This week on Plonk of the Week, we’re joined by a very special guest William Clouston, Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for a relaxed Saturday night rosé tasting tour across Europe! Alongside our resident wine expert Chris Walkey (Mr. Fizz) and host Mike Graham, we explore six very different rosé and sparkling rosé wines from Provence, Italy, England, Slovenia, Croatia and Belgium.
🍾 WINES TASTED IN THIS EPISODE:
🇫🇷 Wine 1 — Provence Rosé (Aldi) | ~£7.25
A beautiful Grenache, Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the south of France. Provence produces nearly half of all French rosé wine and 6% of the world’s rosé supply. Outstanding value under £10!
🇮🇹 Wine 2 — Villa Sandi Millesimato Rosé Prosecco (Veneto, Italy) | ~£16
A stunning sparkling rosé Prosecco from one of Italy’s top producers, crafted with Pinot Noir for its signature pink hue. Available from Cockburn’s of Leith. Did you know rosé Prosecco wasn’t officially permitted until around 2012?
🏴 Wine 3 — Bolney Estate Cuvée Rosé (West Sussex, England) | ~£35.99
An exceptional English sparkling rosé from West Sussex, made with Pinot Noir. Available from House of Townend online. Proof that English wine can hold its own against Champagne!
🇸🇮 Wine 4 — Puro Rosa Movia (Slovenia) | ~£30
A fascinating ancestral-style, unfiltered Pinot Noir rosé from just 2,500 bottles, produced near the Italian border in western Slovenia. Disgorged live on camera! Available from Decantero UK.
🇭🇷 Wine 5 — Misal Rosé (Istria, Croatia) | ~£40
A standout wine from two sisters producing world-class rosé in north-west Croatia. Rich, full-bodied and award-winning. Order via the winery’s website.
🇧🇪 Wine 6 — Vin Castel Gino’s Elder & Rosé Pernelle 2014 (Belgium) | ~£40
A rare aged Belgian rosé blend of Shiraz and Pinot Noir, 15 months in bottle. A unique and unusual find from the Plonk of the Week cellar!
🍹 COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK: Rosé Gimlet
Gin + Provence rosé + lime juice + optional elderflower syrup. Simple, elegant and delicious!
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 — Welcome & Introduction
02:00 — Wine 1: Provence Rosé (Aldi, £7.25)
06:00 — How is rosé wine made? Chris explains
12:00 — Wine 2: Villa Sandi Prosecco Rosé (£16)
20:00 — Champagne vs Prosecco debate
28:00 — Wine 3: Bolney Estate English Sparkling Rosé (£35.99)
34:00 — Politics, drinking culture & long lunches
44:00 — Wine 4: Puro Rosa Movia Slovenia (live disgorgement!)
52:00 — Wine 5: Misal Croatian Rosé (£40)
58:00 — Rosé Gimlet cocktail
62:00 — Wine 6: Belgian aged rosé 2014
68:00 — Film recommendations, toys & sign-off
🎙️ ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
William Clouston, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), joins Mike Graham and wine expert Chris Walkey for one of our most entertaining episodes yet. We discuss rosé wine culture, whether it’s acceptable to drink rosé in a pub, the rise of English sparkling wine, Champagne branding genius, non-alcoholic wine, craft beer, Dry January, the death of the long lunch, parliamentary drinking history, George Brown, whisky, rum, Mauritius, Orkney, Scotland, childhood toys, the film Sideways, and much more.
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💬 COMMENT your favourite rosé wine below!
#PlonkOfTheWeek #RoséWine #WineTasting #WilliamClouston #SDP #SocialDemocraticParty #EnglishWine #Prosecco #ProvenceRosé #CroatianWine #ChrisWalkey #MikeGraham #WineReview #SaturdayNightWine #BudgetWine #WineLovers #SparklingWine #RoséSeason #UKWine #WinePodcast #WineYouTube #AffordableWine #WineEducation #BolneyEstate #VillaSandi #Movia #Misal #SlovenianWine #BelgianWine
33 Comments
Cheers! Lets drink and be merry
Perfect timing, just finished work, drink in hand. Cheers from Malta 🥂
Don't forget Meghan Markles rose 😂😂😂😂
Red Wine always gives me a headache.
Love this. It is my Saturday night treat in Tel Aviv as i go to work tomorrow. Drinking a Glenfiddich with you solid lads
Try South African wine. Brilliant!!
Love this show
Greatest Channel of all time
Great show, genuine people and some interesting wines😊🥂
Sideways is a great movie and Virginia madsen looking fit
Thank you everyone for watching – Interesting to do plonk of the week with a politician… Much more mellowed chat and tipples this time
❤ Love it xx
Loving this show. Brilliant guests with Mike.
I have absolutely no interest in wine and switch off when my husband and his friends talk about their wine cellars . However I love every minute of plonk as I can’t get enough Mike . Watching on Sunday morning in Nz
I love a Argentinian mendoza Malbec
Thank you for a great show Mike and Guest. Night Night Everyone.
👍
Add a flunky of the week.
You look great Mike in your new jacket and no tie, I love plonk of the week, I'm thrilled it's rose wine this week, I've been liking rose for a long, long time, brill.
This is a good show tonight ,was getting a bit fed up with raucous shouting, folks talking over each other,silly women making a lot of noise for nothing or just sitting there with nothing to add. and too long between wine tasting and info…tonight it’s much better,such an interesting and calm politician tonight..always look forward to his views during the week, so that’s good value tonight,Mike. Thank you.😊
Yes. Cockburns is a lovely after dinner port
Great show, and if Mr Clouston ever finds himself single and at a loose end, I’ll happily share a bottle of plonk with him. What a lovely erudite gentleman 😎👌
Spam spam spam spam 😄
Sorry, poor choice of guest! Byebye 😉
Are you aware that Switzerland produces a lot of good and very good wines, most of which are drunk locally, ranging from reasonably priced to pretty expensive.
Great show Mike, its like youre in the room.
This series is improving every week. Learning something new each time.
Good work team🥂🍾🍷
The best Rose wine; the grapes are picked at night. And is very pale, not dark pink. One of the best is from Corsica! That's what I drink when I am in Provence. (I don't red or white wine, so have done a lot of rose testing!)
Great show and guest.
Really enjoyable, thank you chaps, a pleasure to hear a human politician
I remember Hardy's Ale! that was Sssssstttrrrong!
I’m over the moon the astronauts arrived home safely!
Love this gentlemen. its great! I hate how people frown on drinking.