Bebido con amigos sabe bien cualquier vino

Spanish proverb , loosely translated : "Drunk with friends any wine tastes good"

What a long gap. What have I been doing? Where has the time gone? I'm going to have to believe it's true when they say the older you get the quicker time passes. So what? If it passes so quickly, I must be enjoying whatever I'm not doing, wherever I'm not going and whoever............whoops, enough, let's stop there.

Anyway, what happened to summer and the Indian summer we were almost promised? Looking back, August was wet, save for a brief spell in mid-month we got rain, lots of rain, the temperature got above 24C once and just before month-end it actually got past 24C and actually hit 26C.  September and October can be summed up as ditto. So to escape, my dear wife (the reason I drink so much) took me away to Northern Europe, in particular Finland, Poland and Russia - now please don't think me  a misogynist, but  ,come on, these are not too well known for blistering heat and clear skies. So we packed the packamacs and off we went. I know what you're thinking, where's the wine in all this schpeel? It's coming. As luck would have it, my dear friends Pav and Joy, celebrating their sapphire wedding anniversary, came with us (I think it was her way of punishing him) on the cruise - destination St Petersburg.  This was good news for me [my wife is teetotal] as they both enjoy a tipple and it's nice to have someone to drink with; not that it's ever stopped me drinking alone, I can chat away, uninterrupted, to a decent glass any day. Try that with the wife, chance would be a fine thing.  So dear friends to the wine.  In general, we mostly only drank with meals.

Lanson Black Label NV- A good staple, well structured champagne, lemony, good acidity, and clean finish.  (Majestic £30, but deals available for 2 or more (editors note - currently on offer at Majestic £23)). We enjoyed this with delicate canapés on the anniversary night. A lovely drink to start a wonderful evening. At dinner we followed this with Pouilly Fuisse,Domaine du Chalet Pouilly,D.B. 2005. (White, 100% -Chardonnay). This is classic white wine from Burgundy. An excellent choice - well rounded with hints of oak and lemon. It turned into one of our favourite dependable whites during the cruise. On other nights we also had the 2007 which we found equally good .The 2007 was well received by The Wine Spectator Magazine: "Shows fine intensity, with the vivid structure driving its stone, lemon and mineral flavours. This is almost too powerful now, but the long, smooth finish reveals both the harmony and the beauty of this white."  Expect to find it at anything between £14 and £18. My rating 90.  For red we chose Marqués de Riscal Reserva 2005 (Red - about 90% tempranillo). A classic Rioja style: fresh, fine, elegant. Dark cherry colour, oaky and spicy. Widely available at about £11. My rating 90.  

Given that we were effectively using the same restaurant for two weeks, sometimes for lunch and dinner, we were pleasantly surprised at the good choice of wine available. Among our regular tipples were;

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (White . Sauvignon Blanc grapes 2010 available at Majestic).  An excellent example from the highly regarded region of Marlborough, New Zealand, gently acidic, full of fruit, citrus, fresh and crisp. Available for about £17.99. My rating 86.

Chablis St Martin, Laroche, 2007 D.B. (White, Chardonay, Burgundy) An award winner and an excellent fantastic wine. Hints of mineral, buttery overtones .About £17. My rating 92.

Casa Silva Single Vineyard Merlot 2005 (Red, Chile, Angostura). A full bodied complex wine with lots of ripe fruit and the tell-tell smoothness of merlot. New to me .Held up well even with the rich food it accompanied. Would make an easy choice for a novice wine-drinker and it's inexpensive. My rating 85.

Getting home I heard from my good friend Martin, based in New York, who had recently returned from a visit to Australia and I pass on his bon mots:

 "I came across a number of wines, mainly from Margaret River in Western Australia and close to where I was based. This is an area that comprises only 4% of the country's production but does make some outstanding wines. Difficult to find here in the US but may be more easily available in UK. If so I commend your readers to sample one or two. I think the reds are very good although some of the whites can also hold their own with anyone.

One night we went to dinner with a guy who had lived in Richmond for 28 years and his wife made a damn fine steak & kidney pie. Anyway, we had a Tasmanian Sparkler called 42degrees South. Good- I don't know why I was surprised but not at all shabby. Anyway, with the aforementioned steak & kidney we had a spectacular Penfolds Grange (Vintage slips my mind as I didn't peer). Anyway, full, soft, blackberry tones

I would also recommend Cape Mentel & Kialis, both red, not inexpensive but memorable.

Closer to home in the US but still international I have the following to offer in no particular order.

Wishing Well 2006 Shiraz, Western Australia and selected for the Australian premium Wines Collection. A classic Shiraz (or Syrah if you prefer) Red & Black fruit with a touch of spice & pepper.

Another Shiraz, this time from McClaren Vale in South Australia rejoices in the name of Blue Eyed Boy 2006 Good example of the type but @ 16% alcohol you don't need too much!

Michael Sundberg in Sonoma produces a Reserve Cabernet that is well made and very good. The one I tried is 2007 and would benefit from a little  time in the cellar to reach full potential

Finally, for those with some spare cash I think that CA' MARCANDA 'Promis' is one of the most outstanding wines I have tasted in some time. A friend brought a bottle of the 2004 to dinner recently and the other guests were almost fighting to get a glass. The vintage I tried is 2004 and hard to find