Wnco Mwnco

04/10/2026

After an eventful week on my socials, I thought I'd, you know, do a little post about w**e for a change.

Here's some newbies.

Can you imagine being a w**ery that's so good that the powers that be decide to create a new region with only you in it? Well that's what Rafael Tirado managed to do in the Maule Valley of Chile and these w**es are now labelled as D.O. Colbún.

I'm hoping to get Rafa's nephew over in the spring to tell you about them, but for now, we have sexy Sancerre-esque Sauvignon with moreish pithy grapefruit flavours, super generous strawberry and summer pudding Pinot Noir, bone dry Riesling, all nervy electricity, recently judged to be the Best Riesling in the Southern Hemisphere™, plus a delicious pale and juicy País.

Next up we have a couple of delicious new organic w**es from Famille Fabre in the Languedoc - vibrant Syrah with a blob of Viognier to keep it friendly and approachable, and a light and crunchy Cinsault with no added sulphites. Bargainous.

And finally the top w**e from J.Laurens in Limoux - a seriously swanky looking bottle and a lovely w**e inside. I pictured it with just one glass because, frankly, I wouldn't dream of sharing it.

**e **e **e

30/09/2026

Of course, I'm not a lifesaver - I'm just a bloke who is horrified by the things he sees on the news and can't keep quiet about it.

And while I've received waves of vile personal attacks against myself, my family and my business in the past few days, just for voicing my support for the RNLI, I take huge encouragement from the love I have received and all the additional customers who have walked through the door as a result to show their support.

For these are the people who really care about their communities and their country, not the mindless morons waging made-up wars against anyone who doesn't look white enough, just because some self-serving crypto-financed grifter tells them to punch downwards, rather than looking at the real cause of their disenfranchisement

Barely literate insults from keyboard warriors and bots don't scare me at all because I know they are a tiny (if shouty) minority.

Because my post on Saturday was a little ambiguous about when it was happening I've decided to donate £2 for every bottle sold over both Saturday and Monday, plus some extra cash donations that generous customers left with me.

This is a small gesture of support and I hope others will now do what they can to take up the mantle, where they can and in their own way, because these people need to understand that the vast majority of the population fundamentally disagrees with their actions and abhors their rhetoric.

26/09/2026

Doubling down.

24/09/2026

18/09/2026

**e

08/09/2026

Proud to support Cardigan RFC in their 150th year.

The club is opposite my house, and was a great place to meet people when I first moved to the area, so it's nice to give something back. And although I was wearing the red rose of England when I first walked in, I was told I had some very big b0110cks and was bought lots of drinks - that tells you everything you need to know about what a welcoming place this town is.

Unfortunately due to shop commitments I rarely get to see a game these days, but after starting the season with a tremendous win over Whitland on Saturday, I wish the boys continued success for the remainder of the season.

**eandrugby

24/08/2026

Lovely pork chop from Moch Coch and some very local veg... but this post is not about the dinner.

Suffice to say I was not best pleased when a case of 2025 Waterkloof W**es Chenin I ordered arrived as 2022 vintage - it's a very slow mover, and while I was confident the w**e would still have life in it, I thought a more recent vintage would look more appealing on my shelves.

I could have tried to send it back and get it replaced, but thought I'd taste a bottle first - and I was blown away. What an absolute stunner of a w**e! Fresh as a daisy, plenty of life ahead of it, this is mineral and taut with brittle acidity, gentle white peach and floral notes - pure class from first sip to last. Perhaps not your typical Cape Chenin as it doesn't have the usual Rooibos-tinged tanginess - this is probably more like something very expensive from the Loire.

Biodynamically farmed and quietly natural in a non-funky way, and hailing from a w**ery that is a WWF Conservation Champion too for good measure!

**e **es

22/08/2026

Shiny and new!

Introducing three new w**es from esteemed w**emaker Rob Hall in the Yarra Valley, Australia. With Hall's emphasis on highlighting the local terroir and on using minimal intervention techniques, these three w**es have laser focus and lovely complexity.

Chardonnay - mostly whole bunch press and with some of the fruit having 24hrs skin contact, the idea is to achieve texture and character with the fruit mass and lees rather than oak. The result is one of the purest Chardonnays I have ever tasted - complex and delicious, and a far cry from the fat buttery overoaked Aussie Chardos that (let's face it) put everyone off this wonderful grape for so long.

Pinot Noir - this and the above are probably the most important varieties in the Yarra, and this is a beautiful example of why that is. Again, purity is the word at the forefront of my mind, it really is a super example of an Aussie Pinot. Nice fruit, delicate spice from large old oak barrels, perfectly balanced acidity and tannins - it's a stone cold banger.

Cabernets - unbeknownst to this humble wino in the sticks, Australian w**eries have been happily using the word Cabernets to refer to their Bordeaux blends, and this is just that. Mostly Cab Sav, a chunk of Merlot and a little blob of Malbec, this is bright, fresh and generous, with dark berry fruit and a hint of spice. The balance of fruit, acidity and tannins is just spot on here, and (as with all three w**es) the alcohol level will not leave you regretting it the next morning - a good job because this is very smashable.

I tasted samples of all three a week or so ago, and ordered a load in the very next day - suffice to say, I can't wait to drink these again!

**e **e

13/08/2026

Enjoying the eclipse down on the quay, seemed somewhat apocalyptic with the sun being eaten and the river flowing backwards...

Well fed and 'watered' as ever by the BOCS DU bois.

01/08/2026

All part of the service!