White wine? That's for birds (along with fruit-based cocktails) surely. I would never surmise that a dyed-in-the-wool bikers and ale enthusiast drank white wine. Maybe in your neck of the woods though...
Balderdash. White wine is for apéritifs, fish, fondue and other things. Red wine is for most cheese and most main courses. Nothing poncy about white wine. Go and tell that to the wine growers in the Valais and see what hospital food tastes like!
Tongue was in cheek. I enjoy a chilled Chablis on a hot, sunny day as much as the next bird - er, man!
Chablis. Now you're talking. And if you haven't had a good Châteauneuf du Pape white, you don't know what you're missing.
Pineau is the French equivalent of sherry. Dry or sweet. A happy accident - or so legend has it - first made in the region when a cognac maker filled oak barrels with wine he was making before fully emptying them, thus arresting the fermentation process. So what you have is, effectively, 18 per cent proof grape juice. Drink it as an aperitif or as a means of getting beautifully drunk fairly quickly. It really is a lovely drink. The white version is oaky and the red version sweeter. Used to be cheap and Parisian winos' drink of choice. Aged stuff is £20 a bottle in Nicholas but cheap stuff sells for 6-10 euros in French supermarkets.
I arrived home tonight and the wife came out with her arms folded. "I'm not riding with you on that thing." "Come on! Hop on we'll arrive at the pub in style!" "You're crazy." "It's a classic from the 1970s!" "Feck off Ron, it's a Space Hopper."
Worked at home today as I didn't think my colleagues would appreciate my cold germs. Was very pleasantly surprised at how effective my new employer's remote access system is - I really could get on with work as effectively as if I was in the office, and got a much needed extra hour in bed instead of fighting the Surrey traffic jams. Following on from the pineau de Charentes discussion, I would recommend pommeau (which is to calvados and apple juice what pineau is to cognac and grape juice). I can't stand Calvados - takes the back of your throat off, probably better used to fuel drag bikes - but when mixed with apple juice in the form of pommeau, makes a most enjoyable drink.
This afternoon I, along with two others involved in the organisation, have been interviewed on TV about the Leeds Distinguished Gentlemans Ride.
