Oddbins wine guide for mayoral candidates

High street merchant Oddbins has created a wine guide for the London mayoral election.

Seven wines have been chosen that sum up each of the mayoral candidates.

For Boris Johnson, Oddbins has picked out a bottle of Diane de Belgrave Haut-Médoc Bordeaux.

“Just like the current mayor, the wine has been around since 2008, is classic old-school with a posh upbringing, a fruity side and a suggestion of leather cigar boxes,” Oddbins said.

Top challenger Ken Livingston is paired off with a Cape Chamonix Pinotage.

“The perfect wine for Ken must go with newts, carry real weight and also have legs – as it doesn’t look like he is ever going to retire,” they added.

Other candidates have also been paired and the seven matches are on the following pages.

The merchants have done something similar before when they launched a new website where customers can select wines according to their mood.

Ayo Akintola, managing director of Oddbins, said: “Oddbins doesn’t do politics. If we did we’d move our Greek wine into the German section and we would shift the French back towards the centre before it falls off the shelf and makes a mess.

“So we are not actually advocating that Londoners vote for a candidate based on their favorite wine from our list, but it is probably a more fun method than reading endless manifesto leaflets.”

This collection is available now in-store and online and prices range from £8 to 46.

Siobhan Benita (Independent) – Henriot Rosé Champagne – £46

Being the only independent candidate, Siobhan is a little different to the others, being something “fresher and cleaner”, according to the merchant.

Oddbins has chosen Henriot Champagne’s Rosé, a sparkling wine from a family owned house in Champagne. Perfect for the honest, relevant and focussed campaign that has fizzed unexpectedly into this election.

Carlos Cortiglia (BNP) – Zohar Tannat – £10

Oddbins explain their wine choice for the BNP candidate as, “We are happy with things crossing borders, we’ve chosen the Zohar Tannat from Argentina.”

Boris Johnson (Conservative) – Diane de Belgrave Haut-Médoc – £15

For Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson Oddbins chose the Diane de Belgrave Haut-Médoc Bordeaux. “Just like the incumbent it’s been around since 2008, it’s classic old-school with a posh upbringing, a fruity side and a suggestion of leather cigar boxes.”

Jenny Jones (Green) – Falanghina Biblos – £11

The Falanghina Biblos is “green, clean and fresh, but carries weight and holds no punches”, so Oddbins thought it was a perfect fit for Jenny Jones. As a former archaeologist she will no doubt appreciate the fact that the producers of this organic wine are trying to save ancient grape varieties that teeter on the brink of extinction.

Ken Livingstone (Labour) – Cape Chamonix Pinotage – £13

Oddbins thinks Ken is “not a white wine, he’s more of a red.” The perfect wine for Ken must go with newts, carry real weight, but also have legs because it doesn’t look like he’s ever going to retire.

Oddbins did wonder about something that was a bit more popular in the 80s than it is now, but instead went for the Cape Chamonix Pinotage, a South African red with a long history that has been given more clout by air-drying some of the grapes.

Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrat) – Berton Paddock Shiraz – £8

Berton Paddock seems like the obvious choice as it almost shares a name with Brian Paddick. Just like the former policeman, this Shiraz will not stand for messing around.

Although characterised by a liberal fruitiness, this is also a fun wine that you might find partying with John Barrowman or in a jungle with Ant and Dec.

Lawrence Webb (UKIP) – Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Rouge – £10

For Webb, Oddbins picked something with a silky edge, so it went with the Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Rouge, light, not too foreign and very silky.