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Wine, Vodka and Dancing...

12/4/2013

 
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Last weekend I danced until breakfast 3 nights in a row.  I did a 10 hour intensive training course on West Coast Swing.  I competed in 4 competitions and made finals in all of them.  I placed 2nd in my best performance with a guy I met on the Thursday before the competing started on Friday night.  All in all, a successful dance weekend!
 But perhaps the biggest success of the weekend was getting dancers from Poland, Hungary and Russia to drink English Vodka...  albeit a liqueur style vodka-based drink.  Caralicious from the Fabulous Vodka company based in Marlow, Bucks (£19 from fabulousvodka.co.uk) was the fuel for the weekend.  At 25% abv it's not going to knock your dancing off par (unless you drink it in wine like quantities).  It gives a gentle glow and takes the edge of the nerves.  It is beautifully sweet and for serious wine buffs, it has enough of the "tawny port" toffee tones to pair with dessert.  

For my next bottle, and there will be more, I intend to try mixing it into different cocktail variants and pouring it on ice-cream where it might work as well as a Pedro Ximenex sweet sticky sherry.  It's not wine, but it has an unctuous quality, and a breadth of sweet flavours that made it a huge hit with the ladies.  I have orders for 3 more bottles which I'll be fulfilling at my favourite Marlow shop, Alfred the Grape, tomorrow.  Now that's what I call a success.  That's where I also had the pleasure of tasting the Oak Aged Vodka Cask Two which was aged in a dark rum cask. It has a slightly spicy flavour reminiscent of Christmas.  The Fabulous Vodka company (also based in Marlow) have an interesting range including a sparkling vodka and a Polish potato vodka.  They also have a gin on offer.  So, if you're looking for something different, then there's sure to be something here to tempt you.

Being Scottish, it was only right that I shared plenty of single malt, and the drink of choice was Auchentoshan triple distlled lowland malt.  Growing up just a few miles from the distillery, I could never have imagined that one day I would be drinking it at daccing  event with 470 people from over 20 countries! It's smooth, delicate with citrus and vanilla tones and has now been a hit at dance events on both sides of the Atlantic.  I'm proud of my local products!

As for the wine, the weekend of dancing meant it was going to be about what worked best at room temperature and mixed with sparkling water, not an easy task for any wine...  so, in my dance shoe bag I carried Hilltop Estate Gewurz from Hungary, sadly now discontinued by Waitrose.  At the clearance price of £5.99 it was perfect for the job.  

Being the UK and European championships, I was lucky enough to socialise with friends from home and abroad.  I was offered a lovely tasting of a red Sancerre which certainly livened up the proceedings on Sunday night.  Pinot Noir is such an expressive grape that every one tastes different, yet can only be Pinot Noir.  I will seek out more of this and do a proper review another time.  From my beloved international dancers, I also received gifts of a beautiful Hungarian Eszencia dessert wine, and a wonderful Grand Cru Gewurztraminer from Alsace.  I shall take great pleasure in drinking them both and sharing the experience with you, my dear readers, in the near future.

To share in the joy of the weekend, feel free to buy and taste the drinks mentioned.  Or, watch the clip below.


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    Purple Teeth

    My name's Heather and I've been enjoying wine for over 20 years. I'm the 2013 winner of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Rhone prize for oustanding students at the advanced level.
    My mission is to share my passion for the myriad varieties of fermented grape juice, hopefully inspiring you to try something new, or to host  a Purple Teeth wine party in your own home or business.

    My blog mainly features wines you should be able to find on your local high street or online, and occasionally, I will review restaurants, travel and other forms of alcohol, since my qualification covers spirits too.  I believe it's important to enjoy the calories and the cash we spend on alcohol, and I hope my guidance can help you reduce the risk of making a bad buy.
      
    When I'm not drinking wine, you'll find me on the dance floor where West Coast Swing is my dance of choice. Socialising with the friends I've made there from all over the world has also brought me new adventures in alcohol!  And just in case you're interested, I also write a blog called Confidence Within.  You'll find it at heatherharrison.weebly.com


    Remember to enjoy wine sensibly...
    For a woman, 2-3 units per day is the recommended maximum allowance.  This equates to around one standard "pub measure" glass of wine:
    175ml of 13% alcohol wine is 2.3 units (and a scary 140 calories).  
    You'll find all the facts you need about safe, moderate drinking at the www.Drinkaware.co.uk site. 
    Purple Teeth supports safe drinking. Never drive or operate machinery after drinking alcohol.

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