Last week of January eh? Bit of a grim time all things considered - what seems to be endless gray days, all that let's-get-back-to business after the festive season workload, the collapse of our cricketeers down under (I think I know what the next 'An Apology' column in the Eye might say), the lack of interesting food around (the new season blood oranges is about the best I can look forward too) and, for some of us, the prospect of another week without the comfort of a nice glass of wine as we complete the January detox.
I've relaxed my previous total January ban a bit this year, as I explained last week, but for those of you still grimly hanging on, there is one reason to rejoice - it's a great time to buy wine for when you can drink again.
While prices seems to be rising everywhere, as my wine recommendations in the Independent on Sunday this week illustrate, there are plentiful bargains for wine drinkers out there, whether it is about big reds to warm the body and soul or cheapish whites for midweek meals and whether you are shopping in your local supermarket or online.
Here is the column: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/wines-of-the-week-carchelo-jumilla-2009-champteloup-chardonnay-vin-de-pays-du-val-de-loire-2009-rockbare-tinder-box-mclaren-vale-shiraz-2008-2188854.html
These are not, I should stress, wines that fall into that category of almost permanently discounted, big brand labels, that sometimes dominate the supermarket shelves. Those wines are wines which are often rarely worth the full price of £7 or £9 or whatever; their real worth is at £4.99. These wines are, I hope, genuine bargains as dealers clear their shelves to make way for new bottles.
So, stock up the wine cellar, stoke up the fire, experiment with some new casserole recipes, (Tonight I'm going for mixed game - a big thank you to The Wild Meat Company - with mushrooms, chestnuts and parsley dumplings), and take comfort in another warming mouthful of a big red. Or just admire that bargain bottle and tick off another January day.
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