After five weeks (which feels like five months) of campaigning, we’re finally in sight of election night, and if you’re contemplating a party, you may be wondering what to drink. Attempting to tailor the wine to party affiliation is doomed to failure, however. Tories are just as likely to plump for Chilean carmenère as claret these days, although I suppose it’s safe to say a gathering of Greens would prefer their booze to be organic. Party leaders (Farage excepted) also tend to skirt around the subject of alcohol, other than to give the impression that they live off pints brewed in their constituency or boast they never touch the stuff. It’s all a far cry from the days of Winston Churchill, who was renowned for his Pol Roger habit, which actually showed commendably good taste. Taittinger is rather cheaper than Pol right now – down to £26.99 at Tesco currently, if you fancy toasting victory the time-honoured way.
There are likely to be few abstainers for a glass of sauvignon blanc, but for a change why not try the fresh, zippy, Sicilian Villa Taurini Grillo Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (12.5% abv), also from Tesco, at £5.49: it tastes like sauvignon, but the dominant grape is grillo, and it’s a good match for a late fish-and-chip supper.
And there’s probably still just about enough time to get in an order for the excellent Grignan Les Adhémar 2013 (£6.95 The Wine Society; 13.5% abv), which at that price must be one of the best-value Rhône reds. (It costs up to £9.25 elsewhere.) It’s a really juicy, gulpable wine of the kind to cheer you up if your party is trailing.
A glass of Aldi’s generous Exquisite Collection Malbec 2014 (£5.99; 13.5% abv), from Argentina’s Uco Valley, might also compensate for a lost constituency or two, and would also be a good bet if you’re breaking out the barbecue this bank holiday Monday. As would the handsomely packaged Château de Grezels Cahors 2011 (13% abv) at the same price from Lidl, a robust blend of malbec and merlot that you could easily pass off at a dinner party, too.
If you’re still going at 4am next Friday morning, you might want to switch to something a little lighter, such as Aldi’s Brasserie Radler Lemon Beer (aka shandy), which is just £1.79 for four 330ml bottles. Although beer purists may be a bit sniffy about the stuff, it has the major advantage of being only 2% abv, which should leave you (relatively) fresh for work later that morning. It would also go rather well with a takeaway curry, my own favourite election night meal.
