I’ve entered that stage of life these days where I go round to mates’ houses for dinner parties. You don’t hang out anymore, sitting there with a beer and playing Fifa, you have dinner and drinks. The conversations are still mostly daft as a brush, but somehow it all feels a bit more civilized, doesn’t it?
When you’re a wine-o, or maybe if you’re the friend of someone who thinks of themselves as one, you always have that slight pang of terror. What the bloody hell do I bring as a gift? It’s dinner, so let’s be honest, wine is the obvious choice. But if you’re the wine-o they all expect you to bring something that’s going to blow their minds. Or if you’re bringing something to a wine-o, you worry that they’re going to judge your entire friendship on your bottle picking skills!
Well in the last 12 months or so I’ve worked out that nothing cheers up wine-o’s and non-wine-o’s alike than magnums. Simple isn’t it? The wine itself still needs to be drinkable, of course it does, but there’s something about pulling out a magnum that’s different, that’s a bit special, that’s…well…just cool!
Having spent more and more time in Bordeaux over the months and years I know that most producers make magnums, either by design or request. They’re better for transporting the wine, for ageing the wine, and – for that kind of mental “wow-factor” – for drinking the wine. So why don’t we see more of them?
I’m happy to profess to loving the bigger bottle sizes, and magnums are a great place to start!
Who’s with me?
Cheers
Mike
At 20h33, we import magnums from a range of our producers, from all across the region. Head to www.20h33.co.uk, sign up, and check out our current offers, or get in touch if there’s something special you’re after!
Photo Credit : ©B.Kulik