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I went to church at Christmas, something I do very rarely but was curious to see what was going on in our centres of worship these days. Having not been since I was dragged by my nostrils every morning at school to attend matins I wasn’t at all sure what to expect.
To my surprise the church was full, and having been told that rural churchgoing had died a death, there was something altogether positive about the gathering regardless of faith. It was mostly thirty something’s and their fidgeting toddlers, a couple of local landowners, the postman and my brother and I attempting to sing the bass line in an ironic fashion. In fact it was more like a drinks party where the guests gather round and sing hymns. The vicar was very ‘nice’, he spoke enthusiastically of ‘hope’ and ‘faith’, the organist smiled as he played and the service only lasted as long as an episode of ‘24’. It was all very easy, ‘Christianity-Lite’ not the ‘fire and brimstone’ that I remember from school. I imagine that these day’s the young ruralites don’t really want to be barked at for their sinful, materialistic ways. In our busy world we have too much else to worry about like nappies and terrorists let alone the prospects of damnation without relief. That said I am currently doing a great deal of preaching myself. Converting as many of my friends as possible to a newfound faith of mine that guides me through many a soiree and is often surprisingly invigorating to those who subscribe to it. I am a born again Riesling fan which seems to be undergoing a slight ‘renaissance’ at the moment and I am very pleased indeed to report that a lot of my wine drinking friends are rapidly taking to it. I am told that many wine growing areas pulled up their Riesling after it became a cheaply produced and uninteresting drink, but now the ones who can do it well in the appropriate cooler climates are making some decent stuff. Personally, I find it easy to drink both as an aperitif or a session beverage so long as it’s not too sweet. It is arguable that it has a higher average quality across the board than many other varietals and if made well its limey, fresh acidity and lower alcohol content make for one of those drinks that can keep you happy all evening! I prefer the German Rieslings, which I find drink very well at a reasonable price, £6.00 - £10.00 getting you something pretty respectable. I recently had a Leitz ‘Dragonstone’ Spätlese from Oddbins, which I enjoyed a great deal, and a Basserman-Jordan Riesling, Pfalz, from Waitrose, which was excellent. Hugel Riesling from France is a real favourite if you prefer something ‘bone dry’ but its a bit pricier. A friend of mine recently had a drinks party and bought a case of Ayler Kupp Kabinett, 2004 from Majestic that seemed to go down very well indeed.The Australians, Kiwis and Chileans seem to be taking to Riesling production as well. I recently tried a bottle Montana Riesling, 2004 from Marlborough with a Thai takeout and it was surprisingly good. I will soon be trying Concha Y Toro’s offering.
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