Picture perfect

Saturday night was fun, if a little wierd. I returned from eldest son's School Ball with a splinter in my foot from shoes-off dancing. My husband returned with a painting having bid for it in the auction. I think he had the fizz equivalent of beer goggles for art on with that one. Fart goggles, perhaps. We got home, navigated our way through that slightly awkward conversation with the babysitter - the one where you hope she doesn't realise how tipsy you really are because you've got children - and fell into bed. For two hours. Then: up cradling eldest boy with earache, closely followed by baby with cough and finally with middle boy who heard everyone else was up and didn't want to miss out. The dancefloor was a distant memory.

Still, we've got the painting to remind us.

Current white in the fridge:
Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner 'Terraces' 2009 Wachau, Austria, £6.07, Waitrose, currently 20% off online
Austrian wine is sadly overlooked, perhaps due to a combination of nearer £10 a bottle prices and unpronouncable names. But Waitrose seems to have cut prices across much of their Austrian range at the moment and this one is a great introduction to the world of Gruner Veltliner (or Gru-V, as it is lovingly known by those who like to spend time thinking up natty names for difficult to pronounce wines). White peach, pepper, a touch of grapefruit, a hint of herbal...this wine is delicious, different and currently discounted. Now that is a great combination.   

Current red on the side:
Tero Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008, £4/bottle, Tesco
I do love Italian reds at the moment. They can be a little bit animal, slightly unpredictable even, partly due to the enormous number of grape varieties grown as well as the spread of climates across regions. This one, from the Abruzzo region, is bright, ripe and moreish with black cherry fruit aromas and bramble fruit flavours. The late-ripening Montepulciano grape is best drunk young, so don't stick this one away for a rainy day. Like you would. Very happy on its own but great with sausages and mash, I am happy to report.

Groovy x

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