Clementine Wine - Fifth Bottle (4), 25th-29th August 2018

Claire spent the weekend in Oxford playing Ravel's String Quartet. Obviously I was going to have a bottle of wine whilst she was away, but as a loving husband I decided to open something nasty. In fact, Clementine Wine has improved from nearly undrinkable to nearly drinkable. I did not see this as a punishment (though I will still never make it again).

Bank Holiday Monday was a grand day. I took the opportunity to meet up with Vicky Butler, who kept me sane in my second year at Warwick and who I have not seen since 1994. We walked six and a half miles round Curbar Edge and it felt like only a week had gone by.

Curbar Edge, in Derbyshire

Blackberry Wine - First Bottle (B5), 24th August 2018

This is more like it! Blackberries 2015 and 2016 were both disappointing vintages. 2017, however, is excellent. It tastes properly of blackberries, but still has depth and a roundness to it. There is a sweetness but not one that is cloying. At its best, blackberry wine is one of my favourites of all that I make and this is close to being at its best.

Otherwise, I had a quiet Friday and an unremarkable Friday evening (though there is nothing wrong with that!). Much of it was spent curled up on the sofa watching the final episode of Lewis - which is a terribly middle-aged and middle-class thing to do. I do not pretend to be other.

The actual bottle and wine

If you want to see how I made this wine (and I recommend that you do), click here.

Rose Petal Wine - Second Bottle (B3), 21st-22nd August 2018

Claire says that she likes my rose petal wine better in theory than in practice. I'm the opposite way round: Turkish Delight is nasty and that tastes of roses.

As ever, Claire is working too hard - hence opening a bottle of wine on a Tuesday evening. Currently, I'm not working hard enough. This is mostly because it is August and things slow down when the country is on holiday, but I hate not having enough to do. The days pass slowly and I have a low boredom threshold.

Elderberry Wine - Fifth Bottle (B1), 19th-20th August 2018

With only a 'Bread Sauce Master Class' from Claire to help me, I did a whole roast dinner yesterday: chicken, roast spuds, onion gravy, bread sauce and strangely shaped cauliflower. The unexpected thing was actually how easy it all was (if time consuming). Keith, Jaki and Ellis turned up during the beginning stages of the onion gravy - they were passing and dropped by. It was lovely to see them. Oh - the wine. It was elderberry and good. (Sufficient description?)

Crab Apple Wine - 26th Bottle (E5), 18th August 2018

So, most of Saturday was spent getting to grips with my new phone. I have managed to install a Tuner and Metronome App, and I have been listening to classical music on Spotify. It is like having a Sony Walkman all over again. Claire thinks I'm already obsessed. I managed, though, to eat an entire meal without looking at my phone once. We had smoked mackerel, for which a sharp white wine was required. Crab Apple fit the bill nicely. We are nearing the end of this batch and it will be at least another couple of years before our new tree produces sufficient quantities. I will savour this flavour whilst it lasts.

Blackcurrant & Gooseberry Wine - Fourth Bottle (5), 17th August 2018

Something has happened to this wine. It has become delicious. Before, Blackcurrant & Gooseberry was fine, but this bottle was excellent. Far smoother than before, which meant it slipped down rather too quickly. I was disappointed to discover at eight o'clock that there was only one glass each left.

The main news of the day is that my Smart Phone has arrived, and I find it entirely baffling. I can see that one day I won't, but for the moment I don't know how to do anything on it, or once I have turned something on how to turn it off again. The weekend will be one of screaming frustration.

Xmas Tutti Fruti - Sixth Bottle (A6), 15th-17th August 2018

Xmas Tutti Fruti does a decent job at being a midweek bottle: perfectly pleasant, nothing to write home about. I asked Claire to save me a glass on Thursday for my return from trios at Ann & Alan's. This was a wise precaution. Alan is insistent that we prepare a set for Music Club but we are no longer good enough. Despite having to stop twice in every movement to regroup, Alan thinks we are near performance ready. By the time I got home I needed a large glass of wine.