining room. As the guests arrived, I noticed a cat in the hallway. Worried about the food, I enquired as to whether the cat was likely to jump on the work surfaces. Our hostess explained that since the kitchen renovation, a couple of months back, the cat, called Boots, appeared to be scared of the room, only entering to quickly race to the cat flap and escape. Apparently there was a big tom cat next door that they suspected had got in, when the flap had first been installed, terrifying poor Boots. They now had a sensor on the door so only Boots could use it, but the kitchen continued to scare her; she never hung around long enough to venture onto the work tops.

The party got underway. As I returned to the kitchen to get the next wine food combo, a rich, smooth demi sec Vouvray paired with a butternut squash, caramelised garlic and goats cheese tart, I noticed the cat flap click shut – Boots had braved the crossing and got out into the garden.

By the second red, a spicy, full bodied and intensely fruity Chilean blend of Syrah and Merlot teamed with a Cajun spiced chicken and rice dish, the cat flap was open and I could see Boots standing in the opening, tentatively scanning the kitchen, preparing for her return across the tiled floor.

As I opened the door from the dining room to get the dessert wine, the finale of the tasting, I could hear the scrabbling of claws on stone, it sounded frantic – Boots really didn’t like crossing the kitchen!

It was then that I walked in on a scene from a cartoon, the only thing missing being the manic soundtrack………Boots was being chased around the kitchen by a tiny mouse, skidding around corners on the slick tiles, weaving through the breakfast bar stools in a silent, blind panic until finally finding the door into the hallway. The threshold between hall and kitchen appeared to represent a territorial border. Boots, clearly relieved, turned to watch the mouse scuttle away, under the dishwasher. I could be mistaken but she then looked at me with what appeared to be a pleading expression before slinking off down the hall.

The dilemma……..should I rat on the cat or keep quiet about her secret shame?

I am in the very fortunate position to have lots of opportunities to taste great wines in the homes of some really lovely people.

At Christmas, I pulled into a long, impressive drive that led to a stunning building. I felt smug. I had chosen the perfect wines to suit this wonderful setting; a special blend from a small, exclusive champagne house, a very elegant, aged sauvignon from Bergerac, rare grape varieties from Friuli. I was anticipating a great wine tasting party!

I was immediately knocked from my high horse when the hostess greeted me with a quick up and down glance, commenting that maybe she should have informed me that this was a black tie event……….

I felt very conspicuous in the crowd of cocktail dresses and bow ties but regained some composure as I popped the champagne cork. At least the wines would not be out of place!

But I was thrown again when, during the tasting, I overheard a conversation between two guests regarding the huge sum of money spent on the pristine, white rug on which we were standing. You should know that I’m clumsy, able to knock over an apparently stable glass at fifty paces. I took a deep breath and told myself that this was not a problem, I’m experienced, I use drop stops, if any wine is spilt it won’t be by me! Still, I was relieved when the last red had been poured without incident. I started to describe the wine……..

The presentation was interrupted with a screech from one of the guests. I felt sick as she raced to the kitchen, returned with a tea towel and dropped to her knees to start rubbing at the edge of the rug. The lady’s dress was rather short and there were flashes of Bridget Jones style knickers as she frantically dabbed at a red mark. Panicked, I glanced at our hostess who, to my surprise, started to laugh, saying:

“I knew it was a mistake to have a champagne reception before a wine tasting”

On closer inspection the pristine rug had a Christmas theme and was tastefully dotted with tiny red images of reindeer, one of which was still being attacked by a very tipsy lady who could not be dissuaded by her rather embarrassed husband.

I was complaining to my husband that he never read my blog, his response: “Do you have a blog?” I asked whether he would read it now he knew that I did indeed blog and he stated in no uncertain terms that he would never join facebook, twitter or anything else that was in anyway sociable. I pointed out that the blog was on my website. He sighed deeply, poured a large glass of red and started to read.

Finally, draining the glass, he turned to me and said: “It’s not funny.”

“It’s not meant to be” I replied, a little defensively.

“But you are funny”

I need to explain – running a business has been a learning curve, I’ve made mistakes, my husband finds this hilarious. I’m also accident prone, another laughing matter. Any awkward and embarrassing situations that occasionally occur when organising events in other people’s homes are a great source of entertainment. Oh, and then there’s my really dreadful sense of direction………..

“It’s a wine blog”, I explained, “I’m not sure that the stuff in my life that you think is funny is applicable.”

“Your life is wine”

“Should I change the names of anyone I discuss in my blog, in case it causes embarrassment?”

