A Canada Day Quarter-Final Quartet

South Africa

vs.

Italy

The other week, our neighbour, GatuBela, popped her head over the fence and jovially wondered if we'd be interested in co-hosting a Canada Day BBQ with the neighbourhood crew. As regular readers may have gleaned from these postings, our neighbours are always good for adding another round of bottles to The List - and are a fun crowd to be with on top of it. Win/Win, methinks.

If nothing else, it would add some more participants to deciding this quarter-final winner - and force us to clean up the garden a bit (although admittedly GatuBela deserves major props for that task).

The weather was hardly shorts and no shirt weather, but at least it didn't rain on us. The only thing about it being both our World Cup of Wine and Canada Day was that there were no Canadian wines to be had since they didn't make it to the World Cup. Whoa Canada.

509. 2007 Porcupine Ridge Syrah (W.O. Coastal Region - South Africa)

510. 2005 Corte Giara Ripasso (DOC Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore - Italy)

I can't recall ever having a full bottle of South African Syrah before and I find that (even though I love the whole concept behind the wine) Ripasso's can go all over the map. So, I didn't really know what to expect in this taste off.

As it turned out, naming a winner to move on to the semi-finals was pretty much unanimous. The bottle of South African Syrah was finished off easily enough - but everyone who cast a vote picked the Italian Ripasso as their favourite. The more serious wine-drinking neighbours liked the complexity of the Ripasso and the others just liked the taste more, even if they couldn't say why.

Other than having an opportunity to get together for the World Cup, food and fun, Canada Day gave a number of us an opportunity to bring out all those patriotic pieces of Olympic clothing that have been in the drawer for the most part since March. In a way, it might have been a good thing that the day was a bit cooler. We wouldn't, otherwise, have been able to comfortably sport the long sleeves.

Short sleeves, long sleeves, patriotism being worn on the sleeve, there was no way that two bottles was going to be enough to keep this crowd satisfied for the evening though - especially when the food started coming out in earnest. The Marquis and Red volunteered their down home ribs and we've decided that they are welcome to do so at any future gathering. In fact, we may just come up with some events simply so that we can coerce them into making the ribs. Even Boo - who fancies him quite the ribs-master - went back for extra servings (I won't say how many) and managed to put a few away for future nibbling. Now, that's not a common occurrence.

As the ribs-munching continued, there might have been another bottle or two opened during the evening, but I never got around to trying them. They won't make it to The List this time, but there were a couple that did.

511. N.V Carpene Malvolti Prosecco (DOC Treviso - Italy)

Yet another Prosecco that I haven't seen before. There can't be any doubt that this style of wine has hit its stride in Vancouver. It wasn't that many years ago that no one had really heard of it. Now it seems like there's a new brand available at the provincial shop or one of the private stores every time I go. A quick search on the internet showed that the winery's website states that it was the "first company to submit quality Prosecco to the sparkling process." Welcome to the market.

It was rather fitting that the Carpene Malvolti made an appearance - a bit of bubbly to celebrate the Italian win in its quarter-final match. After all, the Azzuri didn't make it this far in the real tournament.

But for the serious ribs nibbler, another red made an appearance -

512. 2008 Shot In The Dark Shiraz-Petite Sirah (Australia)

I'll admit that I simply succumbed to the packaging with this bottle. I picked it up last Halloween because of the dark theme of the label. We just didn't get around to opening it that night. It's a bit of surprise that it lasted this long. I don't know that it'd win our little World Cup of Wine for the Aussies, but this is a wine that isn't shy when it comes to BBQ time. There are probably a whack of Bruce's, here and there, snogging on a glass of this and proclaiming that it's time to throw another rib on the bar-bee.

What more can a neighbour ask for?

The quarter-final match score? Since it was substantially more popular, we'll give the Italians a 2-0 win, but, even though South Africa has been shut out of the semi's, the Syrah was hardly a "zero" of a sip.

A Quarter-Final B-day

Argentina

vs.

France

The second of our World Cup of Wine quarter-finals sees Argentina go up against France. Luckily for France, they didn't have to meet Argentina on the soccer field because the French definitely would have had their hands full. They've been a disappointment on the field - not even making it out of the preliminary round, let alone to the quarter-finals. Argentina has to be sitting as one of the favourites in South Africa; they've been spanking the competition so far.

