Political wines?

The UK General Election is now entering its final stages. We have the last leaders televised debate to come this Thursday and then on Thursday 6th May we will cast our votes – or rather those of us that bother to do so. Actually the percentage of the population voting may well be higher than in recent elections due to the interest in the three leadership debates.

Poster advertising the Leaders’ debate

For the first time ever, our leaders have agreed to a televised debate and to many people’s surprise the debates have proved to be compelling television.

But enough of the politics, this post is about selecting appropriate wines for the three major parties according to their colours red (Labour), yellow-gold (Liberal Democrats) and blue (Conservative). This means that the first two are relatively straightforward.

Traditionally Labour would have been a full-bodied red – perhaps a Shiraz from Australia’s Barossa Valley, a Nero d’Avola from Sicily or an Alicante Bouchet from either Languedoc or Roussillon. But New Labour rather changed that moving towards a much lighter red – a light Gamay from the Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir from Alsace or the German Ahr Valley.

Our decision to kick off the 1997 results night when Tony Blair was swept to power with a bottle of Pommery Rosé proved to be all too prophetic! Some would argue that now under Brown the appropriate red should be a little more full-bodied – a Valpolicella Classico perhaps?

The Liberal-Democrats golden yellow points towards a sweet wine as it is too highly coloured for a Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet or a Pinot Grigio. I fancy the choice to be between a minerally Coteaux du Layon with enough acidity to carry off the sugar or a more cloying Sauternes. A decision on that may have to wait until after the election when we see what the Lib-Dems do if there is indeed a hung parliament.

Deep blue for the Conservatives inevitably poses problems narrowing the choice to Blue Nun – another brand that has been given a make-over!

Cheers!

(c) Jim Budd

Comments

[Luc Charlier]

Dear friend,


My first aim was to try and be slightly funny, and protest against Jim’s inuendo about alicante grape and the Roussillon. A course? I haven’t been a lecturer for a good 10 years now, and even then
people always found I had a tendency to patronize – nonsense, of course.
Last time I was in Portugal also dates back to a very remote past and I fear my comments would not be up-to-date.
Still, I’m not fishing for compliments or exhibiting some kind of “coquetterie”. Therefore, I suggest we could design a series of short notes about the various viticultural areas in Portugal, and
we could try to do this in collaboration with sweet Patricia Marques (the Sol’Art) and - why not ? - William Wouters (of Pazzo’s fame in Antwerp). You know he recently married Filippa Pato and
swiftly turned into a real Portuguese wines connoisseur. A cross-breed between an excellent Flemish sommelier, a wine enthusiast and the subluminal learning he gets on the pillow: this is the mix
we want!

Looking forward to reading your feeling,
Friendly yours,


Luc

[Hervé LALAU]

I remember vividly an excellent Alicante Bouschet from Quinta do Carmo (Alentejo), before they were in the hands of the Rothschilds.
Dark, fruity,velvety,ripe but not coarse. I think it was a 1987.

Luc, my blog is yours if you want to give us a course on good Portuguese wines... Did you keep any contacts there?

[Luc Charlier]

One should read "on the other hand" rather than "on the other end". It's a "Fehlleistung" (Bin's end, of course).

[luc charlier]

Oh dear, Oh dear,

This contribution makes for a very painful reading: my beloved grenache + carignan vineyards would be “contaminated” by the ill-famed Alicante. Ô rage, ô désespoir.

Alicante Bouschet (with an “s” by the way) was recommended in both Languedoc and Roussillon, but, being an hybrid, it is not allowed for “Appellation” wines. As such, its presence is steadily on
the decline in our region. As a matter of fact, I for one have not met a single Alicante vine in the whole of Roussillon, and I know of no-one claiming it in his/her wines. This doesn’t mean there
aren’t a few quicking around at a place or another.

On the other end, it thrives – literally, and produces outstanding blended wines – in the southern part of Portugal, certainly in Alentejo and the central vineyards both north and south of Lisbon.
Even some estates that have been taken over by the Rothschild company boast large quantities of this cultivar.

As you know, its juice is very dark, hence its reputation as “cépage teinturier”.

So, if you do not want me to resort to the Auld Alliance, and beg the French jacobine government to unite with the Lion Rampant once again, to kick the English rose back to its seyval vineyards
along the Bristol Channel, stop mentioning Alicante Bouschet in connection with our beautiful Northern Catalonia! Otherwise, we’ll “ ... send Proud Edward’s army homeward, tae think again!”

Oh yes, one more remark: it’s all humor (an attempt at) and, of course, I had a Celtic lady-friend for a while.


Luc Charlier
Dom de la Coume Majou

[Hervé LALAU]

Here in Belgium, we have the Greens - I might suggest a lively and bitter verdicchio, for they are always witty; and the Oranges (Christian Democrats). Colourwise, a Rivesaltes Ambré might do, but
they're not that sweet, really.
Some Blacks, also, in Antwerp - but would you associate Cahors with facism?
And by the way, judging by the their results (no lasting government, no institutional reform, no real economic program, a wider gap every year between the Flemish and the Wallons), we need wine to
forget the politicians.