“No point, everyone will know it’s you”

When holidaying on the Greek island of Paros, a handwritten sign outside a small taverna attracted my attention; it proudly declared: “We make our own wine”. Obviously I had to eat at this tiny restaurant immediately, eagerly asking the waiter for the “house” dry white. It came in a coloured metal carafe, identical to the jugs used to serve school dinner custard. The wine was fresh and fruity, simple with clean flavours and absolutely perfect with the exciting array of mezze served. At the end of the very ample meal, I asked if I could buy a bottle of the wine to take back to the hotel. The owner of the taverna was ridiculously pleased that I had enjoyed his wine. He snatched the plastic bottle of water from my table, literally danced to the kitchen and returned the bottle with a full litre of the wine inside, refusing to take any payment for it. Throughout the holiday, whenever I passed the taverna, I was greeted with a wave and the gleeful shout “You like my wine!” Of course I ate there throughout my holiday and was always rewarded with a full plastic bottle of the delicious white wine to take away. I still dream about custard jugs and plastic bottles filled with deliciousness.

I am not alone in having a tale of a really delicious local wine that features heavily in the happy memories of a holiday. But more often than not, these stories end with an account of how disappointing the same wine is once back on UK soil.

Unreigned enthusiasm can be an issue. The need to be back in the moment the instant the suitcases are unpacked, means the wine has little chance to settle. Wine can suffer from jet lag; I would advise resisting temptation and waiting a week or two before opening. Even then it may not live up to expectation. It is possible that some wines simply do not travel but personally, I blame the holiday romance effect – can we call it wimance? – The atmosphere, sunshine, scenery and relaxed holiday mood all contribute to your emotional response. Once back in the old routine, the romance is lost and that miraculous nectar is transformed back into, at best, a rather ordinary wine, at worst, cheap and nasty alcoholic grape juice.

Sometimes you can be lucky enough to discover the wine of your holiday dreams in a UK supermarket, but be warned…the label may be identical but the wine may not. Buyers for major retail outlets often demand that regional characteristics and distinct flavours are removed from a wine, creating a British version, before it is put on the UK market. This may account for why a wine that thrilled when abroad is a rather bland affair back at home. The less cynical amongst you may believe that wines are altered in order to counteract ‘wimance’ and make the wine appropriate to the British weather and 9 to 5 demeanour. But the character is simply removed not recreated in British style and so UK versions of regional wines don’t excite. If our seduction by wine abroad shows us anything, it’s that the perfect wine to suit the occasion and mood does exist and regardless of how long it takes, we owe it to ourselves to find them, every one, for every mood!

Last Friday, Scientists announced that 10% of cancers in men and 3% of cancers in women throughout Western Europe are caused by drinking too much alcohol.

One thing that is very striking in this report is that although the above headline is stated as fact, all the quotes taken from the medical report, those involved in the study and health experts, speak in terms of “could” and “may”. The World Health Organisation speaks only of a “casual link” between certain cancers and alcohol consumption. Furthermore, there is no information regarding the case study group. Are these stats based on questionnaires or actual medical tests that prove the cancers were the direct result of drinking? Maybe I watch too much House, but when I read that “More than half of the cases, or 33,000, were due to having more than two drinks a day” my first thought was “everyone lies, for two drinks, read four.”

Are these cancers caused by alcohol or drinking? The word is used interchangeably. There has been a rise in occurrences of cancer that have been linked to drinking, but there has also been a rise in the use of chemicals in the production of alcoholic drinks and in the popularity of highly processed, coloured, sugary alcopops. Has the study included an analysis of what people are drinking?

Don’t get me wrong, I do not advocate excessive or binge drinking! I am a firm believer of drinking less and drinking better. What annoys me is that very soon, within days, the government will once again call for all wine producers to label their products with numerous health warnings, information on “units” and health guidelines, and they will use this report to support their cause. Personally I would prefer the producers worried about making great wine rather than the added cost and time involved in more labelling regulations.

And then there’s the timing of this report – just a week after a budget that saw duty on a bottle of wine rise by 15 pence, with huge rises in the cost of  strong beers and a Government plan to continue this upward trend over the next few years.

There is no doubt that frequent, excessive drinking is bad for your health. Will scaremongering, rising duty and ridiculous labelling regulations help? I don’t think so!

I have a great job. Of course, it’s my own business so there’s a lot of mundane stuff, paperwork, accounts, moving heavy boxes…. But I also get to drink wine with really interesting people, experiment with wine and food combinations, visit vineyards and drink more wine!