We've actually got some help on tonight's taste-off. It's Elzee's b-day and she's invited us over for dinner at her place. Given her family background, our drinking buddies might have been a touch more excited if we'd been opening an Italian wine tonight. Somehow, I think that just might have skewed the voting preferences a bit.

We arrived a bit later than the rest of the guests and, in celebration of another birthday, they'd opened a bottle with a bit of fizz to get things started.

506. NV Wolf Blass Yellow Label Sparkling Brut (Australia)

Wolf Blass is certainly one of the best known names in the Australian wine business - if not everywhere, then at least in Vancouver. As much as I've heard his name and had his wines over the years, I don't recall ever hearing that he got his start in Aussie wine making sparkling wines in the Barossa in 1961, having been recruited from Germany, in part, because of his knowledge of the charmant method of making bubbly wines.

The charmant method generally lends itself to more reasonable prices when it comes to sparkling wines and the Yellow Label is certainly an example of that - clocking in with a $15 price tag. While completely dry, there's a bit more citrus and not as much yeasty tones on the palate - which is another aspect that could make it more approachable to many sippers that aren't so used to actual methode champenoise wines.

However, this is just a bonus wine for The List. We're here for a World Cup match (of course, as a secondary activity to Elzee's b-day).

507. 2007 Paul Jaboulet Aine Parallele 45 (AOC Cotes du Rhone - France)

508. 2007 Bodega Vistalba Tomero Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza - Argentina)

This was probably the closest of all the taste-offs yet. Both wines were thoroughly enjoyed by all the guests - and no one jumped to an immediate conclusion as to which wine was favoured. Both were nicely balanced, with nice fruit that wasn't so extracted that it overpowered. And further, neither one improved more than the other with the ribs or flank steak; they both stood up nicely to the different preparations. As a bit of note, this was a Cab from Argentina and not a Malbec, as might have been expected.

In the end, it was interesting to note that all four guys chose the Argentina Cab while the ladies agreed across the board on the Cotes du Rhone. Unfortunately for the gals, there were four men to the three ladies.

The verdict? This was a match where plenty of goals were scored and it went down to the wire. Let's say, definitely into overtime. The French played a much stronger game here than they did on the soccer field, but, I'm going to stick with the 4-3 vote and say that this was the final score as well. Just like in South Africa, the French are taking an early bow.

And Argentina moves on to face Australia in the first semi-final.

World Cup of Wine - The First Quarter Final

Australia

vs

United States

Here we are with our first quarter-final match in my little World Cup of Wine. While there have been a number of upsets on the actual soccer field, I can't say that there was much surprise in our opening round matches - at least not in terms of who actually won. Due to the fact that I could only find red wines from 13 of the countries participating in this year's World Cup, there were three byes given (Australia, Spain and Argentina) and five "drink offs." But the preliminaries are behind us and the four quarter-finals are set:

Australia vs. United States

Argentina vs. France

Italy vs. South Africa

Chile vs. Spain

These are some serious winemaking countries going head to head - and our first turned out to be a bit of a romp.

504. 2008 Manifesto! Cabernet Sauvignon (North Coast - California)

505. 2004 Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz (Langhorne Creek - Australia)

Much like the German soccer team - that is fielding a crew that includes a number of youthful players, new to the world scene - both of these producers are relatively new. From what I can find, Manifesto is brand spanking new, although many of its players have long pedigrees in the business - like winemaker Jamey Whetstone who was an assistant winemaker at all-star winery Turley. Bremerton has been around since 1988 but that's still fairly young for a long-established wine region in Australia.

A youthful exuberance is certainly evident on the both the Manifesto! website and in the wine. They claim to make a simple wine for a complex world - a red that "won't shrink back in the face of boldness." Sound advice for fielding a soccer team, but I'm not so sure that I take to their style in the bottle. It was big, ripe and concentrated, with a nose that sure didn't remind me of the Cab Sauv's that I'm used to.

Manifesto! gets some decent press but it just goes to show that you need to find out what you like in your wine glass and not just rely on some score that a pundit doles out. The Manifesto! site states that the principals are intimately involved - "from pruning to harvest...we do it all." They continue, "then we go surfing." The wine may work perfectly after catching a California wave, but we're talking soccer now and the Americans might have been better served in this match by the Washington state Columbia Crest that was opened in Round 1.

