Five Days/Five Wines: Saturday 9th July
Siva and Phil pop round for a coffee; forewarned I picked up three Butterscotch Pecan Yum Yum’s from Waitrose (99p each if you were wondering). Phil arrives just after 2. Siva ten minutes later but hovers outside, phone in one-hand, cigarette in the other. He tits around by ringing the door-bell incessantly. Phil pokes him through the letter box with a garden cane – oh, the larks we have. We are still chatting, bitching, moaning, laughing as I crack open a bottle of white at 6. Siva doesn’t drink and with a two hour journey to endure announces its time to depart – having ignored his wife’s ‘where are you’ calls for the last half hour. He eventually gets in his car at 7.

One of our ‘crap TV evenings’ (is there any other?) await. A Chinese takeaway is ordered. Why is it only Pizza places deliver and not Indian restaurants or Chinese? It is hardly an ordeal mind as The Beijing Diner is only five walk minutes away, but still…

The Californian white was destined for the Sunday Chicken dish (A recipe from the August issue of Delicious Chicken with White Wine, Shallots and Tarragon), so the dregs are returned to the fridge and, with an inspirational flourish a sample of Freixenet Cordon Oro Semi Seco Cava is extracted from the salad tray.

This is a new Cava just launched for the Summer, created in “an easy-to-drink style with fruity apple, pear and citrus notes, it is wonderful as an aperitif, or the perfect smooth accompaniment to dessert and cheese”. We can also report that it was rather decent with plates stacked with Peppered Ribs, Spring Rolls, Chicken Balls with Tibetan Curry Sauce and Egg Fried Rice. Plus Prawn Crackers.

Freixenet Cordon Oro Semi Seco NV traditional method sparkling [Adegga / Snooth] is available from Waitrose and the Co-Op for £9.49.