Losing the plot

I’m mostly OK about the Jamala Wildlife Lodge incident now … but still mildly outraged … don’t upset a menopausal woman. Just don’t.

I‘m also wondering if people are losing the plot a little during COVID-19.

A friend suggested that the Jamala manager’s response might be a sign that she is personally at a breaking point.

Possibly.

It might also explain the behavior of a participant in a virtual tasting I attended last night for Ponting Wines.

Cricketer Ricky Ponting, his wife Rianna and winemaker Ben Riggs have collaborated on a wine range, with each wine reflecting elements of Ricky’s life and being crafted using grapes from his favourite wine regions.

Ponting Wines sent me the four launch wines in the collection ahead of the virtual tasting … I love coming home to a special delivery …

It occurred to me that it was a terrible waste to open four lovely wines just for myself, so I asked DD, my sister and her husband if they wanted to join me.

My sister put on a cheese and cured meat timber triangle and I set up the wines with proper tasting mats and everything. It was very noice:

One of the participants was a little edgy, I’m presuming from being in lockdown too long.

He kept making feisty remarks, like asking Rianna if she was going to “wine university” and “are you just paying lip service to the wine industry?”

He also seemed quite miffed that Langhorne Creek grapes had been used in the cab sav, while we thought it was the pick of the bunch. A delicious drop!

Rianna, bless her, kept her cool and the couple were so nice throughout the whole event.

We had a great time at the tasting, which included:

Ponting “First Session” Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Ponting “The Mowbray Boy” Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2019
Ponting “Close of Play” Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Ponting “The Pinnacle” Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2017

I thought I wasn’t a sav blanc person these days, but Ben and Rianna have collaborated on an excellent one.

I continued enjoying it afterwards with some takeaway from our local pan-Asian restaurant. Riggs noted several times during the tasting that he was focused on making wines that paired well with food.