I’m sorry, white lovers, but you’re just going to have to bear with me when it comes to white wine, I just always forget to buy it. Plus, it’s got awfully chilly all of a sudden and I’m really after some vin chaud not a chilled white wine. Sadly, this isn’t Les Alps, it’s Rutland (not so sadly) and vin chaud is off the menu.

The weather affects me, despite my best intentions. My latest mad moment was to paint my living room black, film noir. I have been meaning to for quite some time, and with a brief interval between grown up stuff, I cracked on inspired by winter, a beautiful, kind person called Flora and the Instagram account of Abigail Ahern. I’ve also got to give some credit to the decor of Stamford’s Wine Bar, I feel I was subliminally motivated by those shadowed walls…and luckily I absolutely love the result.

Here you can see how it looked before…(boring right)

But now…

 

It’s really difficult to capture the room at night with all my candles lit, the green of the plants glinting in the light and the red wine practically biblical in the shadows, but you can imagine, it’s pretty epic.

And as for wine, this evening,  I slinked down to the cellar and selected a screw cap because one is feeling lazy. Somehow I chose the delightful Syrah I’ve been saving, it is one of the most delicious wines I have tasted in a while.

Stonecroft Crofters Syrah 2015

New Zealand 12.5%

Twelve Green Bottles, £15.95

This interesting bottle of red is certified organic and low in free sulphites thanks to being hand made in a traditional sense. It’s quite pricey but I would definitely buy it again due to the sheer silkiness of this wine, you could easily drink an entire bottle in one sitting with no company, it’s just so damn smooth. There is a tasting note I really can’t work out, and it’s bothering me. I think it’s nutmeg…it takes me back to when I was in Grenada on the market, and beautiful women covered in flowers asked me if I wanted nutmeg every 5 minutes but then there’s the richness of plum and blackberries, scratching that itch for vin chaud perfectly. It’s like sunshine and autumn in a bottle, beautiful.

So I thought I had already review this but I haven’t so here you go:

Ponte Pietra 2016

Merlot Corvina

This Italian Merlot is my ‘go-to’ in The Bull & Swan, a delightful pub in Stamford. I first got into it thanks to their cinema evenings. Throughout summer (and I believe they are doing a Halloween special and showing the NYE fireworks) The Bull & Swan have been hosting an outdoor cinema every Thursday night. They have a pub garden which provides all the vegetables they use in the kitchen, and on Thursdays they make the most delicious pizzas to accompany the film. The Italian Merlot (there’s a Chilean Merlot too) is delicious and consistently enjoyable, go visit.

Les Dauphins Blanc de Blancs NV

Sparkling Wine, £12.99 Waitrose

I’m sure this was on offer when I bought it, I don’t remember feeling that baller for sparkling wine. I cracked this open in celebration of the wall noir. I found it very drinkable, quite minerally and sweet if that makes any sense. However, my sister wouldn’t have a second sip…so a bit risky for £12.99 perhaps.

Do I really need to review Casillero del Diablo, we all know it’s an extremely reasonable rich tasty red, stock up the wine rack.

Have a great week x