THE WINE LIST
And I thought I was useless!
As we sit here supping on our Chablis and tucking into a seared scallop I think it really would be appropriate for us to spare a thought for the poor downtrodden workers who suffer every day in Westminster doing their best to avoid any blame for the running of the country. They did not ask to be there; it was a calling and the fact that they were not the brightest members of their family and had no chance of achieving as much as an older sibling had nothing to do with them finding solace as an MP.
They can revel in their anonymity on the backbenches for decades while their leaders continue to struggle with the complexities of keeping the nation from bankruptcy. How many of these backbench MPs have we heard of and if given the chance of standing up and pontificating for the benefit of the nation would we not be fixing bayonets and having a real go at being noticed and making a difference, perhaps even going so far as saying something a might controversial.
Is being a backbench MP really just about having a job and working in an interesting environment and having some decent letters after your name?........and lets not get started on the Euro MPS!
I think the answer has to be paying an MP even more money, giving them longer holidays and increasing the benefits that can be had as well as turning a blind eye to any corruption scandals that may arise…….we might then get someone decent!
We have had a very successful start to life at The Anchor and have been very pleased to see the customers buying through the list and very much hope this will continue. While there has been plenty of traditional buying going on in Bordeaux and Burgundy there has been great success also in Italy and Argentina.
A recent discovery in Bordeaux is the Clos La Gaffeliere 2005. This is the second wine of the Grand Cru Classé La Gaffeliere and comes from perhaps, the greatest St Emilion vintage and is already drinking beautifully. The other wine to note in Bordeaux is the La Lagune 1996 which is so good I went back into the market and got some-more.
The Burgundy section offers the wines of Beaujolais, Macon and Chablis as well as the grown up stuff in the Cote D’Or and I think we have all bases covered. The Bourgogne Roncevie 2005 from Arlaud is a cracking Pinot Noir and in the whites Olivier Leflaive’s Bourgogne Les Setilles offers tremendous value while the rare white Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Terre Blanches from Rion is the white wine of the list!
Italy has been doing great things and the Soave Classico from Inama is a new addition that has found favour with far more grown up wine writers than I. Another great red wine is the soft and medium weight Barbera d’Alba 2005, Mommiano, this wine offers a refreshing purity of fruit that is undoubtedly where the Northern Italians come to the fore.
Australia is a country that does not get as much of a look in as I would have liked. The wines at this level really are very good value and although a little big by themselves go very well with good food. Cockfighters Verdelho is a lovely glass of pure, clean white wine and the Omrah Shiraz is meaty but not too big. If you want to try a very highly scored Aussie take a chance with the top rated Plantagenet Shiraz 2005 from Western Australia.
It’s starting to feel like I‘m marking a card for Ascot and I have never been very good at that either!
William Mason
For a detailed look at the wine list in its entirety, please click here.
ABOUT WILLIAM MASON FINE WINES
William has been a wine merchant for all his working life and in 1996 he set up his company working from home in Norfolk. The policy has always been to find good affordable drinking wines from around the world that looks good and tastes good. He does not tie himself to any agency agreements and likes to chop and change the wines as and when vintages change and more exciting finds appear. The company is now based in offices and a warehouse in Hingham (still in Norfolk), where there is a showroom and a tasting room if anyone wants to call in. The Company also has some good stocks of Fine Wine and offers advice and cellaring to those that want to get in early and take advantage of the surge in wine prices. Throughout the year there will be wine events and tastings held at The Anchor Inn so if anyone wants to test the above Company policies, that might be a good time!
Please visit William Mason Fine Wines for more details.
