Tag: wine

Price Points: Corkscrews

Selection of corkscrews | H is for Home

Our corkscrew was misplaced last week – what a disaster! It was only at dinnertime, after all the shops had shut, that our predicament came to light. Our Friday night wine seemed a distant dream! Luckily, Justin has a corkscrew as one of the tools on his keychain Swiss Army knife.

Disaster averted… but have you ever tried opening a bottle of wine with a half inch long corkscrew? If we can’t find it soon, we’ll have to invest in a new one.

Here are three corkscrews which span a huge range in price – which of them would you choose?

  1. Beaumont Waiter’s Friend corkscrew curved: £4.99, Nisbets
  2. Copper corkscrew: £10, Joy
  3. Le Creuset lever model corkscrew LM-150: £79.95, Divertimenti

Gimme Five! Red wine glasses

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selection of 5 types of red wine glasses

Well, it was on the cards for quite a while. We were down to our last two red wine glasses when one got broken whilst taking it out of the cupboard.

We found a set of four in a local charity shop about two years ago. They were really cheap – £2.50 the lot – but they were great quality and each held almost an entire bottle! They’re quite fragile, they make that lovely, lead crystal ringing sound when flicked gently with a fingernail.

Sadly, one by one, they were getting broken. We’ve been trying to be so, so very careful when using them and washing them up. We’ve been down to the last pair for almost a year, but we knew that it was only a matter of time… a split second of lost concentration…

The chances of us finding another great set like that in a charity shop are slim. We’re probably going to have to shell out properly for replacements. But what should we do? We can get a six-pack of cheap & cheerful ones from IKEA for just £1.25. That’s probably a good decision considering our track record! But the lovely ones from John Lewis hold ¾ of a litre – no topping up needed – decisions, decisions!

  1. Connoisseur red wine glasses, 0.66L, set of 4: £38, John Lewis
  2. SVALKA red wine glasses (30 cl) : £1.25 /6-pack, IKEA
  3. Set Of 4 red wine glasses: £45, Le Creuset
  4. Dartington crystalline set of six large red wine glasses (57cl): £24, Selfridges
  5. Vienna set of 6 burgundy glasses (57cl): £30, Habitat

Last of the Summer Wine

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front of Homefirth Vineyard building | H is for Home

I’ve never been a fan of the television series, “Last of the Summer Wine”, I’ve never seen a single episode, but I do know that it was filmed (until its demise last year) in the nearby town of Holmfirth.

View of the Holmfirth Vineyard restaurant & sun terrace | H is for Home

What I didn’t know however, is that there’s AN ACTUAL VINEYARD in Holmfirth! In Yorkshire! Who’d have thought it was possible?!

Grape vines at Holmfirth Vineyard | H is for Home

Holmfirth Vineyard was founded in 2007 – it had previously been a sheep farm, something much more typical of the area.

Bar area in the restaurant at Holmfirth Vineyard | H is for Home

I visited for the first time two days ago with my friend Duncan. He took me there for a spot of lunch (and perhaps a glass of wine) in their lovely, light-filled restaurant. The food was lovely – I had a pear & stilton tart with salad and sweet potato chips; Duncan had their Swiss cheese & bacon burger with fat chips – both homemade. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the food when it arrived, but trust me, it was delicious!

Duncan enjoying the sun on the terrace of the Holmfirth Vineyard restaurant | H is for Home

West Yorkshire was (and still is!) having an early spring heatwave – just look at that sky! – so we decided to finish with coffee & cake on their terrace overlooking the grapevines. The panoramic view was stunning!

slices of cheesecake & cups of coffee on the terrace of the Holmfirth Vineyard restaurant | H is for Home

We both plumped for their New York style cheesecake – divine! I had a great afternoon, I’d really love to visit again – next time taking in the tour and wine tasting too – hopefully it was the first, and not the last, of the summer wine!