I’m often asked how I got into wine – so here’s the story…..

I’d just graduated with a first class honours degree in Classical Studies with Latin and had no idea what I wanted to do. I applied for lots of jobs but classics really doesn’t set you up for anything but trainee programmes which seemed to be a big commitment for someone without a clear direction. Then I saw an ad in a local paper asking for trainee managers at Majestic. I didn’t know the company but it required a first class degree so I thought I had a fighting chance and I really needed a job, any job!

I got an interview but had a problem – I knew nothing about wine and didn’t really like what I’d tried. I had to prepare! I visited a Majestic store and asked for a mixed case as an introduction for a complete novice then went home and tried them all, diligently taking notes. I was hooked. I hadn’t known that wines from the same grape could taste so different! At the interview I raved about this discovery and told the lovely interviewee that I wanted to share this knowledge with the world.

I was told at the second interview that it was simply a formality, my enthusiasm had got me the job. It was also revealed that the only reason I got the interview was because my CV, under “Hobbies and Interests” simply stated – “I breed Russian Dwarf Hamsters” whereas every other applicant had mentioned wine. They were just curious……..

Recently I met Mario Bisceglia of Cantina Bisceglia and had the opportunity of trying his very exciting wines with him. Mario’s vineyards are located on the lower slopes of an extinct volcano – Mount Vulture, in Basilicata, Southern Italy. Mario founded the Cantina in 2001 with the hope of creating world class wines from both international and indigenous grapes.

This Italian wine maker enthused about the terroir that created his wines; calcareous, clay loam soils with high levels of potassium, perfect for growing vines. There is a rich diversity of wild life and plant life in this beautiful, unpolluted region that makes the vineyard perfect for organic, sustainable farming. And the mineral rich, volcanic soil creates very unusual exciting flavours in the wines.

The wines that most appealed to me, were the Aglianico Del Vulture, a smooth, spicy slightly floral red, and the Falanghina Del Vulture, an exotically fruity, white wine which is actually grown in Bisceglia’s vineyard in Campania, a region adjacent to Basilicata that is also very much influenced by the volcanic soil of Vulture.

Mario’s excitement for his creations was infectious and I was very keen to try these wines with Vinbiz tasters!

The Aglianico Del Vuture is aromatic, light in body and full on flavour – blackberry and wild strawberry hints are accompanied by soft tannins and there is a very long finish. No one that I tried the wine with had come across the grape variety  previously and Mario’s version was a huge hit! With the “Premier Crew” wine club, I paired this red with Fisher’s Butchers’ hand made “Red Nose” sausages, a sweet red pepper and pork sausage. The combo was very much appreciated with the sweet pepper emphasising the subtle violet aromas of the wine. It was agreed that this was a striking wine, fresh and vibrant and for many it was the favourite at the tasting. I also tried it with Vinbiz friends, Donna and Ian, at Donna’s Mum’s birthday dinner party. We paired the wine with lamb koftas and cumin spiced chicken which transformed this dry red creating a sweeter effect in the mouth. Donna tasted Parma violets and Ian loved the intense flavours created by such a light textured wine.

For me the Falanghina Del Vulture smells and tastes of bananas – I love it! –  and some, but not all Vinbiz tasters agree. The lovely ladies at the Maidstone “ Hens Dancing” meeting described this dry white as an exotic fruit salad with striking pear and kiwi flavours. At the “Premier Crew” tasting they mentioned the spicy depths and clean mineral quality. At a birthday party for Alison, a new Vinbiz friend introduced by regulars Rachel and James, everyone loved the complexity and it was suggested that this would be an excellent accompaniment to Thai flavours like lemongrass, ginger and coriander.

Both the Aglianico and Falanghina are £9.49 and are available from www.vinbiz.co.uk and Fisher’s in Gerrards Cross.

There is an abundance of bland, flavourless wines available to buy. The reason is simple. In order to maintain a very low price, high volumes must be sold and therefore, the wine has to be palatable to as many consumers as possible. As taste is a very personal and individual sense, a wine created to appeal to the mass market cannot express strong, distinct characteristics – to do so would be to lower the number of potential buyers.

Full flavoured, carefully crafted wines cannot be created in high volumes – the yield from the vines needs to be controlled and each step of the production process is more labour intensive in order to react to the specific qualities of the harvest. Therefore, the price tag must be higher, not always a great deal higher, but the £4 -£6 price point is just not possible.

