You do have to ask, is there an alternative topic of conversation this week other than the Royal Wedding? Well even if there is I don't want to know as I'm so excited to see Prince Harry finally tie the knot. Will it last? Well, who know but all I know is there's one heck of a wedding coming our way.
So what to drink to get into the royal wedding vibe? Well of course I've got a few thoughts on that front.
Megan Markle is a self confessed lover of red wine, she specifically loves big Italian reds and even more specifically her favourite type of Italian red wine is Tignanello (pronounced Teen-ya-nello). In fact she loves this wine so much she named her (now defunct) blog after this wine's nickname "Tig". Megan describes when she first tasted Tig as an "Ah-ha" moment for her with regards to wine, she apparently said this is when she understood what great wine was all about when it came to complexity & quality. So for her, from that point on, all "Ah-ha" moments on any subject became "Tig" moments.
Tignanello is an Italian blend of wine that is predominantly Sangiovese - it is most certainly a premium wine and one of the illustrious "Super Tuscan" wines and will set you back at least $100, however, I have found a beautiful example of a Sangiovese predominant blend from Tuscany that will cost you $20. The Rocca Delle Macie Rubizzo IGT is an amazing ruby red colour. with intense but smooth savory flavour bursting with ripe red fruit. Also, a perfect one to sip on a cold winters night while watching the royal wedding.
When Megan's not sipping Tig, she loves a Rosé (a girl after my own heart) she is quoted as saying when it's summer and she's out with her girlfriends it's "Rosé all day". Well, imagine my delight when I came across a beautiful, dry, easy drinking Rosé from Soho Wine Co called none other than "Harry". Harry is a Marlborough Rosé which is a delish light pink with flavours of strawberry and raspberries. Perfect. Only one hitch though, Harry is an on-premise only wine so if you want a glass of him, you are going to have to hunt him down in select bars throughout the country...(Probably wouldn't be the first to try to hunt down a prince in a bar...)
Rumour has it that the Queen enjoys a glass of Champagne every evening (hasn't HRH heard of AFDs?), and if there is anything that screams royal wedding it's vintage champagne. Well lucky for us Moët & Chandon Grand has just released their latest 2009 vintage champagne. I've mentioned here before the significance of a vintage champagne, but to recap, a vintage is only released in the best years as it is taken from the grapes of just one year, whereas non-vintage (NV) wines are taken from a blend of several years for consistency. A vintage champagne must be aged for a minimum of three years but this one has been aged for 9 (7 of which on lees). Considering how highly regarded the 2008 Champagne vintage was it really was expected to be a hard act to follow but Chef de Cave (Champagne Wine Maker Big Boss) Benoit Gouez believes this to be even better. The 2009 has a lot more pinot noir (50% to 2008's 40%) which gives it hints of plum & red fruit alongside the citrus & apples and mutes some of the acidity. All that and of course Moët has a royal warrant - need I say no more. Ok, alright, it's definitely not cheap at $100 but this may be the last royal wedding we see until George ties the knot - let's push the boat out & enjoy!
To hear my chat with Wendyl Nissen on the Long Lunch about all things Royal Wedding click the link below while I get on with polishing my tiara....