Anniversary celebrations in Birmingham

Last weekend we celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary - some say we don't look very different but personally I'm glad the perm has gone!!

24th June 1989

This year our celebrations were in Birmingham, two nights away, although just 26 miles from home. To our delight we had discovered that the London Concert Orchestra was at The Symphony Hall on our actual anniversary. A concert of Hans Zimmer and John Williams movie themes conducted by Anthony Inglis - it couldn't be more perfect and we enjoyed every note !

Arriving at Hampton by Hilton on Broad Street at midday Saturday the city was relatively quiet. After checking in we took a stroll to the Library of Birmingham. I have visited before but Hubby hadn't; it's an amazing building with two roof gardens, a superb skyline view and the Shakespeare Room. This room is at the very top of the Library and was moved here piece by piece, when you see the intricate wood and glass you can see it was an amazing achievement.

Library of Birmingham - intricate modern styling

It looks more like a theatre inside

Superb skyline views 

The Shakespeare Room

On our walk through the City we passed by the Town Hall, outside which was the Chelsea Flower Show garden made in recognition of the Windrush - a floral display that had so much meaning, I'm so pleased we were able to see it.

The Windrush Chelsea Flower Show Garden

Steamboat and train 

Iconic London bus

Last year at Love Wine Birmingham we discovered many local producers and suppliers, one being Loki. They are located in the Great Western Arcade which wasn't far from the Library or Town Hall .... and so a visit was a must !

It's a superb wine and spirit shop, over two rooms downstairs filled with wine, champagne and spirits with a larger seating area upstairs with comfy sofas and coffee tables. Loki have around 40 wines in special wine machines that will serve tastings in three different measures. We have seen, and used, these in Calais Wine too in their Tasting Room, it's a great way to sample wine before buying. At Loki you load up a tasting card, each time you sample a wine the card takes that payment, you have the choice of the size of tasting, each wine clearly shows the prices ranging from 99p upwards. We had a very enjoyable time trying new wines - had we had time to stay we could have settled in upstairs and purchased a bottle of our favourite to enjoy (Loki charge £5 corkage). We will be calling by again when in the city and I do hope we meet again at this year's Love Wine Birmingham.

What a super entrance

A few of the tastings on offer

The tastings upstairs 

I tried a few white wines and a couple of reds, whilst Hubby focused on just red wine - these are the wines we tasted, the descriptions are Loki's own from in front of each bottle at the machine:

Pegasus Reisling 2015 New Zealand - honeyed rich and elegant with classic acidity with a bit of sweetness 

Domaine de Vissoux Beaujolais Blanc 2015 France - from a small hamlet near Fleurie, well presented fragrance of white flowers, rich and round with flavours of grapefruit, white peach, pear and apricot

Mahi Sauvignon Blanc 2016 New Zealand - unique aspect is the proportion of wild ferment which adds the most amazing texture and weight without being too overpowering

Bodega Norton 'Lote Negro' Malbec Blend 2013 Argentina - powerful but compact showing dense inky bramble fruit, plums and wood spice from 16 months in new French oak barrels

Domaine Viranel Aromes Sauvages 2015 France - a funky wine with big full tannins and rich bold fruit from the Languedoc 

Bodega Izadi Rioja Reserva 2013 Spain - 16 months in both French and American oak barrels to soften the tannins and add a dash of spice 

Altano Duro Vinho Branco Symington 2016 Portugal - really rounded texture with a lovely floral lift, produced using a blend of indigenous Portuguese grape varieties

After a lovely afternoon at Loki we ventured to Brindley Place, a lively area by the Worcester and Birmingham Canal with plenty of bars and restaurants. A great meal in All Bar One accompanied by a good bottle of wine -  Fico Grande Sangiovese, with all the partying around us, it certainly made Saturday night lively.

Perfect sitting on the terrace

There were plenty of hen and stag groups enjoying a warm summer evening; after dinner we strolled back to our hotel but Broad Street carried on partying until past 3am ..... resulting in a quiet Sunday for some hee hee

Not a quiet Sunday for us, after enjoying a great breakfast at the hotel we wandered around the canal area. There were quite a few narrow boats, plenty of original steep footbridges, old warehouses converted into bars and new builds blending in with the surroundings. Although in the centre of the City it feels fresh and relaxing even with all the people and activities going on.

