Drummer Drumming

New political parties emerging which favour the stop to migrants, reintroducing borders and preserving the cultural identity of that country, also combining a new independent economy which will bring custom duties into play and protect the local producers. France is a good example, with the FN party and Greece flexed it muscle just recently.  One example here in the UK is the dairy farmer, imports are slowly closing them down one by one and very soon we will have no dairy industry. The question must be asked, if our esteemed politicians upset a few other counties where will we get our milk from? My feeling is that politicians should take note, this will not go away. This could see the end to the EU and also some radical parties taking over. Most politicians smell a little and the man in the street is getting tired of broken promises and higher taxes. The drummer is drumming.

Just came back from a walk on the beach with Sam and we were watching a dog barking at the waves, that's a war that will never end. Cool but dry with a slight breeze, quite a pleasant day but not so for Susan who has had rain all the way to Colchester, bringing Robert home for the holidays. Saying that, we normally take about 4 hours to get there but that Panda has just broken all the records and did it in 3 hr 21m. I can’t imagine what speed she averaged but for that Panda it must have been fun. Now the trip back with all Robert’s paraphernalia, it might take a little longer.

On to the wine lesson.

Riesling (white):

First of all, it's pronounced reez-ling not rise-ling. Second of all, it's a fantastic white grape so shouldn't be given such a hard time. It makes some of the most sensational white wines in the world, plus it can be really dry a lot of the time. That said, the slightly sweeter ones are great with Indian food. Riesling tastes of limes, honey and elderflower.

Recommendation : Drink with Asian food. German Riesling with sweet and sour pork, Australian Riesling with sushi. 
Little known fact : Australia is a hotbed of gorgeous dry Riesling action these days, especially from places like Clare Valley and Eden Valley in South Australia.

Merlot (red):

Merlot is popular because it's easy to say, easy to drink and often easy on the wallet. On its own, it can make a wine that tastes of plums, fruitcake and sometimes black olives and eucalyptus. You heard it here for the first time, yes eucalyptus.

Recommendation : Mushroom risotto or sticky Chinese ribs. 
Little known fact : Merlot is really important as part of a blended wine, especially in claret (red Bordeaux) where it is usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Very easy to drink. The only wine I could compare Merlot with is Corbiere, which can only be bought in France. Both are so easy to drink and delicious. A glass is gone before one realises it was there.