So much is happening in the world at the moment. War in the Ukraine, passing of one my childhood hero’s Shane Warne and now Alain Graillot.

Growing up as kid we loved it when Hansie Cronje was bashing Shane Warne around on the pitch. Remembering spending a day at Wanderers Cricket Ground in Johannesburg when Hansie Cronje introduced the “slog sweep” against Shane Warne. As kids we were dreaming of the day when we can put on the Proteas shirt and play against the Aussies.

How do they fit in with Alaine Grailllot in this post. Alaine Grailot, the winemaker that has changed the Northen Rhone Valley France, producing excellent wines. In South Africa we are lucky enough that some of his wines are imported by Radford Dale. Allain Grailot passed away the same week as Shane Warne from a stroke. A week before a late night I had a friend over in my little cellar at home Steed Richardson drinking a 2018 Crozes Hermitage from Allaine Graillot.

There’s got to be a reason why I am mentioning Steed in this post. I wouldn’t classify Steed as “wine connoisseur”. Reaching for the bottle in the cellar he couldn’t see what I was opening, poured the glass and old Steeds words, “Je wish Ricky this is cracking”. As Shane Warne was a childhood hero, Alain Graillot is a wine hero. We spend money to buy wines like this to sharpen our pallets and to able to try and make great wines like the late Alain Graillot. Remember well the day before making the Bizoe Genant 2020 blend, I also enjoyed a bottle from Alain Graillot to sharpen my pallet.