An Englishman in Bordeaux

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Last week I was lucky enough to go on my first trip to Bordeaux to taste the 2009s at the very best chateaux. Our group was dubbed “˜the chairman’s group’ that comprised of Johnny Goedhuis (the chairman), myself, Mark and Jamie. Following on from the exceptional hard work of team one in the UGC week, our job was to confirm our position on the 2009 vintage.

We flew out to Bordeaux last Sunday on a relatively wine-trade free plane and were welcomed by gorgeous sunshine. After a quick turn around at the hotel, Mark, Jamie and I decided to go for a Sunday afternoon walk à la français. Of course with Mark and Jamie around this inevitably lead us to a nearby bar and a relaxing drink in the sunshine.

After our drinks arrived, Mark looked a little disappointed. Jamie and I were a little confused because his glass of provençal rosé looked delicious. It wasn’t the wine that was the problem but the size of the (French) glass.

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So….we called the waiter over and this time ensured we asked for a “˜grand verre du vin’, much to the amusement of our fellow (French) drinkers. To my amazement the waiter stepped up and made an Englishman much happier and all the more ready for 4 days of en primeur tasting!

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