A short sweep into London to visit friends and meet with my never-before-met editors of everyone’s favorite wine zine (after The Feiring Line, of course), @noblerotmag. But first a trip to @shrinetothevine (a Noble Rot operation—with a great selection on those shelves) for an intimate To Fall in Love, Drink This book event.
Well, it wasn’t just about the book. It was about Alice presiding over a studied tasting of the wines chosen and delivering a two-hour lecture. I sucked in a breath and somehow, took off. I don’t want to clog this letter up with stuff that I put on Instagram, so if you want to check that out... head here.
In other London news: the restaurant Sune, named after the beloved Sune Rosforth, the Copenhagen importer. Owners Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims have worked respectively at Rosforth & Rosforth and Noma. With that kind of experience they delivered the restaurant of the moment. Compromised by what they refer to as a “gastro” (a bug, not a pub), I wasn’t in top eating form but managed spectacular griddled flatbread and winter tomatoes that were worthy and brilliantly paired with a salsa verde.
Now, let’s talk about PORTUGAL!
Most people don't wake up in the morning and say, "I'd like to drink Portuguese wine today." But time to change that. There's a lot to discover from the Atlantic salty whites, to rounder lush ones, fabulous field blends that can be rosé or structured with fine edges or with a low alcohol refreshing crunch and everything else as well. Most importantly there's a crop of wines that speak Portuguese proudly.