Best behaviour...

Playlist
Terje Rypdal – Skywards
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal
Billion Dollar Babies – Battle Axe

In FOPP at lunchtime (what a surprise that I was there!), I found The Bad Plus’ new album in the racks at £14...

I didn’t think it was out till early 2009 but here it was and it includes covers of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” and Yes’ “Long Distance Runaround”...

In fact the whole disc is covers...



I plan a purchase before next week...

In the evening, Anne came to meet me and we walked along to St Andrew Square and, a place I’ve never been before, Harvey Nichols Department Store...

The store itself was shut by now but we were heading for the still open top floor and the restaurant there and wine shop...

Chums Sid and Debbie have a subscription to wine-tasting evenings throughout the year but, due to unforeseen circumstances, couldn’t make it along tonight and had asked if we’d like to step in...

Hmmm, let me think...

And so here we were...

The French Sommelier was very entertaining indeed and we enjoyed an opening glass of champagne then six wines which retail for prices we’d baulk at paying, with each costing double that if ordered in their restaurant...

During the tasting we were treated to a plateful of cold meats and cheeses with bread and oatcakes...

We started on white with a light sweet and fruity Argentinian Torrontes followed by a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a distinctive smell of cat-pee (apparently normal for a good sauv-blanc)...

Then, my favourite of the night, a £41 French dry white Anjou which had a treacly, almost toffee apple taste to it...

The first of the three reds, another French, was smooth and sweet with a strawberry taste but was, for me, a little too weak to please...

A more full bodied Argentinian Cabernet Sauvingon followed, bearing a superb aroma, plenty of alcohol and a lovely oaked taste...

The last wine of the night was a Spanish Reserva wine, peppery, woody with a kind of sour dryness and a strong enjoyable after taste...

Then to the restaurant for a three course meal (soup/mackerel pate; sausage & mash/risotto; apple crumble/sticky toffee pudding) at the end of which we were well and truly stuffed...

We walked to the far end of Princes St and caught the bus home...

The difference between this and last week’s tasting at The Great Grog, was the lack of competitiveness – last week’s teams scenario meant we couldn’t learn about the wines as we tasted them, rather we had to guess for ourselves their origins, grape types and prices which, all in all, wasn’t very satisfying...

So, tonight was indeed, an excellent night...

Highlight of the Day : A “real” winetasting...