Dear <<First Name>>
The advent of a new year makes me think of Chance the Gardener – the idiot-savant in Hal Ashby’s film Being There. It was Chance who said that, "First comes spring and summer, then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again", a platitude that is considered profound by many, including the fictional President "Bobby" of the United States.
But maybe Chance had a point. Marooned as we are (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) in the darkness of winter, with a pandemic still raging in many places, it’s comforting to look forward to the imminent arrival of spring – the seasonal promise of renewal and new growth. Chance’s sentiments are not so far from those expressed so memorably by the poet Philip Larkin in his poem, The Trees: “Last year is dead, they seem to say, Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.”
I’ve been reading James Rebanks’ wonderful first book The Shepherd’s Life and he says something similar about the landscape and its ability to endure, dwarfing the lifespan of a single individual. "We are born, live our working lives and die," he writes, "passing like the oak leaves that blow across our land in the winter." Rather than make us value life less, this should make us treasure it more, even in times that are depressing and seemingly hopeless.
Just as wine teaches us that there will be another vintage, another growing season, another conjunction of seasons, so we must remember that, as the Persian proverb would have it, "this too shall pass".
Here’s to 2021 – a new, and hopefully better, year.
|
|
In Search Of Familiarity
We wine geeks are always in search of novelty - of new aromas, new flavours, unfamiliar grapes and regions. But does the general wine drinker share our desire for vinous novelty? In her first article of 2021, Margaret Rand explores how familiarity in wine is important – and just what most people want.
|
|
|
|
94 points
The four friends who run this small, yet hugely exciting winery in the hills of Ribeira Sacra specialise in hunting down tiny vineyard plots and turning them into refreshing, refined, palate-cleansing reds. This is potpourri of at least five local grapes – Mencía, Mouratón, Garnacha Tintorera, Caiño and Bastardo – and is a like a Spanish take on Beaujolais mixed with a little Syrah and Cabernet Franc, albeit with a personality that is all its own. Scented, peppery and elegant, it has notes of rose petal, tangerine and red berries with crunchy acidity, granular tannins and a long, spicy finish. Utterly delicious.
£25.40, 12%, The Sourcing Table
Fancy a new year treat? The Sourcing Table, which imports this wine among many other delicious offerings, is offering my readers 15% off their first order (excluding shipping). It’s an excellent selection in which, I should add, I have no commercial interest. Just use the code TIMATKIN15 at the checkout.
|
|
|
Some faces are so expressive that their picture almost takes itself. All the photographer has to do is find the right background and shoot away. Nivaldo Morales has one of these faces. One so full of expression – of a life lived on the land. He’s a grower in Chile’s Maule Valley whom I visited at the very beginning of last year with Derek Mossman of Garage Wine Co. We spent a memorable hour tasting with him in the middle of his old vineyards, a memory I treasure even more in retrospect.
If you’re interested in buying signed prints of any of my photos, email me at admin@timatkin.com.
|
|
|
"If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be in your revolution," said the anarchist and feminist Emma Goldman. I don’t share all of her politics, but I certainly agree about dancing. There are times when we need music to get us up on our feet and this is one of them. No song fits the bill better for me than Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire. It’s not about the lyrics, it’s all about the beat – and the outfits!
PS If you like my weekly music recommendations, I have collected them on my Spotify playlist titled ‘Music to Drink Wine to’.
|
|
Jean-Charles Boisset is a hoot – an entrepreneur, a tireless innovator and a brand in his own right. He was brought up in Burgundy, where his family owns Boisset, the region’s largest producer, and now lives in California, where he’s in charge of the Boisset Collection of West Coast wineries. We talked about Pinot Noir, kickboxing, biodynamic farming, perfume and how to learn from your failures.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews.
|
|
As well as my weekly Podcasts with some of the wine world’s leading lights, I interview the subject at greater length on Instagram Live, so you can join in and ask some questions of your own.
These are on my @timatkinmw account. You can watch back-episodes on my IGTV channel, or join us on the night.
|
|
I’m delighted to kick off the new year with the publication of my third comprehensive Ribera del Duero Top 100. It’s an exercise in tasting which becomes more interesting with each year. Of course, I wasn’t able to visit the region in person last year, but I have assessed over 400 of its top wines at home. Not to mention conducting more than 30 in-depth video interviews with key producers. My selection this year includes two 99-point wines and – for the first time – a pair of Ribera del Duero whites, reflects the growing focus in the region on elegance and terroir expression. You can download it from my site for just £5.
|
|
Join Tim's 71,000 followers and keep up with the latest news.
|
|
If you would like to advertise here please contact us.
|
|
|
|
|
