WINE & DINE WITH ANGELA LANSBURY

 At the Welwyn Wine Society Thursday evening Feb 26th, members and guests met the ambassador to the UK for Inter Rhône  wines from south east France. Trevor Sharot, Linda Field, Angela Lansbury. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Linda was born and brought up in Britain, so she speaks English, but has lived in the  Rhô ne area for many years. She gave a clear slide show about  Rhône   wines, with maps and charts.  As a child I was taught the song Sur Le Pont d'Avignon. For years as a child and adult in England I had no idea where was Avignon. Now I know it in the Rhone region, South east France. Of course one of the landmarks is the bridge. Most wine lovers and French speakers as well as researchers will know that Château is a Château, or castle. Neuf is new. And du Pape is of the Pope. So the Pope's new Château or new castle. It was built way back in the 1300s. It is usually described as his home. Others say it was his summer home. Some say he was lured in from Ita...

 Spanish is one of the easiest languages, as well as requiring the least number of hours to learn. But you find more Italian restaurants and food. Pizza, Prosecco, spagetti, Ferrero Rocher. I learned Italian for a year on Duolingo. Then I switched to Spanish. But I had started to forget the Italian. Should I go back to learning Italian? Duolingo offered me Italian for Spanish speakers and Spanish for Italian speakers. Since I am learning Spanish now, I chose Italian for Spanish speakers. Here are some handy words in both languages. Spanish - Italian - English adios - arrivederci - goodbye amigos - amici - friends buenas noches - buonasera - good evening de nada - prego - you're welcome  donde esta el bano - dove il bagno - where is the toilet gracias - grazie - thank you uno does tres - uno due tre - one two three Perfecto -  perfetto - perfect por favor - per favore - please Yo soy de - io sono di - I am from English - Spanish - Italian friends - amigos - amici goodbye -...

 I noticed the huge two handled cup used by the person next to me in Costa under Sainsbury's in Hendon, NW London. The cup is for a large drink. Massimo. Favoured by people who want to occupy a table for an hour or two or more. Whether for meeting friends, or, more usually, working at a laptop.  Why sit working in Costa, or any  Café ? Some people may be working from home, but to get away from distractions of family, noisy children, crying babies.  Or out of the office. Or between meetings in the area. We were waiting for deliveries. Or for appointments with tenants and letting agents. Or to wait for cleaners to finish cleaning a flat. Buying Cups With Two Handles You can buy these cups on line. The one from Costa was on ebay, used, at about twelve pounds in February 2026. Several more were at that price, in heavier porcelain. Lots of cheaper ones were in light weight plastic. For invalids, or the elderly.  More were on Amazon. Useful Websites for two handled c...

 A Fine Wine Lunch at Conus restaurant Cornus is a fruit. Look it up on the internet. Cornus is new but got its Michelin star fast.  BYO The Champagne Charlie song was about the man who started this wine Okay. Doubly okay. Mushroom canape, or gougere, which means in pastry. Compliments of the redtaurant. Extra. Amuse bouche. I have had five amuse bouche.  Useful Website on Cornus Restaurant https://cornusrestaurant.co.uk/

  Several were on sale in the huge Hendon branch of Sainsbury's. It has a big underground car park with wide spaces.  You can take a full trolley up or down the sloping moving walkway. Why don't they have those in airports.  Trolley and Pedestrian Slope I found the downward one quite scary to walk down. You step on to it. Your feet are at an angle. Whoosh - you are moving. Fortunately you will soon be at the bottom,, ground floor. this brings you  

 The club meets regularly every month on Wednesdays and in 2026 Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday, so the club enjoyed tasting wines on the Valentine's Day theme in advance - and in time to be inspired to buy some for Valentine's Day. Angela Lansbury at the Central London Wine Society meeting. The Central London Wine Society met at a Civil Service Club meeting room for a meeting on the theme of Valentine's Day. We told the story of St Valentine, quoted Chaucer and Shakespeare on the subject. We tasted wines whose labels featured Romeo & Juliet, Champagne Jean Valentin, Sanct Valentin, and Château Valentin. Our starter wines were two sparklers, a Prosecco and then a Champagne. The Prosecco was a Prosecco Brut, but not to dry for me, 11%, maybe why it had less of a kick than the Champagne which followed which was 12.5% alcohol, and more pleasing to most of those in the room.  (I am a Prosecco drinker, easily satisfied.) Photo by Angela Lansbury. Please share links to...

  Left Trevor Sharot, member of the Wine Writers |Association. Right  Thibault  Lavergne, of  The Wine Story Club based in Little Hadham, Hertfordshire. Verulam wine tasting club meets in St Albans, Verulam is the old Roman name for St Albans. Being a member of the wine club gives you the opportunity to taste new and old wines. The cost of joining for a year is low, only £10.  Members and their guests have the opportunity to socialise with about fifty local people, enjoying a Saturday night meal tasting a small measure of half a dozen or more wines. In the picture you can see on the table the two wine measures. During the meal you are entertained by a talk about the wines. The cost of a meal with a chance to taste half a dozen or more old wines which have had time to intensify their flavours, wines at prices which some of the people attending would only pay for wines for special occasions. My husband is a wine educator and a member of the circle of wine writers....