Andy Rodker's photos with the keyword: Kitchen table

For Isabel / Xata

16 Jan 2023 20 34 251
A long description follows. Sorry! But please bear with me. I bought this excellent Portugese red (a good blend of the grapes stated on the label - an attractive label by the way!) at The Old Chapel Wine shop in Truro, Cornwall. They have an excellent range there. This shop used to be Laymont and Shaw, a well known firm back in the day, specialising in Spanish wines before they became fashionable. They actually had wine shipped in from Spain as the shop backs onto the tiny River Fal inlet that is the 'port' in Truro. Anyway, in the early 1980s, I used to drive down to Cornwall from London to visit relatives in Zennor from time to time and on the way back would stop off here to pick up my Dad's annual allocation of Vega Sicilia Unico and Essencia. These are without doubt what are known as 'trophy wines' and are famous as being Spain's greatest reds. They were then (and I think still are) on special allocation only and my parents (who then owned the award-winning wine shop the Wine House in Wallington, Surrey) were fortunate enough to be allowed an allocation of 10 cases of each of these special wines! I mentioned this to the current owner and we spent hours discussing all aspects of the wine trade these past 40 years! I still have some Vega Sicilia here in my Dad's Cellar. I think it's the 1990 (I'll check tomorrow, as we have only recently disposed of the last of my 1970s on my mum's birthday - it was still fresh and lively and extremely complex and very rich; a wine hedonist's dream!!) My Dad still has a 67 but it's so low in the neck that it must have expired by now - a pity! I'll take photos of my 'specials' and post them here one day. Sorry to bore you non-wine lovers!