A night in the cellar

Last night I spent some time in a cellar.

It was in a very old building in Bury St Edmunds and was dimly lit.

It was actually very easy to get into the cellar but I found it very difficult to get out.

I must have been down there for at least 40 minutes.

However, I didn't panic.

Particularly because it was no ordinary cellar.

No, the cellar was actually a wonderful place to be despite being quite dark.

It was a very special cellar.

Mainly, because it contained lots of these.




So as you can tell, I was very happy to be "trapped" in this kind of cellar.

Even better, I wasn't on my own. I had company in the form of my friend Alison...



... who had invited me to a Christmas Wine Tasting session at Thos Peatling an independent retailer of fine wines and this is the building to which the cellar belongs.


There were 50 wines available to taste throughout the store. Don't worry, it wasn't a challenge to see how many you could get through, just a fabulous opportunity to try a wide range of wines.

Amongst others, I managed to sample a 2005 Shiraz from South Australia, a 2005 Pouilly Fume from the Loire region in France , a 2006 Sauvignon Blance from South Africa, a sparkling Rose from Switzerland, a 2005 Riesling and a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand as well as a 2004 Chardonnay from California. However, my overall favourite was the Corton Grand Cru 2003 Domaine Latour, which at £32 per bottle is so typical of my expensive taste.

The event was very busy, with approximately 150 people spread around the shop. There was lots of conversation to be had. We bumped into a good friend who was there on a date. However, we left her to her privacy, while we wandered around catching up with people who we knew and chatting to people who we didn't.

There was the chap who we thought was Australian, but was Suffolk through and through and told us that he was often thought to be from Australia. This wasn't the first time that I'd heard this. Only a couple of weeks ago, I had a similar conversation with some ladies in Stowmarket, who had said very much the same thing.

We also got chatting to a lady from a local village and enjoyed the tales of the villagers' whisky club, which meets regularly at different members' homes and samples different whiskies. Now there's an idea for Moreton Hall. However, I think I'd rather stick to the wine or perhaps gin.

After tasting a great range of wines, I actually left with a bottle of Sloe Gin to help keep us warm over the winter period.

This was my first visit to Thos. Peatling and I now think it will be the first of many. As well as fabulous wines, I also loved their sense of humour and I definitely think they win on the Christmas Decorations.

See for yourself, rather novel don't you think?