My usual type is dark-humoured, sarcastic and brooding
Credit: Imogen Davies
I blame post-lockdown giddiness for the fact I’ve fully embraced breakfast, lunch and dinner invitations on blustery, freezing cold terraces across London. Suffocating beneath 15 layers of thermals isn’t exactly my idea of a great outfit, but whatever – at least we’re back out there. I’m allowed out! (Words not uttered since being grounded, aged 15, for stealing a bottle of Blue Nun from my mum’s drinks cabinet…)
Well, let me tell you. I’m not the only one embracing the opportunity of a night out. The dating apps I’m a member of – Hinge, Inner Circle, Bumble, Tinder – have been on fire since outdoor dining returned. I knew I’d eventually have to take the plunge, as in go on actual dates in restaurants. Or “IRL” (in real life), as my kids say.
The Zoom meeting I’m missing is already miles away
Alistair Dabbs Fri 30 Apr 2021 // 09:06 UTC Share
Something for the Weekend, Sir? Do you know who I am?
As if that line’s going to work. Too pompous. I might try: May I remind you that I am a paying customer? (One among millions, that is.)
Or possibly that most devastating of customer complaints, I pay for a service and I expect it! immediately followed by the throat-clearing Yoda-style affirmation Hmm!
My recently upgraded broadband has just this moment gone down and I would very much like it to be gone up. I am prepping myself before calling the customer service number. It’s important to get the recipe right: two parts insistent, one part petulant.
A special wine can change your perspective forever. What was your epiphany bottle? Dave McIntyre What was your epiphany wine? We’ve all had these moments: A novel inspires a lifelong love of literature. A recording drives us to explore a new genre of music. A painting captivates you to linger until the museum closes, to see it in different light and without crowds blocking your view. A bite of food in a cafe during an overseas vacation ignites your curiosity about a new world of flavors. A sip of wine seems to magically combine sun and earth in an elixir that opens a portal to new sensations and emotions. Go ‘green’ with your wine: Choose cans or boxes, drink local and consider farming practices
A special wine can change your perspective forever What was your epiphany bottle? washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Off the vine: A wine lover s humble beginnings
By Al Vuona
The year was 1972 and for most young men, meeting girls or indulging in a bit of alcohol was a right of passage. Speaking of alcohol, back then a bottle of Sutter Home, Boone’s Farm or Ripple was considered wine appreciation at it’s best. In fact my friends and I thought Chateau or Cellar was a fancy new dance club. To say we were naive is an understatement. Yet as a group we were filled with eternal optimism.
This group included former Worcester Police Chief Garry Gemme and his late brother, Alan, who also became a Worcester cop. My late cousin and Worcester firefighter Jerry Vuona, local real estate broker Mike Madulka, pharmacist Jack Perez, graphic designer Mark Tonelli, sales manager Bill Dupont, real estate Investor Tom Ohman and social worker Joe Brunelle. We even managed to squeak out a lawyer or two. Not bad for a ragtag bunch affectionately known as the Holmes Field gang.