On the other hand, the Bremerton was bold in its own way - but, it was bold in an Aussie Shiraz kind of way. Plenty of dark fruit; however, there was structure and tannin and the fruit was more integrated into an overall balance that wasn't so evident with the Californian wine.

I don't know the Bremerton brand at all. I don't think of it as a producer that I see on local shelves and that makes me think that I might be a bottle that I picked up at one of the Vancouver Playhouse Festivals over the years. This winery also sees its share of praise in the press. James Halliday, one of Australia's foremost scribes, says that the winery "can fairly claim to be the best producer in Langhorne Creek."

I can't claim to be able to say yea or nay to such a statement, but it was clear to us that the Aussies should move on to the semi's. Result: 2-0 for the Wineroos.

Chile vs. Portugal

Chile

vs.

Portugal

The last of our Round 1 taste-offs in the World Cup of wine is another potential barn burner - well, I suppose I'd settle for a palate-pleaser. Chile was seeded ahead of Portugal more because of the fact that Portugese red wines are more likely to be associated with Port than with any table wine. I do love Port but that's not the focus of this little exercise. Chile may still be known more for its mass market exports of value based wines than it is known for sophisticated, high-end wines, but the latter wines are definitely out there. We just won't be opening any of them in our little World Cup (unless they maybe make the final).

I'm simply looking forward to both.

502. 2006 Casas del Toqui - El Toqui Shiraz Reserva (D.O. Cachapoal Valley - Chile)

503. 2007 Quinta dos Roques - Quinta do Correio (D.O.C. Dao - Portugal)

Just as one might expect on the soccer pitch, this play down was rather close. And, just as both countries have interesting approaches on the field, there's a bit of intrigue behind both wines.

Casas del Toqui is an example of a new breed of wineries in South America. It's a partnership of an established Chilean winemaking family, the Granella's, and a Cru Bordeaux house from Medoc - Chateau Larose Trintaudon. We're seeing more and more wines in our market that are the product of these hemispheric partnerships. While the Shiraz/Syrah varietal isn't the most common red varietal coming out of Chile, it is becoming more available in our parts and it's not difficult to see why if all of those wines are as easy drinking (while still retaining a firm structured framework) as this one was. I don't think the El Toqui should take on an Aussie Shiraz quite yet, but we might see that yet in this World Cup.

The Dao, on the other hand, is a traditionally intriguing blend of indigenous Portugese grapes - Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz and Rufete. One website referred to the wine as having a distinctly Rhone-like palate. That might partially explain the somewhat similar profile to the Shiraz. It was also interesting to read that the winery's vineyards, until the 1980's, were planted more for table fruit production - largely apples and grapes. The current owner decided to change over to traditional wine grapes and now produces over 200,000 bottles a year. The conversion of tree fruit to vines is something that our Okanagan Valley is well aware of as well.

Nowadays, I'm on the lookout for Portugese table wines since a number of the wine scribes are pointing to Portugal as a real up-and-comer - much along the lines of Spain - on the red wine scene. This one didn't quite capture that level of excitement, but it was hardly a shutout either.

The result - Chile wins 2-1. Neither wine was exciting enough to say "book a ticket to the finals;" but we won't have any problem finishing off either bottle.

Springboks and Kiwis

South Africa

vs.

New Zealand

As far as preliminary round goes, this was one of the more intriguing matches. As host of the actual World Cup, South Africa got the nod as the seeded team, but, in my opinion, New Zealand is no slouch on the red wine scene.

I think it's fairly safe to say that the two countries have different approaches to the production of wine. I don't know if either one of them can expect to score big on the soccer field, but either one could make quite a run in these World Cup of Wine playoffs.

500. 2007 Goats Do Roam (Coastal Region Wine of Origin - South Africa)

501. 2007 Allan Scott Pinot Noir (Marlborough - New Zealand)

This taste-off had some real potential. Goats Do Roam has been around for a number of years now in our market. Like many, I've enjoyed the wine and whimsical take on Cotes du Rhone wines since it first appeared. I thought even more of it when I read that the French were trying to take legal action to stop the use of the name.

On a side note, I never did find an English red wine (or white for that matter) for this competition but it would have been quite the marketing ploy to dream up a Cotes du Rooney. I can just taste the brusque profile of the wine being served up. It might not have a lot of finesse but it'll have some sort of punch.