Old warehouses and new skyscrapers

A mixture of time blending in together

The happy couple of 29 years 

Those old bridges were very steep 

One such activity on Sunday was the football - England played Panama in the World Cup. I'm not a football watcher normally but I don't mind if there is a big event on, and it doesn't get much bigger than the World Cup. As our concert was mid afternoon and the match was on at 1pm we seated ourselves in Wetherspoons The Soloman Cutler to watch the big screen, the first time I have been in a pub to watch any game be it rugby or football - quite and experience; my gin and tonic very much needed!

As I mentioned before the concert was amazing. The Symphony Hall is the perfect venue for live music, I was transfixed with the Da Vinci Code in particular. The fireworks, lasers and Anthony Inglis' variety of disguises made the whole event superb, a perfect way to celebrate.

A stroll back along the canal to the Mailbox and dinner at Cote Brasserie; and a stroll back along the canal to Brindley Place for pud at the Slug and Lettuce where I discovered a new drink that is available in the supermarkets.

Trio of puds - they were all delicious 

Bailey's Iced Coffee Mocha - fabulous 

As the evening sky turned red we took our final stroll back to our hotel, the end to our anniversary in Birmingham - what a superb day, thank you Mr H! I wonder what next year's celebrations will be ;-) 

Perfect sunset to end our perfect day 

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

Northern France is a superb holiday destination, not always one that comes to mind when thinking of French sun, sea and sand but it has it all .... and more.

This year we travelled Newhaven to Dieppe on DFDS, a four hour sailing that both directions began in fog. I don't think I have been on a ship where you can just see the wake and hear the ship's fog horn sounding, quite a nervy trip if you think too much!

The fog did not prevent me enjoying a glass of Sancerre, it is such an unbelievable price on this crossing, or enjoying a fish and chip supper. I say supper as it was late evening when we arrived in Dieppe, an experience to find our hotel and then room for sure!

Travelling north we had all day to discover the north east coast of Normandy and we were delighted to discover a funicular railway when we arrived in Le Treport. Built in 1907 and restored in 2006 the railway is 'self-service' as in a lift, you press the button once inside the car. It's an amazing journey with spectacular views over the town, across the estuary to Mers-les-Bains and further to Picardie's white cliffs.

Funicular at le Treport

The view from the top overlooking Mers-les-Bains

Arriving in Saint-Valery-sur -Somme later that afternoon we were met by Monsieur Guetre and shown around the apartment we had booked for the week via Home and Away. A very modern well maintained complex with security doors, glass paneling, a lift, carpeted corridors and pir lighting (which I had great fun playing with). The apartment itself was immaculate, a great living area with a balcony overlooking the grounds making it very peaceful and the perfect place for a glass of wine. Monsieur very kindly gave us a cake as a welcome gift, a speciality of the region and as we had picked up a few bottles of wine when we did the supermarket shop on the way - the balcony called ......

Getting the holiday off to a good start 

We had visited Saint-Valery-sur-Somme before a few years earlier on a day trip on the wonderful steam train and then the following year for a day trip with our daughter when we were staying a little further north in Etaples. It's a super little place full of history, cobbled streets, the tourist steam/diesel train that runs to Le Crotoy and the harbour full of yachts.

Sails galore

Steam Train just leaving for Le Crotoy

The Diesel returning from it's trip 

We sat rail/harbourside enjoying a beer seeing the last steam train depart and then an hour later the last diesel return. There is a turntable at Saint Valery where the steam train uncouples, turns, moves down the track, reverses and hooks back up, and at one at Le Crotoy so the steam engines are always pulling the train. However the diesel pushes or pulls the carriages, and sometimes it pulls backwards. It was such fun to sit and watch, right next to the rails, no barriers as we would have here, the trains ran right into the town, crossing footpaths and roads (with barriers and lights) - such a great sight four or five times a day. We could hear the train from our balcony, always good to catch a toot !

