Clear Springs Sauvignon Blanc 2013

This wine is from South Africa. We drank half a bottle of it with Paella one evening and the other half the next night with veal and it was quite good. When I opened the bottle, which was sealed with a screw cap, I covered the label so that my wife could not see where it was from. I asked her to guess where the wine came from.

My wife is pretty good at guessing where wine comes from but on this occasion she was flummoxed even though I gave her some clues. She guessed that it was not from Europe: not bad. I tried to research this wine without much success. I surmise that it is not a wine produced in a single estate but that it is blended wine from different vineyards. The quality is not good enough to give you much of a clue about its provenance. This is not to say that it is not good wine. It went well with the fish and it had a fresh citrus fruit taste. What I liked about it was the fact that it did not have an overpowering taste  and smell of green fruits and "cat's pee" which is common to some wines from some cool climate producers, who make white wine from Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc grapes. The wine was rather palatable and it would go down quite well with fish at a barbecue or party.

You can buy this wine from a Sainsbury supermarket discounted at £6.00 a bottle which is about what the wine is worth in the UK.

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/white_wine/clear_springs_sauvignon_blanc_750ml.html


However, you can buy much better quality white wine from Bordeaux made primarily from the Sauvignon Blanc grape for a similar price in a French supermarket. The wine however will probably not he labelled as Sauvignon Blanc. If you live in the south of England this is a good reason for making a short trip to France to buy your wine.

There is nothing wrong with drinking Clear Springs Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and it makes a pleasant change especially on "warmish" summer days in a Kent backyard. I recommend it.

Age UK and drinking problems

According to Age UK problem drinking in the middle classes and in the over 50's age range is a hidden phenomenon.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/23/harmful-drinking-among-middle-class-over-50s-is-a-hidden-phenomenon

Age UK have produced a new study :

"Socioeconomic determinants of risk of harmful alcohol drinking among people aged 50 or over in England"  using from meta data from other studies especially the "English Longitudinal Study Of Ageing". http://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/.
This study is telling me nothing that I do not know already and I wonder what its usefulness will be. The verbosity of its title is a real give away.

Some of the conclusions of the report are almost unintelligible drivel:

 “Our findings suggest that harmful drinking in later life is more prevalent among people who exhibit a lifestyle associated with affluence and with a ‘successful’ ageing process. Harmful drinking may then be a hidden health and social problem in otherwise successful older people. Consequently, and based on our results, we recommend the explicit incorporation of alcohol drinking levels and patterns into the successful ageing paradigm.”

What is a "successful ageing process"? Surely that would mean mental good health as well as good physical health and wealth?

What is a "successful ageing paradigm"? Does this mean that older people are to be patronised with another anti-drinking campaign?

“Because this group is typically healthier than other parts of the older population, they might not realise that what they are doing is putting their health in danger.” Surely, this statement is a contradiction of terms.

I happen to be in the group of people that Age UK are concerned about. As far as I am concerned I am perfectly capable of looking after myself and I do not need to be told how many glasses of wine I should or should not drink.  As a matter of course I do not usually consume alcohol for at least three days a week and usually I have at least 2 consecutive days a week when I do not drink. My wife does the same and we have no intention of ever becoming dependent on alcohol or letting it ruin our health. The same applies to most of our friends in this age bracket and those that glug more than half a bottle of wine or so per day know that it might not be doing them any good.

The Age UK study portrays some people over 50 as socially inept loners who do not contact their family and friends or join in other social activities. It then tries to draw conclusions from this by using statistical techniques such as Markov Chains and Stochastic reasoning. None of the conclusions of the report seem to be based on evidence collected in the field. It seems to predict that if you are affluent and over 50 then your health is in danger because you will drink too much without knowing it. Everyone already knows that if you drink too much you will damage your health.

The problem is how do you get the point across to someone who is a problem drinker that they should cut down? You will not do it by producing fancy named reports or by patronising people. You won't do it either by doing this:  "the explicit incorporation of alcohol drinking levels and patterns into the successful ageing paradigm.”

One of my friends has multiple sclerosis, he does not drink too much but whenever I visit him we share a bottle of wine over a meal. He realises that even drinking one glass of wine goes against the grain of the official medical advice. His view is that if he cannot enjoy a glass of wine over meal with a friend then his life would not be worth living:so good on him.

The whole of life is about balancing risks against benefits. I go for a nice long run three times a week but every now and then I trip up and get scratches, bruises and sprains for my efforts. It is my view that it is worth a few bruises to improve my blood circulation and it might even be worth a broken arm - if I am unlucky. 

Having a glass or two of wine with a meal on a few occasions per week may not do my physical health any good but it sure cheers me up; nothing that Age UK can say will change my behaviour. If ever I feel that having a couple of glasses of wine could damage my health then I shall have to good sense to stop. 

The full report can be read here.

http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/7/e007684

2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial

This is especially good red Rioja which has won prizes and no wonder. The 2001 is ready for drinking now. We drank ours over lunch with family with some Kent lamb roasted until it was reasonably well done on the outside but rare in the middle.

This wine is a perfect example of a fine Rioja and its quality competes with the finest of the region. It is full of fruit flavour with a hint of vanilla from the oak maturation. The wine is of full body and is completely dry  and the tannin is beginning to soften. It has all of the complexity and concentration of a great wine. It is one of my favourites and worth every penny that you have to pay for it at around £25 a bottle in the UK.

Some other great red Rioja wines that I have tasted are:

Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva

Bodegas Muga Reserva

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva

Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial compares favourably with all of these great wines.