Less Virus, More Vine

Ah, hello there, what’s this…your 43rd boredom scroll of the day? Well I heartily welcome you, hopefully I can provide you with a few minutes of respite from your isolation ennui. 
If I had a £1 for every time I’d seen a mildly witty, painfully cliché post pertaining to alcoholism and quarantine in the last 10 days I’d be a rich, rich lady. Sadly, the world doesn’t work like that, so here we are: I still have a student loan to pay off, and you still have an indefinite amount of time locked up in your own home. Lovely. 
Social media never fails to deliver the goods when it comes drama, so throw a worldwide pandemic into the mix and it’s hardly surprising that there has been nothing short of a cataclysmic explosion of all things Corona. Covid memes, Covid news, Covid fake-news, Covid videos, Covid induced nominations and the many and varying Covid boredom busters that are primarily, though not limited to, challenges…so very many challenges. When people actually had lives to partake in, much of this would undoubtedly have been deemed just a little lame and a lot tedious, but given that most of us our turning to our phones to save from crawling up the walls or murdering a well-meaning but beyond irritating family member, it’s actually quite useful.
So, my proposal is to combine two of the aforementioned evils – in some cases, it seems, two wrongs do indeed make a right. Here’s how it works…

1. The next time you’re doing you ‘Essential’ food shop, you buy yourself a bottle (/case, let’s be honest, no one’s judging at this point) of wine.
2. This bottle has to comply a few rules – it’s a challenge okay, it has to be annoying or you wouldn’t be getting your moneys worth.
   Rule 1: it can’t be a label you’ve ever drunk before
   Rule 2: it can’t be a grape variety you’ve ever tried before
   Rule 3: it can’t be from France – I’m not being France-ist (?), but us Brits have a tendency to never venture past Burgundy or Bordeaux (no, your summer Provence Rosés don’t count as adventurous, so don’t even try it) and it's ever so dull, so let’s live a little.
3. Drink it. See, much better than doing another emoji quiz.
4. Actually think about it a little, maybe even pair it with some food according to my oh-so-helpful pairing guide. 
5. Drop me a message, comment below, send a carrier pigeon, whatever works for you and let me know what you think. Love it/hate it/just don’t get it, I’ll be all ears. 

I know the prospect of venturing into the unknown can be a little scary, but let’s face it, you’ve got absolutely nothing else to do so let’s leave the fear to the Daily Mail's we’re-most-certainly-all-going-to-die articles and live a little.
            If you tend to go for New World (Europe) wines, then maybe try something Old Word (South America, New Zealand, South Africa etc etc). If you’re a white (wine) drinker, let’s say along the lines of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigot (nope, not a mind reader, just the choices of 99% of the population) then you could try something like a Gewurztraminer, German or Austrian are great and tragically underrated. If you like something with a slightly floral vibe then maybe an Old World Viognier – South African would work. 
For those that don’t tend to venture out of Europe, think of it like this; the warmer the climate, the ‘warmer’ the wine. The fruits you’ll smell and taste will be more tropical or stone fruit esque, rather than the citric vibe you tend to find in colder climate wines. Again, check out my regions guide for a bit more info if you’re interested.
Best of luck all, worst case scenario: you spit it out. Given the circumstances I’d just learn not to be so fussy and enjoy the happy haze.
Ready, steady…chin chin?
P x