Last week seemed to be one of those where feet scarcely touched the ground. Tuesday saw Sarah and myself up at Franzl's Austrian Restaurant in Bearwood for what turned out to be a fabulous extravaganza of the very best in Austrian food and wine. For the record, Hans Gsellmann's Weissburgunder, Bernhard Ott's Fass 4 Gruner Veltliner and Fritz Wieninger's Trilogie were my wine picks for the night. Many thanks indeed to Adolf and Val from Franzl's for being such magnificent hosts.
Thursday was our daughter Abi's 18th (I know, its hard to believe isn't it?!) which demanded another gastronomic feast at Shogun Teppanyaki on Brindley Place - a huge thank you to Robert and Felma from all of us.
After a much needed ride down to Long Compton in Saturday's sunshine, I conducted a staff training session for another customer last night when, as is so frequently the case, Erni Loosen's Estate Riesling stole the show. This is just so beautifully balanced with just a hint of sweetness and a fabulous cleansing acidity on the finish.
Hopefully I shall get a few more miles in this evening - John O'Groats - Lands End beckons at the begininning of June, time for some serious training.
You really should have been there………………
There are tastings and then there are tastings and last month we served up the most phenomenal Italian Masterclass in the company of Michael Palij, Master of Wine, who steered us through some of his most recent discoveries (notably a Sardinian quartet which provided all the evidence you need of the revolution taking place in the island’s vineyards and cellars).