But that's for another time.

The Allan Scott was one of the wines that I'd picked up at this year's Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival. I figured it had a good chance at an upset. Maybe it wasn't fair to put a Pinot up against a wine based on predominantly Rhone varietals and, in particular, Shiraz, but, then again, I wanted to put up a representative wine for each of our participating countries and teams on the soccer pitch can be drastically different in game plan as well.

Unfortunately for the Kiwis, this wasn't the foremost of Pinot profiles and it was a bit to reserved when compared against the South African wine. The Syrah takes this match with its more robust structure and fruit. It wasn't a shut out but I score it a 3-1 win for Goats Do Roam.

Italy vs. Greece

Italy

vs.

Greece

This was another match in our little World Cup of Wine preliminaries where the arbitrarily seeded country should easily put the bottle of an upstart challenger to rest. When I think of Greek wine, it's usually white house wines in Greek restaurants (don't mention retsina though, please) - not red wine.

On the other hand, the Italians and red wine go pretty much hand in hand at our pasta-loving dinner table.

498. 2004 Prunotto Fiulot (DOC Barbera d'Asti - Italy)

499. 2007 Boutari Agioritiko (Nemea - Greece)

I've got to say that the taste-off was a lot closer than I had expected. The Greek wine was quite palatable, while, as much as I like Prunotto as a producer, the Fiulot wasn't nearly all that I'd hoped for.

Generally, I find the Barbera varietal to produce approachable wines, with less tannin and a bit more fruit on them than a lot of the big Italian reds. I wasn't so captivated by this bottle - although it was still drinking fine and was a more developed wine than the Boutari. Alternatively though, the Boutari was made to highlight the fruit - perhaps a bit too much as it didn't have a lot of structure to it.

The Boutari label talks of Agiorgitiko as being "Greece's most talented red grape." That might be, but it didn't quite match up to the talent found in the Italian glass - even if the Prunotto wasn't my favourite bottle of Barbera.

As it ended, Italy gets a tentative win into the quarter-finals, but it will have to up its game to keep moving on. The Greek wine wins in the fact that I'd actually consider buying another bottle the next time we eat souvlaki - plus, I get to add the Agiorgitiko varietal to my list for the Wine Century Club.

I'd score it 2-1 (mostly because the Greek wine deserves a point but the Prunotto deserves the win).

Battle of the Pinots

France

vs.

Germany

Now, if this were the World Cup of Soccer instead of Wine, France and Germany would be a real hum-dinger of a first round game. I'm not so sure that the same level of competitiveness exists in the vineyard when it comes to red wine though. In fact, I wasn't even sure that there was any German red wine available in the Vancouver market.

Lo and behold, one of the best-known (if not entirely most-loved) brands from years past offers up a German red just for the occasion. Does the wizardry that is German engineering and Riesling carry on across the dancefloor for its reds? That is our question for today.

Not to give away the answer too early - but, no.

496. 2007 Black Tower Dornfelder Pinot Noir (Germany)

497. 2006 Louis Latour Pinot Noir (AOC Bourgogne - France)

There weren't any real surprises coming out of this taste off. Although both wines were Pinot Noirs, neither wine was from a higher quality appellation. The Black Tower was simply German (Red Wine) and, while it was labeled a Qualitatswein from Pfalz, at $12, it wasn't going to pretend to be a quality German Pinot. As mentioned though, I considered myself "lucky" to have found a bottle so that Germany could even enter the competition.

Similarly, the Latour was a simple Vin de Bourgogne which basically means that the grapes can come from anywhere in Burgundy. It's not going to rival any of the high end Pinots that cause grown soccer players to weep in joy.

However, there wasn't a whole lot of decision making needed for our choice of a winner. The Black Tower wasn't terrible, but we found it to be more on the lines of glorified pop than being comparable to a fine wine. Not that the Latour was a wine that we would run back to the liquor store to buy again. We've actually had a bottle of the 2005 vintage (#79) and I think it went over a tad better than this bottle did.

Unlike on the soccer field, beating Germany tonight probably doesn't mean a whole lot. Hopefully, the next French wine we line up will have a little more fight in it. France goes up against Argentina next and another wine like this likely won't score nearly enough.