Waiting for the trains :-)

And here they are 

Saint Valery has plenty of history too; William the Conqueror launched his invasion of Britain from here, Joan of Arc was kept here before being taken to Rouen and the Somme was a major battlefield in World War I. The Cité Medieval's buildings are beautiful, as are some of the older houses in the town. From the old city walls you can see right across the Baie to Le Crotoy showing just how vast it is. 

Cité Medieval

Joan of Arc traveled through here

Joan of Arc prisoner of the English, from Crotoy to Rouen
she crossed this town gate on 20th December 1430

The Medieval church

Beautiful old houses in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme 

To our surprise when we descended back down from the old cité to the estaury/harbour across the water was a shepherd with his two dogs and a huge flock of sheep. Judging by the noise they were certainly enjoying their dip in the water. They were not the only animals we saw on the beach this holiday, one of our trips our was to Le Hourdel which is on the very tip of the estuary. At low tide the Baie has many sandbanks which a colony of seals has made its home for many years. Although across the water you are very close to them; it was super watching them play in the sea and wobble around on land. Further out to sea on the bigger banks were dark patches, more groups of seals, there must have been hundreds all told. It is only low tide you can see these amazing animals as the sea covers the banks completely at high tide, in fact the Baie is quite a dangerous place with many warnings about being stranded as the sea comes in around you.

A Shepherd and his sheep in the Baie

They seemed to enjoy the water

Seals at Le Hourdel

It's quite a moving part of the world, there are signs of war all around, both ancient and more recent conflicts. On the beach at Le Hourdel is a huge German Bunker and in all the towns there is evidence of where modern buildings replace ones bombed in the war. There are many military cemeteries in this area with their white gravestones in immaculate grounds standing in lines as if still on parade. As we drove around it was surprising how many fields were full of poppies, quite overwhelming at times. 

The German Bunker - that's me next to it, it was huge 

Fields of poppies - such a moving sight 

For us part of our French holidays is about looking for our favourite and finding new wines. This region of France does not have vineyards but it does have large wine stores in Calais. It was an hour's drive so worth a day out. This holiday we were travelling in my little Citroen C1 so although we could look we were limited on buying. Quite a few have come home, it was surprising how much the C1's boot would hold, and we did enjoy a few on our balcony whilst on holiday.

Cellier des Dauphins is one of our favourite French wines
- a must on any holiday

A new wine that I really enjoyed

French sparkling wine is superb

We had a super time in Saint-Valery-sur Somme, our apartment was perfect and we could have spent the whole week in the town without travelling further as there was so much to do, so many nice bars and restaurants and of course train spotting. One of my favourite moments was re-enacting a photo of our daughter from our visit a few years ago - not quite as good as the original but fun to do ;-)

The Bolney Estate

A midway rest is much needed when travelling South to catch a ferry to France: The Bolney Estate was the perfect place. Tucked away down a leafy lane with vines growing along side the road this vineyard is a fine example of how English Wine is becoming so popular.

At the end of the lane is the car park, natural and in keeping with the surrounding vines. A large modern style barn stands proud above the rows and rows of various grape varieties with a superb balcony inviting you to stay and enjoy the view.

The vines growing along side the car park

Everything is on the upper floor of this huge barn with the lower level being where all the hard work happens. Bolney's shop welcomes you with its full range of wines displayed in classic modern shelving that makes each bottle look so inviting,

The Bolney Estate has been producing wine for over 40 years and now produces a great collection of red, white and rosé wine as well as an extensive range of sparkling wine made using the Traditional Method as in Champagne.

Bolney reds:   Kew Red, Lychgate Red, Pinot Noir and Ryecroft Red

Bolney whites:   Bacchus, Lychgate White, Kew White and Pinot Gris

Bolney rosés:   Kew Rosè, Recency Rosé and Bolney Rosé 

Bolney sparkling:  Bolney Bubbly,  Eighteen Acre Rosè,  Cuvée Noir, 

Classic Cuvée,  Kew English Sparkling Rosé,  Kew English Sparkling White, 

Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blanc

Bolney Estate's superb shop

We initially met The Bolney Estate at Love Wine Guildford; their sparkling wine is superb and at that tasting it was hard to choose a favourite. I did enjoy their Bacchus white too so this time with lunch I decided to try a different wine and selected Lychgate White: plenty of apple and apricot with elderflower highlights, a style of wine I enjoy.

