Talking Wine – April 2014

President Obama was recently reported as having upset President Hollande by serving him cheap wine.

The White House has a policy of only serving American wine but with a total retail value of under £100 for the 3 bottles it was deemed a bit of an insult!! The wines came from the Napa Valley in California, Columbia Valley in Washington State and a sparkling wine which came from Virginia. This certainly represents an interesting mix and I am sure went splendidly with the caviar and Colorado ribeye. Perhaps Monsieur Hollande felt out of his comfort zone although apparently Obama said that Americans love all things French, assuming they know where France is!! I hope Mr Cameron takes note and serves him a top quality English sparkling wine which will be assumed to be a superior Champagne although I bet our naughty little Frenchman will not know the difference!

Researchers at Texas University have found that those who do not drink any alcohol have a higher mortality rate than those who drink heavily. The research concluded that those who drink moderately (2/3 drinks a day) had the lowest mortality rate. Just something worth pondering!!