Score it 1-0 for the French. Hardly a thriller of a match.

Orofino On The Go

Unfortunately for me, it's my last day (and night) up here in the Kootenays. Everybody else gets to revel in Sparrowhawk's lushness, but I have to catch a plane in the morning and try to be back at my desk by noon. So, with the American relatives a-visitin', Boo and I figured that we needed to fix them up some BC salmon and pop open some of our favourite BC wine.

Since we had to drive through the Similkameen Valley to get to Mom Mary's, I rather insisted on stopping at Orofino to pick up a few bottles. As Boo is wont to predicting, when it comes to Orofino, a "few bottles" ended up being 16. Oh well. The best I could do to justify the purchase was that a) it was Orofino and we'd be laying down most of it and b) I couldn't very well go empty handed when it comes to dinner with the in-laws.

While enjoying appies al fresco on the porch, I didn't put any of the "juice" in the hummingbird feeder but I'm more-or-less certain that this little beauty knew we were enjoying the Orofino and wanted in on the action. Although we were sipping on the newest vintage of Riesling, our little friend must have known that Orofino Riesling's have won gold medals at Canadian wine championships for the last three years running.

I can't actually add the Riesling to The List because we've already opened a bottle as part of the Canucks' playoff series. Orofino was our BC winery of choice for the second round against Chicago and this vintage was opened as #438. We're definitely adding the next bottle to The List though.

495. 2007 Orofino Pinot Noir (Similkameen Valley)

Normally I wouldn't have opened the Pinot Noir only a couple of weeks after it had been released, but winemaker, John Weber, assured us that it was drinking fine already and that he definitely thought it would serve up nicely with the salmon. He hasn't steered us wrong yet; nor did he do so this time. I'm betting that they don't make Pinot like this in Florida or the Carolinas.

We'd actually hoped that Boo's brothers might be able to bring up a couple bottles of wine from the South. I figured that they'd make interesting additions to The List and the blog, but it wasn't to be this time around. BD said that he didn't think there were any Florida wines worth bringing - particularly on short notice. And HDR3 and kin were travelling with nothing but carry-on luggage. That didn't leave any option for packing liquid - even for such a noble cause.

The evening - and my visit - came to too quick of a conclusion, but it was a fine way to celebrate the birthdays and meet the rest of the in-laws. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to blog some wine from their homes before we hit the 2001st bottle here.

Big Birthdays Deserve Big Wines

Last night's late arrival didn't really present the greatest opportunity for a birthday dinner befitting the occasion. Boo wasn't sure when he last celebrated a birthday together with his twin, HDR3 - but we're probably talking thirty years plus. Living in different countries, on opposite sides of the continent just doesn't seem to lend itself to getting together on a regular basis.

That just meant that we had to do this b-day up in style - and what better way is there than to start the evening off with a little bubbly. Granted, we didn't go the vintage Champagne route. But, all things considered, our actual choice was likely better received by the gang on hand.

493. NV Seaview Sparkling Shiraz (Australia)

Hardly traditional, but no one can deny that sparkling Shiraz doesn't have a cachet all of its own. Sparkling red wine has a history in Australia dating back to the 1800's and some studies have concluded that Shiraz was the primary grape being used despite the fact that the wines were called Sparkling Burgundy (which should connote the use of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay).

This isn't a bottle from the higher end of the spectrum - you can find Sparkling Shiraz, like E&E, made in the full Method Champenoise - but it's a nice alternative to a Kir Royale (Creme de Cassis and bubbly). Sparkling Shiraz has found a traditional niche in Aussie culture of being served on Christmas Day.

We weren't exactly basking in the heat of an Aussie Christmas Day, but the occasion of all three brothers visiting Mom Mary was just as special - particularly since the newest little man in the family was making his first visit to Sparrowhawk. Indeed, as the twins were hitting yet another decade, little Boogerhead (their nickname for the little guy, not mine) still hadn't reached his first birthday.

While Boo and I didn't bring along a grandchild for Mom Mary, I did bring along a big baby of my own that I'd been saving up for the right occasion.