What a selection: Lychgate White was my choice

Lunch was in The Eighten Acre, Bolney's restaurant with its amazing balcony overlooking the vines. We ate inside, opting for a ploughmans and a feta & beetroot salad before moving outside to enjoy coffee in the perfect English setting. The food, the wine snd the setting were perfect and if it wasn't for a booked ferry to France I could have stayed all afternoon.

Coffee? Wine? Perfect setting to enjoy either

At the London Wine Fair in May The Bolney Estate launched a new product: Rosso, English Vermouth...... and I loved it. It is English hedgerow in a bottle, full of sloes and hedge berries with a superb herbiness, absolutely delicious. 

Although travelling on to France I had to buy a bottle which has been safely wrapped and treasured all holiday, apart from one photo shoot, ready to be enjoyed in our own small piece of England when we return home . 

Exported to France!

Thank you Bolney for the perfect rest on our travels south; we will be sure to visit when passing by and look forward to seeing you at future wine events.

Majestic, The Ned and The King's Series

The last Friday in May we took the train again .... to Leicester, to be precise to Majestic Wine Leicester for their 'Showcase' evening.

And what a showcase it was beginning with Heidsieck Gold Top Vintage Champagne with its brioche and toasty flavours. I could certainly enjoy a glass of this at breakfast!

AUX Rose Magnum certainly stood out, not just because of it's larger size but the vibrant pink colour of the wine in the bottle with it's striking bold label.

A balanced French rosé wine with plenty of fruit and a lovely dry crispness. This would be great with a light lunch on the patio on a hot summer's day, with friends of course for this size bottle!

Majestic had 5 more wines in their Showcase, I did not take photos on this visit so these label images have been used from Majestic's online shop.

Passimento Bianco was the first white I tried, very light and fresh. We enjoy the Prosecco from this producer and if I was looking for a fresh garden white this would be great.

The second white in Majestic's tasting was Winemaker Series Chardonnay  from Southern France. This had more velocity and was a deeper colour in the glass. I would need a plate of cheese with this or maybe a chicken dish as I found it needing food.

Moving onto reds with Natale Verga Primivito - my go to Puglia wine. It's a great easy drinking medium bodied Primivito that doesn't need food as it's weighty enough to stand alone but not so overpowering you need the sofa!

Full of fruit, light tannins and a smooth finish - I really do enjoy this Italian red.

Pierre Usseglio Cotes Du Rhone is a label I haven't seen before from this region. A great colour in the glass and full of the expected flavours. Not surprisingly it had notes of a Chateauneuf de Pape: it is produced very close to the famous village.

Torresilo 2015 Collar was our final red from Majestic's choice and although I am not a huge fan of Spanish red wine I really do enjoy this one. It was a wine we've previously enjoyed at a Spanish Wine Tasting at Majestic Wine in Witney.

As well as Majestic's showcase wines Marisco Vineyards were also presenting wines Marlborough, New Zealand; the two ranges were The Ned and The King's series.

The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2016/2017 - superb nose, very full on with gooseberries, good depth of flavour too

The Ned Pinot Grigio 2016/2017 - a lighter white than the Sauvignon Blanc but full of flavour

The Ned Rose 2017 - definitely a summer wine

The Ned Pinot Noir 2016 - I didn't try this but our friends who came with us enjoyed it

The Ned Noble 2015 - the star of the show for me, full of honey and marmalade it was absolutely superb

The King's Favour Sauvignon Blanc 2016 - a softer Sauvignon Blanc than The Ned, closer in style to Old World wines, quite an elegant wine.

The King's Thorn Pinot Gris 2015 - I preferred this Pinot to The Ned, it certainly had a longer finish.

The King's Legacy Chardonnay 2014 - another good wine, but I still preferred the Sauvignon Blancs

Sticky End 2015/2016 - a great dessert wine with plenty of sweetness and orange peel but did not quite meet up to the superb Noble.

Thank you Majestic and Marisco for a great evening with good company and superb wines.