Life, Death, Eating and Greeting

Upon the loss of someone close to you, some people feel compelled to commit their thoughts to paper, a downloading of their innermost thoughts, a catharsis.

Somehow, the loss of Dad made writing a blog seem somewhat trivial and so from the 50 days from his diagnosis, through to his death on April 2^nd to now I’ve let my thoughts come and ago, conscious not to unleash a maudlin monologue upon an unwitting reader expecting some sage (I wish) wine ramblings.

Throughout all of this, my love of food and wine has been a frequent sanctuary and I have been fortunate to be able to cook for many of the most voracious Alliance appetites at our recent company getaway at the beautiful Barwheys farmstead conversion in deepest, darkest Ayrshire.

For both Miriam (our sales director and erstwhile chef) and I, the opportunity to conceive and execute a meal on this scale had been a long held wish and the reality proved to be every bit as exciting and fulfilling as we had hoped.

It’s all too easy to forget why we got into the wine industry in the first place and so this event had, as its objective, the requirement to raise the bar in terms of food and wine culture while giving all of us a much needed opportunity to spend quality time with one another.

Wines such as Remelluri Reserva 2000 from 5 litre bottle, Clos du Marquis 1990, Vina Gravonia Blanco, Vieux Telegraphe 1998 and many many more accompanied an Iberian themed menu that included Iberico pigs cheeks with truffle as its centrepiece.

It’s fair to say that the event went well – the pictures speak a thousand words. I hope we achieved our objectives. I know Dad would have been proud.