494. 2002 Mission Hill Reserve Shiraz (VQA Okanagan Valley)

This is the first time that I've ever opened a Jeroboam (or a 3-litre or double magnum - equal to four standard bottles) of wine. I'd picked up the Mission Hill at a fundraising auction a couple of years back. Despite the fact that Boo and I might go through a fair bit of wine in an evening, we've never considered - let alone attempted - trying such a hefty task before. I honestly didn't even think that the eight of us would finish off the Mission Hill tonight - particularly since Mom Mary's wine glasses are on the smaller side. This bottle was going to provide a good number of glasses.

I also wasn't sure that the wine itself would live up to the occasion. It's not like we have proper storage facilities for bottles of this size.

Luckily, the wine was still fine and was almost as big as the bottle. This was a gold medal winner for Mission Hill back when it was released and it was still nicely balanced with lots of dark fruit. It was a great match for the rack of lamb that we served up to the assembled family.

The quantity of wine certainly lent itself to increasingly interesting stories and reminiscences of the boys growing up. Twins truly can get into troubles that other siblings just don't seem to get involved in.

Although this was a story from more recent years, we shared a good laugh over the tale of which brother is the "evil twin." Be sure to ask Boo to tell you about it. Better yet, ask me. He's likely to leave out all the juicy parts or deny the anecdote altogether.

As the evening wore on and folks tuckered out, Boo, BD (Boogerhead's Dad), Sunshine and I headed back out to the porch to do a little more damage to the Jereboam. Since BD was going to be given "BD" as his nom-de-ma-plume for this

this blog, I'd considered BM - for Boogerhead's Mom - as well, but Sunshine said emphatically that, "No. That's just so wrong." In retrospect, it's possible that a teensy bit of wine might have played a part in that suggestion. Such a thought process isn't all that outlandish considering, however, that we did manage to - gingerly - pour out the last of the wine before we all headed off to bed. Getting the last pours was a bit of an exercise though.

I think we need a few more bottles like this - and occasions that we can celebrate them with.

Plumiscuous

I can't say that I know of many people who have homes "stately" enough to have their own names. It rings rather grandiose - think Tara, the White House, Rideau Hall. Mom Mary has named her property Sparrowhawk and I don't think she's over-stepped any level of audacity. It's a spectacular setting and a marvelous place to sit back and soak in the beauty while enjoying a glass or two.

Boo is going to stay on with his family for a bit longer than I can. So, I hope to make the best of the two days that I have here. The weather forecast hadn't been that favourable, but it couldn't have been much nicer than the day we woke up to on our first full day.

Rather than wax on about the property, I think I might just let some of the pictures speak for themselves. There were lots more where these came from.

Nelson is the closest city to Sparrowhawk and it's about 45 minutes away. Throughout the summer, they have a Farmer's Market and we decided that it'd be nice to take in the market while accomplishing a couple of chores in town. It's still a bit early for a lot of local produce up here, but there was plenty of tasty treats to be had. Unfortunately, I didn't bring along a bottle of wine with us but the market's location by a small waterfall would have made for a great picnic and addition to The List.

We made up for the lack of a bottle at the market by enjoying a sip upon our return to Sparrowhawk however. Mom Mary inherited a number of old fruit trees when she purchased the property and she still gets a good crop of plums and apples - if the bears and deer don't get them all first. It's still a bit early for the bears to be venturing onto her property, but we did see more than a couple of deer wandering around. I hadn't expected, however, to see a pair of alpacas on the opposite bank when I took a stroll down to the river.

Irrespective of the local fauna, it's still too early for plum season, but somehow it seemed appropriate to open a bottle from Forbidden Fruit to celebrate the whole garden-esque nature of Sparrowhawk - particularly since the winery plays with the whole Garden of Eden theme and Mom Mary does have her own little corner of paradise. This was one of the wineries that Boo and I had made a quick visit to on our drive up.

492. 2008 Forbidden Fruit Plumiscuous (Similkameen Valley)

Plumiscuous is a fortified red plum wine and it has been a consistent award winner for the winery since they started making it a few years back. In fact, Forbidden Fruit is playing a big part in opening folks' eyes to the attractiveness of fruit wines - particularly on the dessert wine front.

A bonus attraction to this bottle was owner, Steve Venables', confirmation that it would make a great addition to a birthday martini featuring a little Absolut and some muddled cherries from the neighbouring lands.

It was good for Boo and I that we didn't have any other takers on the martinis. With only a 375ml bottle, there wouldn't have been much of the wine left for sipping - and that would have been a sin.