As the final chord of ‘God Gave Côtes-du-Rhône To You’ filled the vaulted halls of Vinopolis, and three hundred Grenache-fuelled gig-goers cheered their startled appreciation, wine and music really did feel like the closest of companions.
The event in question was Skin Côntact Live, a charity fundraiser and vehicle for the wine trade supergroup founded by our very own Richard Hemming, in which I was honoured to feature on guitar. The traditional warm-up slot was filled not by another band but by a tasting organised by the sponsors, Inter-Rhône, after which Neal Martin took to the DJ booth armed...