Shameless, indulgent nostalgia .........

 1986: Wearing a Redmon Cycling Club sweat-shirt

During a slightly overdue tidy-up I came across some photos from the 1980s and 1990s. My apologies for the nostalgic and rather egotistical memories.  

 1986 Vaucluse: Max Hasender of Schwarzenfeld, 

Jim and Paul, Max's eldest son 

 

1986 Cycling in Bavaria 

 

 1986 Bavaria: Almost a white shirt – what can he have been thinking of?

1986 Bavaria: Max Hasender, Jim, CRM and Richard Hasender, Max's father

 February 1989 Muscadet CRM with a 

once serious wine writer visting François Bonnehomme

(above and below) 

on first assignment for Decanter

Pays Nantais with Gilbert Bossard  

Not sure of the date

 

Pays Nantais with Jean-Ernest Sauvion 

then of Château du Cléray and Maison Sauvion  

September 1992: being intronised into 

Les Entonneurs Rabelaisiens de Chinon

Glass of Chinoin already empty......

 

Hello Lisbon!

 

 The view down Rua da Sol ao Rato 

towards Largo do Rato 

Delighted to be back in Lisbon for about 10 days centred around the Adegga Wine Market on Thursday 1st December.  

 Casa dos Passarinhos, Campo d'Ourique

Our great neighbourhood restaurant

 Large succulent prawns in garlic

 Excellent Dão 2012, Quinta dos Carvalhais

very good value at 12.50€ a bottle 

(above and below)

Sainsbury's 25% off on 6+ wines – my Sherry amour!!

Sainsbury's have 25% off wines until 4th December if buy six or more bottles, which can be assorted. This offer includes their Sherries, so I have been cashing in on their excellent range of Taste the Difference 50cl bottles. All are sourced from the impeccable Emilio Lustau. I have been buying the Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso. These are a particularly good deal at the moment as the bottle price has been cut from the usual £8 to £7. Then take your 25% off, assuming you have invested in six or more and you end at just £5.25 a bottle. Stunning value! 

Forest Hill, London SE23: The famous sinkhole + Havelock Walk Open Studios

The sinkhole on 5th November 2016

A sinkhole is for Christmas ......... on Friday 4th November 2016 at the start of Perry Vale in Forest Hill in South London started to entertain its third sinkhole of 2016. The two previous were on the nearby railway line into London Bridge. As these photos taken today (27th November) show work to repair this sinkhole, which is now one of the most popular Forest Hill tourist sights, there is little sign that the repairs will be finished anytime soon. 

Looking eastwards along Perry Vale

(above and below)

The sinkhole gets ready to celebrate Christmas

Looking westwards up Perry Vale 

(above and below)

There has been some comment and comparison with a large sinkhole in Japan that that occurred around the same time but was very rapidly repaired – see here.

Will our SE23 sinkhole see in the New Year?

•••

Open Studios @Havelock Walk: 26th-27th November 2016:

 "It's all too much....!

 Paper Fish enlivening Saturday afternoon

(above and below)

Photos from the launch of Everledger/ Chai Wine Vault's on-line provenance record

 Part of Maureen Downey's collection of fakes 

Rupert Millar (The Drinks Business) checking 

a label under the guidance of Maureen Downey 

 "Oh dear this Pétrus 1945 bought 

in Deptford Market may be a fake!!!"

Maureen offers Rupert guidance 

Leoni Runge from Everledger explaining the new link up 

between them and Chai Wine Vaults.

Previously Everledger was providing on-line provenance 

for diamonds

Providing provenance for diamonds 

 A real 2001 Château Margaux with a 

fake 1934 La Tache 

(above and below)

Yesterday evening there was a brief presentation at 67 Pall Mall of new system from Everledger for providing an 'immutable' on-line record of high value wine. if this takes off this should provide a full record of a wine, who has owned it and where it has been stored etc. that cannot be tampered with.

If it becomes widespread for fine wine, it could also provide wine investors that companies, who have been persuaded them to buy wine as an investment, that this actually exists. This ought to make frauds perpetuated by companies such as The Bordeaux Wine Trading Company and Bordeaux Fine Wine Ltd, who failed to buy wine that their investor clients bought. Unfortunately this is unlikely to be foolproof as fraudsters target the elderly who may well not be aware of this new system.  

  Nick Martin of Wine Owners 

Nick thinks that his company may well adopt the new system

 The fake 1934 La Tache with the torch 

that is an essential tool of trade to authenticate a wine