Confessions of a Wino

Announce an ‘extra special’ range of wines and then charge a mere £5-6 per bottle. That has Walmart strategy stamped all over it.

Trouble is, Asda has never been at the top of my wine shopping venues. In fact it’s been near the bottom.

Add the fact that Gavi rarely floats my boat and this is a recipe for disaster.

But somehow Asda has found a supplier (Araldica) that can produce a lively, fruity and zesty Gavi that is simply gorgeous for the price (£5.98) and at a very refreshing 12% ABV.

Pour into a Chardonnay glass, but chill the wine a little cooler, say 8 degrees. Then serve with fresh char-grilled English asparagus. What joy. Highly recommended.

In the classic comedy series, Fawlty Towers, Basil plans a gourmet night to attract a higher class of clientele to the infamous Torquay hotel.  Kurt, the excellent new chef who fancies Manuel the Spanish waiter played by Andrew Sachs, until recently one of Jonathan Ross’ closest acquaintances, manages to get totally pie-eyed and passes out just before the dinner is supposed to be cooked.  With guests already arriving, local restaurateur, André, comes to the rescue with a three choice menu of duck with orange, duck with cherry or duck surprise (duck with neither orange nor cherry), that never makes it to the table.  The culmination of this disaster scenario is Basil thrashing his Austin 1100 with a branch in one of the funniest, well known and most repeated scenes of the comedy solar system.

So when Alan and Heidi invited us to Casa Mia Grande, a well known Italian restaurant in Chapel Allerton, for a “gourmet evening”, I quivered, took the car for a service, wore my stain proof pants and a shirt that could tolerate red wine spills.

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