'Eating, Drinking and Thinking'

MICHELA, an indisputably Italian Vinopolite spoiled my houseguest and I with a liquid ambassador, crafted by her winemaking ragazzo. Fashioned from the rather cutely titled Bombino Bianco [bom-BEE-noh BYAHN-koh], this couthly packaged Italian in magnum, San Pascasio '06, came from Bertinoro, half-way between Bologna and the Adriatic coast town of Rimini.

16 carat gold in colour and one of the clearest wines I have ever seen, it yielded an expressive, full, slightly sweet nose, with some Greco di Tufo style minerality (although less musky) with celery, custard, deftly selected pick 'n' mix and perfectly ripe banana. On the palate, this was quite distinctive with an Iguasu of acidity and a baking soda cleanliness... A fine collabarator with roast chicken thighs, sealed at a high temperature before a longer, cooler treatment.

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I met a representative of Paddington's Frontline Club, originally established as a haven and cultural think tank for war correspondents, and now an unofficial embassy for media mouths, motto of which is to 'champion independent journalism'. I was impressed with their wine list - 'audacious wines, far from outrageous prices' - which deliberately seeks to provoke curiosity and diversity. See it HERE.