By contributor Claire Zakiewicz – a healthy eating enthusiast and keen marathon runner.
One thing I love about living in the heart of London is the excellent and ever evolving street art scene. Discovering new works by international artists as well as local kids is a vivid feature of my long distance urban running routes. My favourite is the canal from Hoxton to Walthamstow and I often stop to photograph the new works that spring up overnight. Although my own art is very different, being surrounded by creativity and poetic expression is always energising and inspiring.
For better or worse, street art is increasingly making it’s way into the gallery and commercial market and recently, in a Hoxton railway arch, I attended a private view for Urban & Iconic, The World of Street Art featuring the latest works by the likes of Tank Petrol and SF80 as well as a piece in the backyard by my current favourite, the legendary Stik.
Stik
As usual with exhibition openings, there were a couple of free bars and on this occasion there was a promotion by i heart WINES, an innovative company with a new approach to marketing. It can take a fair amount of education, practice, passion and a good palate to gain even a half decent grasp on which wine to match a meal or what tipple can match a mood. I have to say, although I drink an impressive amount for a healthy eating distance runner, my own knowledge is far from expert.
i heart WINES
The idea behind i heart WINES is to help wine buyers select a suitable wine for their meal or taste. They send their experts to sample wines from many vineyards and choose their favourite from the most popular grapes, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Shiraz as well as a Rosé and Prosecco.
At the exhibition they served a light and dry Pinot Grigio and a spicy Shiraz. They both tasted great in the late summer evening but it is worth noting though that they cannot be labelled as organic nor vegetarian. Wine is sometimes made with animal products during the production process but these days many wines are vegan or vegetarian and an increasing number are also organic. They explained however, that their focus is on price and taste and as such prefer not to limit their choice of vineyards.
All in all, i heart WINES provides a good service for non-vegetarians who appreciate a little help selecting a wine.
Each wine has a RRP of £5.99 and are available from Sainsbury’s, Londis, Budgens, Nisa, Costcutter, Rhythm and Booze and McColl’s.
Many thanks to i heart WINES for the invite.
