Yippee! It’s that time of year again which canny, wine-loving readers pine for. No, silly, I’m not talking about Christmas. That’s still yonks away, even though the shops are already full of ghastly festive tat. Indeed, only last week, in search of a Soho loo stop after a magnum too many in the Academy Club, I found that Liberty, of all places, has an entire upper floor dedicated to Christmas. And, with the streaming September sun spotlighting plastic trees, fake wreaths, tacky tree toppers and sundry generic baubles, it looked like a pretty cheap and rubbishy Christmas they had in mind too. How the mighty are fallen.
Anyway, no, I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about our annual autumn offer of so-called ‘defrocked’ clarets (and one sauternes) from our old chums at FromVineyardsDirect. These wines might be cheap (comparatively) but they’re certainly not rubbishy, coming as they do from the finest estates in all Bordeaux. And I mean The Finest.
As I’ve explained with previous offers, these declassified wines represent the over-production of the very top châteaux, made by the same teams who make the fabled grands vins, in the same cellars, with the same kit and the same care and attention. I’m not allowed to name the châteaux but I am allowed to hint at them and you’re allowed to guess.
Claret and sauternes from the finest estates in all Bordeaux. And I mean The Finest
Oh, I forgot to say that FromVineyardsDirect’s Esme Johnstone, the remarkably well-connected truffle hound who sniffs out these bargains, has kindly lopped a quid off each bottle. This is more than generous, given that he could easily shift all the wines at full price. He does it out of long–standing affection for The Spectator and its readers, and I strongly recommend that you take advantage of this £12-a-case saving.
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