Wine Delivery

About ten days ago I got an email, forwarded by a friend. The original email was from Xavier Fortin, the sommelier at our local Michelin starred restaurant. He also runs his own commercial wine cellar, La Cave de Petit Pressigny, and periodically has events in his troglodyte cave to sell selected wines. The last one I went to was to taste champagne. Under the lockdown these events obviously can't happen, so he was emailing with a selection of wines and offering to deliver them.

Xavier Fortin, beaming in his habitual manner.

The most expensive was €18 a bottle, the least expensive €9, and all were ready to drink now according to his note. Some were from producers that in normal times I could visit for myself by driving an hour or so. Others were from further afield. There were three whites, a rosé, a sparkling and four reds. I decided to order a mixed box of six.

I already had some of the sparkling, as I had visited the producer last year. I decided on a white from Touraine Oisly, and two reds -- a Bordeaux and a vin de France from the Bourgueil area, two bottles of each. I spent €71.

My box of wine.

Xavier arrived promptly last Tuesday morning when he said he would and we exchanged greetings through our back door. It was a bit weird, but we chatted a bit about business (the restaurant gets very few American customers, but lots of Brits, whereas we are the reverse -- I suspect the restaurant is in a better position than we are to recover after the lockdown is over). Xavier left the box of wine on the doorstep and I paid for it by bank transfer. Brilliant. Now all I need is friends who are allowed to come over and join me for a drink.

If you live locally and want to be on Xavier's mailing list so you can be alerted to any wine sales or events let me know and I will give you his email address so you can contact him.

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