I only mention Richard because I know he’s a fan of Beaujolais. It’s certainly good to holiday in a wine region and be able to drink the wine and see the vey vines they geese the grapes at the same time. We do have a vineyard about four miles from our house on the south coast of England that makes award winning spartkling wine, and a couple of years ago they released their first bottles of pinot noir. But it’s not cheap and so more for high days and holidays. Cru Beaujolais is not cheap either - a lot of the vielles vignes Fleurie is around €16. It is very nice though.
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You are a lucky guy, Nigel, wines with finesse, elegance an depth will be the wines of the future and you are in it. Enjoy holidays and loads of fine Beaujolais! 
Opened this when we got home from Delamere Forest Live last night after an entertaining set from Noel Gallagher. Continued over lunch today and now noticed how green it is on appearance, unusual for Chardonnay in my experience though am sure our resident MW will correct me! NZ Chardonnay is definitely in my sweet spot if this one from Felton Road and the Kumeu River range are anything to go by (unlike their Sauvignon Blanc 
)
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Will be opening this Cote du Rhone later, but as it is so hot, I’m sneaking in a quick glass of chilled kiwi Sauvignon Blanc (any excuse)
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Unusual indeed. (Although cooler climates make it more likely) Especially for aged, and with oak. Probably more due to being sealed with screwcap than anything else, and Felton Road do make very precise and clean wines. Cheers.
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Mystery bottle: 2014 Mosel. I think it’s a Trittenheimer Apotheke.
It’s very refreshing despite muted acidity.
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“You’v got to ask yourself, Well do you feel lucky? |”
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Thanks Rod. Just finished the bottle accompanying a very decadent lobster roll and followed with a 2017 Pouilly Fuisse - such a contrast in colour and palate - these Chardonnays are anything but one dimensional! Must admit I am glad I didn’t get that Felton Road in my WSET L3 blind tasting though….
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Great drop Quickben
If you ever see the FR Block 2 charddoney grab a bottle , pricey but sublime
Cheers
Bevo
You’re very fortunate HH to be able to pop accoss the channel for a lovely holiday in some of the best wine regions in the world. I am certainly envious, but it does my heart good knowing that the lot of you have that opportunity. I’ve been trying to get the missus to consider a retirement move to the UK (I am a citizen), but it doesn’t seem hopeful at this point.
I do enjoy reading about yours and other’s holiday trips though. Living vicariously and all …
We have quite a few local vineyards here within a 2 hour drive, whose vines are getting quite well established now, but for some reason (taxes?) the prices are too high and I can buy much better wines for much less from Europe and S America, even though they have to ship them 7000 miles to get here.
The same goes for beer.
The grass really is always greener it would seem …
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The grass is always greener, indeed.
I shall stay in France.
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I absolutely love France, but with my health issues and something that happened in 2016 the idea of living there has dissipated. It’s much more laid back than the U.K. and people seem to know how to enjoy things more but hey ho. We are staying a few days in Reims next month; I here they make some pretty decent wine nearby.
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I think the south of France is one the nices places I’ve been too, I could easily spend our winters there.
I had a very good bottle of Chateau De Charmes from Niagara on the Lake the weekend before last. It perhaps helped that I’d had it a while so it had some bottle age on it. It’s one of a number of Canadian wines that my BiL would bring with him, many from when he was posted on mission in North Africa, and they had to serve Canadian wines to their diplomatic guests.
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Very interesting. And yes, these Niagara region vineyards have been producing some excellent wines, on par with some of the old world wine regions.
It does disturb me though that I have to pay a comparatively high price for these local wines when I could walk to the bloody wineyard! Lol.
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Retirement move to the UK? Scratching head.
Right on topic, unlike me. Apologies
Many reasons. But yes, that would be for another thread.
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There does seem to be a very anachronistic approach to the sale of wine in North America. A friend that was importing excellent South African wines into Connecticut had massive restrictions on marketing it down the road in NY and some folk we met on a wine tour of Chile who lived in Ontario but closer to Quebec were able to drive and collect from the next province but could not have it delivered which was a huge issue during the pandemic. A real shame that derogating alcohol licensing has made it so difficult to enjoy the local wines.
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