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Sarah Palin to Speak at US Wine Event

by Gavino on 25. Jan, 2010 in But Seriously...

Us Brits used to enjoy the superiority we felt while watching American politics from afar. The religious fundamentalism, the assertions of manifest destiny, the  illicitly stained dresses of interns and mistresses, the militias in the woods shooting defenceless squirrels, the obscene level of corporate influence, the willing delusion to see America as a peaceful nation [...]

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Threshers and Wine Rack Stare Into The Abyss

by Gavino on 29. Oct, 2009 in But Seriously..., WOTW News

And so it comes to pass. First Quench, the owner of Threshers and Wine Rack, have announced that they are to go into administration. The news comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched the retail giant lumbering along a path towards irrelevance over the past few years. And yet for those [...]

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Morrisons and Asda Compete For "Most Stupid Retailer in UK" Award

by Gavino on 21. Oct, 2009 in But Seriously..., Just Plain Weird

It’s not often that WineOfTheWeek copies and pastes articles from the press but this piece in the Guardian is so well put that, ladies and gentlemen, I present below a damning indictment of our once proud nation. Personally I hope this trend of Supermarket madness continues and that consumers seek out alternative, independent retail outlets [...]

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Slow Cooked Beef In Red Wine and A Pickled Keith Floyd – A Belated Tribute

by Gavino on 19. Oct, 2009 in But Seriously..., Video Magic

“You’ll need half a bottle to go into the dish itself and half a bottle to go into yourself”. Bacchus bless you Sir Keith of Floyd. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evm30HTbD0&feature=player_embedded]

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Naked Wine Drinkers Protest Against Climate Change and Get a Nice Tan While They’re At It

by Gavino on 17. Oct, 2009 in But Seriously..., Video Magic

There’s nothing I like more than strolling through a vineyard in my birthday suit in support of worthy causes and that’s exactly what hundreds of our French cousins did at the beginning of this month, answering the clarion call of photographer Spencer Tunick who wanted to illustrate the threat of global warming through art. Tunick [...]

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A Glass of Syrah a Day Will Keep The Swine Flu at Bay?

by Gavino on 13. Oct, 2009 in But Seriously...

Over the last six months there have been as many news stories extolling the health benefits of wine as there have been warning against the dangers of vinous indulgence. It seems that wine will make you live longer at the same time that its sending you to an early grave. It surely will only be [...]

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When is a half price wine not a half price wine?

by Gavino on 17. Aug, 2009 in But Seriously...

Back in 2006, Jean-Manuel Spriet, the then chief executive of Pernod Ricard UK, sent shockwaves through the wine trade by admitting that many of the “half price” wine deals in supermarkets were actually a rip-off. The fact that a leading player in the wine business had admitted that consumers were being conned caused many a [...]

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Concha Y Toro Killed My MacBook Pro

by Gavino on 30. Jul, 2009 in But Seriously..., WOTW News

I’m devastated. Distraught. Bereft. Less than three weeks after I purchased a brand new MacBook Pro, the poor machine is now lying dormant, unable to power up, utterly f*cked. And it’s all the fault of a Malbec from Concha Y Toro. Here’s the sequence of events: 2008-2009 – I pontificate, procrastinate and ruminate about buying [...]

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Dear Wine Society, Why Won't You Talk to Me?

by Gavino on 28. Jun, 2009 in But Seriously...

My dear friends at The Wine Society recently tweeted an announcement about their 2008 Bordeaux en primeur offer.  I clicked on the link and was, as ever, impressed with what I saw. So I tweeted back to ask for some recommendations. I waited for a reply. I waited some more. I’m still waiting. Alas, The [...]

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Are The Good Times Over For Laithwaites?

by Gavino on 13. Jun, 2009 in But Seriously...

Question: What do Laithwaites, Sunday Times Wine Club, Telegraph Wine Service, Natwest Wine Club, British Airways Wine Club, Warehouse Wines, Avery’s, and (pause for breath!) Virgin Wines have in common? Answer: They are all owned by Direct Wines, the behemoth of the UK wine by the case market. Founded upon one man’s passion for Bordeaux [...]

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