It’s not all pleasure being a wine writer – honest


Just gearing up to go and sample some fabulous Italian wines followed by a dinner with some of the producers – not a bad way to spend the day. But the life of a wine writer isn’t entirely a bed of rosés. Tasting just-fermented reds in a dank cellar at 8:30 on a freezing cold morning is challenging, as is trying to sort the cred from the crud when faced with a row of 91 almost identical Australian Chardonnays. But perhaps the toughest thing I’ve had to do in recent times was spend three weeks drinking only the top 10 wine brands. After all, it’s what most people do throughout the year, so surely three weeks would be no hardship. Surely? Here’s how I got on…

The Set-up

The Winal Countdown

Day 1 in the Big Bottle House

Day 2 – Something for the weekend?

Day 3 – Handbags at dusk

Day 4 – A great way to finish the weekend

Day 5 – Hey JC, JC, you’re alright by me

Day 6 – Stranded at the drive-in etc.

Day 7 – Sorry TC, no Pinotage on the horizon

Day 8 – Merlot makes the world go round..

Day 9 – And I’m feeling…sober

Day 10 – Am I really only halfway there?

Day 11 – Tell me why (I don’t like Mondays)

Day 12 – Boxing Clever

Day 13 – Unlucky for some

Day 14 – Don’t they all taste the same?

Day 15 – This time next week…

Day 16 – It’s raining in my heart

Day 17 – And not yet a woman

Day 18 – The day of majority

Day N-n-n-n-nineteen

Day 20 – Giddy kipper time

Day 21 – ‘ere we go, ‘ere we go, ‘ere we go!

The Verdict…

So I made it intact, but it’s not an exercise I’m keen on repeating. Some might think that makes me a wine snob. That’s OK, I can live with that. But for those of you who spend so much time and effort thinking about what solid matter you put into your bodies, surely it’s time to turn you attention to more tasty and authentic liquid sustenance?


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 thoughts on “It’s not all pleasure being a wine writer – honest