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Ginola is back for a taste of North

Aug 30 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

David Ginola back on the pitch at St James's Park

FORMER Newcastle United favourite David Ginola is to launch his new wine at The Journal Taste 2 food and drink festival today.

The flamboyant winger hung up his boots several years ago and has indulged in another of his passions, creating the wine in his vineyard in Provence, in southern France. Speaking at St James’s Park yesterday, he said he was delighted to be back in the North East to unveil his Coste Brulade 2007 Rosé, which in May won a prestigious silver medal on his debut at the International Wine Challenge in London.

Triumphing in a blind tasting at what is the biggest wine fair in the world, Ginola’s wine was praised for its “gentle strawberry fruit flavours with a hint of minerality”.

He will join Hairy Bikers Simon King and Dave Myers, and wine writer Malcolm Gluck at what will be the biggest and best food and drink festival ever held in the North East.

Around 100 artisan producers are set to gather for the Taste 2 festival, in association with Tesco, at Macdonald Linden Hall Hotel, Golf and Country Club at Longhorsley, near Morpeth, Northumberland.

Ginola said: “I will be mainly promoting my wine and speaking to people in the industry.

“There have been a lot of people involved in this, doing the hard work and collecting the grapes. Just like on the pitch, I don’t do the hard work.”

The 41-year-old said he still followed Newcastle’s results and was enjoying meeting his fans.

“I’m very pleased to be back,” he said. “I have fantastic memories of Newcastle – the ground, the city centre, the bridge. I was saying to my wife that you don’t take it all in when you are here focused on the football.”

Ginola, who has clipped the long tresses that earned him a L’Oreal advertising deal, said he was hoping to win over Newcastle fans more used to sipping brown ale.

Asked if he expected them to change their traditional tipple, he said: “Why aye, man. A bit of a change is good with relationships with women and it is good with wine,” he said.