Hotel du Vin, Cambridge. Shmokin’

Shmokin' (and Freezin'!)

There are a few lessons I need to learn in life. One of them is that I don’t like cigars, a fact that I seem to forget EVERY time I drink single malt whisky. I get carried away by the peaty booziness and convince myself I am really in a dusty Havana club, then light up a bad boy. Then I cough up a lung and the illusion dissipates faster than a fart in a wind tunnel.

Hotel du Vin in Cambridge is so damn comfortable, cosy and indulgent we barely actually saw any of Cambridge at all, remaining ensconced within the hotel walls. A cigar bothy in the back garden proved a haven of such deliciousness that I once again fell prey to Cohiba-shaped crime. I could have swum laps in the bathtub, moulded into the bed and I finally learnt to use a Nespresso!

Domaine les Aphillanthes at La Trouvaille, Soho

I took a few folk from the Rendez-Vous Francais de Londres to a wine-tasting at my favourite Frenchy hangout in central London, La Trouvaille… This particular wine-club evening was themed on biodynamic wines from the Côtes du Rhône, showcasing specifically a selection from a small domaine by the name of Les Aphillanthes, run by husband and wife duo Daniel and Helène Boulle who got into biodynamic viticulture after discovering that their son suffered strong allergies which this kind of vine growing could prevent.

Wining in London – the new Social Network

I moved to London 6 months ago after a 5 year absence swanning around Italy (swanning purposefully I might add) and then basking in the Surrey countryside. London is a scary city if you don’t know many people. For all its 8 million or so inhabitants and frenetic life pace, its damned hard to actually meet people. Facebook, twitter, etc. are all brilliant for following what your ex roommate in New Jersey is doing on her holidays, or knowing what so-and-so you were in Math class with is eating for lunch, but really, how social is it? Not a great deal. I didn’t see my nightlife getting any more glamorous thanks to a status update.

Bottoms Up: Where is the Itinerant Epicure?

This month I can mostly be spotted at the following wine events…