{"id":282,"date":"2018-01-24T16:42:12","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T16:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/144.208.75.131\/~thewineinspector\/?p=282"},"modified":"2019-01-02T17:25:16","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T17:25:16","slug":"ian-mitchells-notes-dryish-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewineinspector.co.uk\/ian-mitchells-notes-dryish-january\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian Mitchell\u2019s notes on a dry(ish) January"},"content":{"rendered":"
I have always chosen easily accessible wine from the supermarkets and Majestic, but its time to admit that I also go to a renowned wine merchant in Basingstoke for much of my wine.<\/strong><\/p>\n A few years ago, I bought several vintages of a good claret to do a vertical wine tasting for some great clients in Lincoln\u2019s Inn. I collected this parcel from Berry Bros & Rudd at their distribution centre in Houndmills just of the A339 near Basingstoke.<\/p>\n Next to this centre, BBR have a warehouse store, which houses the last wines of a vintage and various odds and sods. Heaven! 20-30% reduction of some cracking wines.<\/p>\n The whole world is represented, and some great spirits. For anyone who takes their wine drinking seriously, this is a must.<\/p>\n Going to BBR a few days ago, supermarkets seem a little drab. No knowledgeable young guys and gals to help you, no atmosphere of excitement and discovery. It is a long way to go if you don\u2019t live near to Basingstoke, but well worth a day out.<\/p>\n Having said all that, I\u2019m presently on a dry(ish) January. I decided that it was time to cut down a bit, and a routine medical confirmed that this was a good idea. I fully intended to write about alcohol-free wines but, the conclusion is, don\u2019t buy them.<\/p>\n I have tried most and now I stick to a weak spritzer with plenty of lemon zest. I also tried alcohol-free spirits especially the Seedlip duo, Spice and Garden. Still not convinced, but the cucumber flavoured Garden can make a nice drink.<\/p>\n Whilst I don\u2019t really see the point of it, it is on offer at Tesco for \u00a320, down from \u00a326, if you\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n My view is, if you are going to do a \u2018Dry January\u2019, just take the medicine and then come February, enjoy the fermented grape juice again, and enjoy it all the more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have always chosen easily accessible wine from the supermarkets and Majestic, but its time to admit that I also go to a renowned wine merchant in Basingstoke for much of my wine. A few years ago, I bought several vintages of a good claret to do a vertical wine tasting for some great clients […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8],"yoast_head":"\n