Sunday 31 May 2009

Here comes summer...


So I'm sitting at home, reading one of my favourite books and contemplating a rather dull weekend when this pops up.


Surely that's a near perfect text message? 
Now safe in the knowledge something's happening tomorrow, I settle for a quiet night in and pick up this from Oddbins. Buy it, it's £6.99 and absolutely belting, a black cherry fruit bomb with a lovely streak of acidity.


A few hours later and I'm wrestling over whether it is actually black cherry or, in fact, blackberry that this wine most reminds me of, when this pops up:


Sometimes truth's not necessarily best, so to avoid any risk of my reply getting passed around for laughs, I say, "Err, not much, come round". So pretty soon this pops up.


Who needs telly? Using only a cigar as an improvised mustache Angus (or GUGUG as he's known to his YouTube fans) entertains us with a Sparks impression. He also turns up with this:


From a brewery founded before Harold got shot in the eye, it's delicious, and according to the label, is "one of Roger Protz's 300 beers to try before you die". Great, that means I've got 299 to go! On the back it says: "... tempting aroma of banana, clove, nutmeg and gentle hop resins". It came from 'The Doublet' on Park Road. 
Next day, it's Mary and Ross's BBQ.
First up: haloumi cheese with vegetables. Delicious. My contribution next, Scottish langoustine bbq'd whole then covered with lemon juice, lemon rind, olive oil, garlic and parsley while still hot.


After that it's monkfish kebabs- with croutons, ham and rosemary. Thought these were really good. With the lid on the bbq they picked up a really nice smokey flavour too.


With the offer of a lift Jo and Andy persuaded me to leave the car so I got stuck into this. Very tasty- lemony, minerally, complex. From Oddbins apparently.


They then said they were also having a bbq later and invited us to join them. I don't know, you wait all summer for a bbq then suddenly...... 


Actually, normally you wait all summer for a summer. Mind, when you get one, Glasgow's West End looks almost foreign....



More lovely food including giant prawns, sardines and a delicious lobster. 
Late on and Andy produced a bottle of rose picked up on holiday in St Tropez some years back. 


'Rose de Bertaud Belieu', from Gassin, made by M.Coencas in 2000. Conventional wisdom dictates that few roses merit keeping. This was nearly 9 years old and exceptional- a delicious drink- bizarrely reminiscent of very old chianti. What a surprise. 


Lobsters have an unusual nervous system, this one was dispatched hours earlier by the fishmonger, but check out this clip of it's claw in action on the grill... freak out!


Saint Cirice 2007
Vin de Pays du Gard 
£6.99 Oddbins
BUY BUY BUY

Gus and Fin and ukuleles

Seminal stuff, does anyone know where online I might find the original video for "Now that I own the BBC?"

2 comments:

  1. M'Dear Wine Splodge - V glad you passed me card(s) with this blog address last week at the new cafe in Kelvingrove. Has now gone to friends round the world: I'm an instant fan! Tip: 3 Harbours Seafood Festival on from 5th-14th June, has fantastic food and art and cookery events. Best wishes, Writer-Usually-Known-As-Anna's-Mum

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  2. Glad you like it, and many thanks for the tip Writer-Usually-Known-As-Anna's-Mum. I'm a seafood junkie and see in the Ed Evening News that this festival is being opened by Fish, formerly of Marillion.... how very Midsummer Murders!

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