WINE & DINE WITH ANGELA LANSBURY

 I remember when I first went to trade shows offering food and wine I would ask where their products could be bought in Britain, or Europe. Often the prospective seller would say distributor wanted. Or the catalogue might say that under their name. Some even had a sign on their table, distributor wanted. I wondered whether this was just the seller hoping that distributor walking by would try their wines or food. If the taster liked it, would they then decide to talk about it and seal a deal? Would there be conflicts of interest? We already have a Champagne. Or would it be the contrary. We stock Champagnes. Or we don't stock Champagnes. I always assumed that the first factor was finding a distributor. The second was convincing the prospect that you were offering a saleable product.  The forums and discussion sessions are often dealing with where is the market going. Are there more people in this country or that buying alcohol. low alcohol, no alcohol. healthy foods, small quant...

 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...

 At an event at London Cru we enjoyed sampling four different kinds of Champagne, three white and one rose, from the producers, Laurent-Perrier. A favourite of King Charles 3. White and rose coloured Champagnes. A lot of effort goes into making, marketing and promoting these Champagnes. At the start of the production process they taste the wines every day. Pink perfect for a pink theme wedding. To be recognized, they introduced a small plump bottle so if you are ordering in a restaurant the others can note you have a distinctive Laurent-Perrier Champagne. Everybody's tastes are different, although enough of those liking any style means the business is a success. I like the Champagne style with the distinctive bready aroma and flavour. If, however, you prefer something more subtle, and think that is superior, these sparkling wines, genuine Champagne, could be your choice. They are not mass market. Not tours for tourists. Although the wine press can arrange special visits. They are n...

  A-Z of of Names of Grapes To Eat and Drink Here's a handy alphabetical checklist of wine grapes and their meanings.  Auxerrois - from Alsace (the old name for Alsace) Champagne - from the Champagne region of France, north, river Loire region, near Paris Colombard - white from colombe, French for dove (white birds) Fer - French for wild (grape) like feral Glera - the new name for Prosecco grapes to distinguish them from the style of wine more widespread Madeira - strong alcohol, Portuguese island in the Atlantic, whose wine was transformed in long hot journeys stored for ages by ship in the olden days, storage conditions to enhance flavour and other qualities, now imitated on the island without the sea journey Mavro - Greek for black (name used in Cyprus) Merlot - from French for blackbird. Grapes used in France for wine and eating Monastrell - Spanish wine which came from the monastery (Latin monasteriu for monastery) Mourv è dre - French  from the Latin monasteriu mean...