Letter from Lockdown

Steven Spurrier at the launch of his biography at 67 Pall Mall, London, in 2018. Wine – A Way of Life (2018) ISBN 978-0-95-623878-8

Last Friday 24 April 2020, we received an email from Steven Spurrier. It was the welcome highlight of a particularly busy day.

Dear Poh Tiong, 

It is such a pleasure in this lockdown to receive your reviews every day.  The Bollinger tasting back to 1830 was a beautiful read.  I’ve got one bottle of Grande Annee 1990 in the cellar, probably well past its best, but I will bring it up and see. 

Since the beginning I have been in Dorset and it has really been one long holiday, but of course any work I had lined up has been cancelled and Bride Valley sales, which would have been big over Easter from the cellar door, are next to zero.  But the weather has been lovely, sunny for about two weeks now and finally warmed up after some cold winds, and the whole vineyard is past the bud burst phase, most encouraging. 

I do hope that you and your family are safe and sound and so much look forward to meeting up again when this is all over. 

Very best wishes, 

Steven.  

STEVEN SPURRIER

A giant in the wine world, Steven Spurrier organised the game changing tasting for California wine in 1976, since referred to as the The Judgment of Paris. The Englishman also founded the Christie’s Wine Course in 1982.

Not content with just writing about the grape, Steven Spurrier and his wife Bella sunk vines into their vineyard in Dorset more than 10 years ago. The first vintage of Bride Valley was 2011 which, when released following its disgorgement, sold out in 2014. Online sales continue during this lockdown at www.bridevalleyvineyard.com/

You may also want to read … Ultimate Bollinger Tasting