TABLE TALK #46
If you’re opening Table Talk for the very first time, welcome; if this is old hat for you, welcome back and settle in to your usual spot. We’ve got good food, great music and a foolproof guide to tackling wax seals, so let’s get to it.
🍡 Amuse-Bouches 🍡
#1 - Man paddles 38 miles in a pumpkin
#2 - Finding beauty in Sweden’s ugliest law
#3 - A drink lover’s guide to Somerset
🍷 Uncorking Wine 🍷
Today is a great example of something doing exactly what it says on the tin. Today, we’re going to talk about uncorking wine and in particular, wines with wax seals. Wax seals split opinion - most love them, whilst others love to hate them.First up, whose idea was it to put a wax seal on a wine bottle and what the hell were they thinking? In much the same way that wax seals were historically used to prevent letters from being tampered with, this practice soon extended to winemaking. Looking to stop wines from being altered or substituted by those up to no good, winemakers began finishing bottles with a seal. When it comes to wine, wax seals have the added advantage of sealing the contents to mitigate the risk of them spoiling, whilst also providing a visual flourish that certain producers became known for.
Freshly waxed, labelled and polished
So far, so good. Sort of… Wax seals certainly have their downsides, namely that they can be hard and time consuming to open, known also for making the occasional mess if not comfortable opening them. That can be a real problem if you’re opening multiple bottles an hour, racing around and bouncing from one table to the next. However, if you’re parked up at home and opening a bottle whilst cooking or settling into your evening, that doesn’t need to be the case.
We’re firmly in the camp of keeping things simple - twist your corkscrew in through the top of the seal and down into the cork, before levering it back out in much the same way as you would with any other bottle of wine, as ably demonstrated in this video here.
We’re in the business of making wine as enjoyable as possible, whatever form that takes, so let us know else you’re having trouble with and we’ll do our best to demystify it for you.
📖 Key Ingredients 📖
Last week saw us champion oysters, shake loose to some Italo Disco and discover that certain restaurants keep pictures of food critics behind the pass. This week, we’re dialling down the tempo and taking things slow.
#Tunes - a tonic for the soul with Your Favourite Coffeehouse
#Podcast - Paloma Faith on The Modern House
#Recipe - chipotle bean stew with cheddar dumplings
Paloma Faith has gone all in on the maximalist look at home
🍷 What News From Wednesday's Domaine? 🍷
Our foray into the art world continues with both Piquant and Sanguine being poured at this evening’s Act One opening party, allowing you to peruse some cracking art and wake up with a clear head tomorrow.
Last weekend also saw one of our first mentions in the weekend broadsheets as The Telegraph’s Stella section championed Wednesday’s Domaine, hot on the heels of having also popped up in the FT.
Until next week,
Luke
