I doesn’t take much to get me excited about good wine but with such an abundance of good wine it’s important to come up with something clever and innovative (and perhaps with a link to cycling) to get me really going. So a small producer in the Ventoux called Domaine des Anges have not only created a brilliant wine but also a brilliant label paying homage to one of Britain’s greatest ever professional cyclists, Tommy Simpon who died a kilometre from the summit of Mont Ventoux on the 13th stage of the 1967 Tour de France. He was only 29 years old and this special and very limited release coincides with the 50th anniversary of his death. ‘Tom and the Peloton’ is a blend of 90 percent Syrah and 10 percent Grenache and offers lots of white pepper, cured meats, resinous herbs and sweet red and black fruits. A memorial on the roadside close to where he died near the summit has since become a place of pilgrimage. A donation from every bottle sold will go towards the maintenance and upkeep of the memorial which often takes a heavy beating from the violent storms that pass over this mystical and iconic giant of Provence. So not only a sensational wine, it is also an incredibly respectful creation with real depth and thoughtfulness at the core. ‘Tom and the Peloton’ Ventoux Rouge £13. Free Limited Editon A2 Tubed Print with every 12 bottles.
