Last Saturday, and a trip to England’s smallest city, Wells. What a lovely place. Even the misly, drizzly conditions failed to detract from its charm. The elegant architecture of the cathedral – inside and outside – was really worth a look.

I also popped into one of the city’s wine shops. The proprietor of Santé Wine Imports, David Schroetter, sells an interesting selection mainly of French wines. My wife and my visiting aunt followed me into the shop and were intrigued, for their part, by the small range of gins and liqueurs on offer. I just focused on the wines and eventually came away with the following bottle.

Guy Allion, Les Parcs Pinot Noir 2016, Touraine
Dark ruby with violet edges. Linear with a subtle fragrance of dark fruits (cherry). Crunchy tannins on the palate. The dark fruits are refreshing and more overt compared to the nose. Juicy and succulent.  A beefier, rough-and-ready, masculine style of Pinot with noticeable, youthful tannins. Although the wine does evolve into something a little more silky after a day or so. Medium body with a medium finish. Nothing that complex, but a good, honest wine for the price: over £13 from the shop, but costing just under 7 euros if bought directly at the winery.