evans' theory of life (drinking)

[Ken Gargett]

mate sent me this. i had seen it before but not for a while. worth a re-run.

The Len Evans Theory of Capacity

1. There is an awful lot of wine in the world, but there is also a lot of

awful wine.

2. No sensible person drinks to excess, therefore any one person can

only drink a certain amount in a lifetime.

3. There are countless flavours, nuances, shades of wine; endless

varieties, regions, styles. You have neither the time nor the capacity to

try them all.

4. To make the most of the time left to you, you must start by

calculating your future total capacity. One bottle a day is 365 bottles a

year. If your life expectancy is another 30 years, there are only 10,000-

odd bottles ahead of you.

5. People who say: "You can't drink the good stuff all the time" are

talking rubbish. You must drink good stuff all the time. Everytime you

drink a bottle of inferior wine, it's like smashing a superior bottle

against the wall. The pleasure is lost forever - you can't get that bottle back.

6. There are people who build up huge cellars, most of which they have

no hope of drinking. They are foolish in over-estimating their capacity

but they err on the right side and their friends love them.

7. There are also people who don't want to drink good wine, and are

happy with the cheapies. I forgive them. There are others who are

content with beer and spirits. I can't worry about everybody.

8. Wine is not meant to be enjoyed for its own sake; it is the key to

love and laughter with friends, to the enjoyment of food, beauty and

humour and art and music. Its rewards are far beyond its cost.

9. What part is wine of your life? Ten percentum: Ergo, 10 percent of

your income should be spent on wine.

10. The principle should be applied to other phases of life. A disciple

kissed a beautiful young lady and she demurred. He was aghast and

said "Don't get the wrong idea.I've worked out I can only make love

another 1343 times. I'm bloody sure I'm not wasting one on you".

[Fuzz]

Very sensible rules to go by.

[Webbo]

Genuinely a good point well made. Following this line of thought Ken can you then please suggest 5 bottles of wine that I can readily get here in Europe that would adhere to this mantra. Preferably that I could drink with a decent cigar in my mouth and Racing in the Streets (Hyde Park version) in my ears. Wines that if you had the chance again you would love to drink for the first time. Thanks

[NJP]

I only collect and drink wine with a cork. These I will age and consume frequently. I battle with screw top wine drinkers but never when they drink my aged cork closure wine.

[Ken Gargett]

I only collect and drink wine with a cork. These I will age and consume frequently. I battle with screw top wine drinkers but never when they drink my aged cork closure wine.

if i am buying to age, much, much, much prefer the wine under screwcap. have seen far too many examples that have aged brilliantly - well into their third decade (how far do you want to go) and performed so much better than the similar wines under cork - too have any fears. of course, many very fine aged wines under cork but also a great many disappointments - great wine ruined by a piece of filthy tree bark.

for me, absolutely no contest.

[Ken Gargett]

Genuinely a good point well made. Following this line of thought Ken can you then please suggest 5 bottles of wine that I can readily get here in Europe that would adhere to this mantra. Preferably that I could drink with a decent cigar in my mouth and Racing in the Streets (Hyde Park version) in my ears. Wines that if you had the chance again you would love to drink for the first time. Thanks

webbo, a good cigr and racing in the streets would make any wine taste great.

tough question re what you can readily get in europe without seeing shop lists etc and knowing the budget and preferences.

a cracker burgundy. DRC if you can afford it. perhaps freddie mugnier. roumier. so many.

a top grower champagne. try and find ulysses collin.

good alsace - a top zind humbrecht won't kill the bank. the villies vignes pinot gris is always fun.

great german riesling. we took some jj prum spatlese fishing last week. stunning.

finally a top VP. the 2011's are a sensational vintage. say taylor's?

[Habana Mike]

9. What part is wine of your life? Ten percentum: Ergo, 10 percent of

your income should be spent on wine.

Agree with Sir Evans. Methinks this applies to scotch, cigars and other wordly pleasures as well.

So, aside from the wine, seems I'm not buying enough cigars either, though quite close this year if Len means 'after tax' income