Extraordinary scenes here yesterday as everyone who could find a phone was drafted in to take a huge surge in calls. Way, way over our wildest expectations! Christmas has come. Later than ever, but certainly here. And it seems that the uncertainty and inconvenience of the Postal Strike is now behind us. If you've received an irregular flow of mailings over the last couple of months I apologise and hope this hasn't led to wine fatigue … or worse still, drought!
I hope too that you've found the newly revamped website a friendlier and quicker way to your wine (that was certainly the plan, to make it easier for you!). We've recently opened a 10th shop too (yes, I know, all bar one in the South East, which pains an old Lancastrian like me.)
My tip for the end of 2007 is 'stock up'. We have all enjoyed nice unmoving wine prices for about 15 years now. But the signs are now of climate-caused shortages and maybe a weakening pound.
And all this banging on in the Press about middle classes drinking too much almost certainly heralds a whopping duty/excise increase soon. Moderation in all things is certainly a good idea (that goes for wine and taxes!) Drink the best wine you can is my simple rule. If its really good you don't need - or even want - to drink too much. One great glass of wine lasts a long, long time. Because you don't want to rush it as it does its dances round the old olfactories. Reminds me of a famous sermon from one of the all-time great wine men, Len Evans, who used to suggest everyone should do a simple sum and work out just how many bottles of wine they were likely to drink in the years remaining to them. It comes out, shock, horror, as a finite number; not infinity! So everyone should then remember, every time they drink a poor or plain ordinary, boring wine that is one less opportunity to drink a lovely, life-enhancing bottle. Every time you drink a poor bottle of plonk you might as well smash a good bottle against the wall I think he said. Certainly food for thought.
From all here at Laithwaites a very Merry Christmas and a Well-Stocked New Year!