But as I stated in my previous blog entry, I don’t want to be a wine snob! Although I prefer full, complex flavours in the wines I choose for my wine tasting events and for personal consumption, there are occasions when I hanker for a simple, easy-drinking wine. And of course for a party, when catering for many guests each with a preference for a different style of wine, there is a need for something with a certain mass appeal.

So when I attended the Bibendum Pop Up Tasting in London at the end of January, one of the things I was searching for was a low priced, easy drinking wine that hit the lower price band. But I didn’t want bland! I accept WHY so many cheaper wines on offer lack character but was hoping this wasn’t an actual prerequisite!

I wasn’t disappointed! A solution was found in the Alto Bajo range of wines from Central Valley, Chile. The quality of the flavours was consistent across the whole range and the obvious advantage of choosing several single grape varietals is that each style will cater for certain tastes, meaning that it is not necessary to rely on a single wine to satisfy the tastes of everyone.

The Alto Bajo Sauvignon Blanc was very fresh and vibrant with a great deal of zestiness and for those who prefer a much softer, rounder white, the Chardonnay was perfect, smooth with a touch of creaminess on the finish. The Rosé had hints of sweetness and was bursting with Summer berry fruits. The Merlot had an abundance of cherry with ripe, round flavours while the Cabernet Sauvignon would appeal to the red wine drinkers with a preference for a dryer, firmer structure with bramble and blackcurrant flavours.

These are not wines that I would serve up as a tasting experience – but for easy-drinking enjoyment at £5.75 a bottle (available at Fisher’s, Gerrards Cross or online (in the very near future) at www.vinbiz.co.uk the range covers a variety of tastes in very good style!

The Bibendum tasting didn’t only provide a solution to the need for good flavours at a lower price point – my next entry will describe the exciting flavours expressed by wines grown in volcanic soil in the Basilicata region of Italy. Until then……..

A Vinbiz, we specialise in organising wine tastings in people’s homes. These wine tasting parties are for entertainment and we are always on the look out for unusual, unique wines that will give our guests a taste of something new and different. Sometimes our party hosts comment that their guests are a little trepidatious about coming to a private wine tasting because they expect it to be high brow, maybe a little intimidating. But these guests are very quickly put at their ease. The Vinbiz approach is fun and light hearted – we’re not wine snobs!

However, saying that, although I make no judgement on those who do like them, there are certain wines and brands that I expect not to like and, for that reason, I have never tried them! I make every attempt to really get to grips with my customers’ tastes before recommending a wine to suit them, but I’m embarrassed to say that although several have listed a Wolf Blass wine as something they like, I haven’t actually taken the step of tasting any of the Wolf Blass range!

So when my brother treated me to a bottle each of the Yellow label Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon, saying that these were wines he liked, I was determined to try them with an open mind. I should say here that I was delighted that someone had bought me wine! This doesn’t happen very often and I really do like wine!

The Chardonnay was an oaked 2009. The wood was quite pronounced in the aromas, along with lemon, and this led into citrus flavours in the mouth, mainly grapefruit. While in the mouth the flavour was pleasant but the finish, after I’d swallowed, was rather acidic and sharp. Overall this is quite a nice wine and the sharpness is easily remedied by accompanying with some brie and crackers. However, I would disagree with the blurb on the bottle that the oak flavours are “integrated”. This wine has undergone “oak treatment” rather than being matured in oak cask and, for me, it seems like the wood sits over the flavours of the chardonnay, masking them. It lacked the buttery, smooth texture that I particularly enjoy in a chardonnay but as a wine to accompany food I can see the appeal.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was also an oaked 2009 and the aromas were inviting – lots of fresh cherry! This led into blackcurrant and bramble flavours that were vibrant and fresh. The finish was dry with pronounced tannins, as I would expect from a Cabernet and which went very well with some duck paté on melba toast.

My main criticism of these wines would be that although pleasant, they lacked soul. I have to accept that this may be due to my own prejudices and preconceptions but I appreciate a wine with a story, a wine that fully expresses the land, people and traditions that created them and the Wolf Blass seemed to lack this. I liken the experience to having a spoon in my mouth: there’s taste but no connection or excitement in the flavour. My response to these wines is backed up by the words of the producers themselves, printed on the labels of both wines: “To experience our winemaking team’s commitment to innovation and excellence, try our Gold label range” Of course every producer will create both the everyday drinking and the “special” wines but there are wine makers that strive to demonstrate excellence in their whole range.

I’m grateful to my brother for the experience – I’m now equipped to provide him with some recommendations that will match the Wolf Blass Yellow label in terms of price and general flavour but that have that added oomph of character and depth!