Five Days/Five Wines: Friday 8th July
All I can manage this evening is a Bingham’s Ready Meal. It’s been a heck of a week, a hell of a day; so that even a Sipsmith/Fever Tree Gin and Tonic fails to raise the spirits. Slumping in front of Channel 4 news again I forget what time I had put the rice in the boiling water…

The posh ‘ready meal’ is a frim favourite – Charlie Bigham’s Indonesian Chicken Satay (Currently 20% off at £4.79). I even seem to have picked a box with a more generous portion of red pepper this time. A bottle of Spy Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand [Adegga / Snooth] has spent 20 minutes in the freeze box. I’m lost in thoughts of visiting South Sudan – a new country, impoverished, wild – wondering if they have an international airport? a hotel even? How easy would it be to tour…

Rice drained, its perfect. The wine is distinctly salmon coloured, fresh, strawberry and plum flavours and slightly off-dry or is it just full and deliciously fruity… Too tired to worry and anyway enjoying it immensely with the Bigham’s Satay. Another glass and these old bones and creaking muscles begin to relax, which will be down to the 14% alcohol I guess. Jamie Oliver seems overly intense as he turns ice into snow for some 30 minute dessert or other… I dip into twitter and discover bigpinots is a dad for the second time. In a clichéd manner I raise another glass of this rosé…

The Spy Valley Pinot Noir Rosé is also to be reduced during the Bibendum Summer Sale. Get 35% off was £11.83 down to £7.71 from the 19th July to the 1st August.

And talking of New Zealand I see Robert Giorgione has released his first book – An Epicurean Odyssey – A Road Trip Around New Zealand where a portion of the book sales will be donated towards the New Zealand Earthquake Appeal Fund.