Where is Evelyn Waugh when you need him? To read the report on Decanter of UK wine goddess St. Jancis Robinson appealing for more humility among tasters and comparing the subspecies to parasites is pure Decline and Fall, Vile Bodies and Black Mischief. Why it was barely a year ago that Mrs. Robinson was slumming it at the Grande Roche in Paarl, judging 151 young SA Shirazes on a single day at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show without a sense of smell and then documenting the miracle on her website.

Above is an image of the exterior of the Monolithic church in St. Émilion I took last Sunday, in an attempt to raise the tone of this blog. JR’s comments were made at the unhumbly named WineCreator Conference in Spain, where she was president. Along with GT Ferreira’s 60th birthday bash in Mauritius and the launch of the new vintage Meerlust Rubicon, yet another event to which Uncorked was not invited. Guess I’ll have to make my own rain, so it’s off to Alsace for some squashed heads (presskopf) and Riesling with Julien Schaal.