The race that stopped a notion.

Yes, the race that stopped the nation has been run and won again.

The build-up, the anticipation, the trash talking, the passion and the promises, the glitz and the glamour, all the fanfare and all the fun of the fair.

Rock stars pop stars, movie stars, rich people, uber-rich people, incomprehensibly rich people, the tipsters, the tipsy, the gamblers (but they’re everywhere

Robert Oatley Finisterre Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, $40. Robert Oatley wines have long been pretty good value, as evidenced by the stuff you get in your local RSL for little more than $20 (per bottle!) but their WA stuff, specially the fagship Finisterre range, is a cut above. All the depth and now), and of course more politicians than you can poke a stick at which is exactly what you want to do to most of them.

Then in the blink of an eye it’s all over.

And then there’s the Melbourne Cup, which we didn’t win either. Indeed it’s hard to know if anyone was a winner on the day in either race. Apart from the bookies.

Yes, it was a sad day for everyone, except those measure of sophistication. The opposite of Trump. 9.5/10.

Robert Oatley Finisterre Chardonnay 2022, $40. How appropriate for this election, Finisterre means ‘ends of the earth’, which could well be the case with Donald back. Anyway, you could go back to Trump and more who had $50 each way on Knight’s Choice, and especially for pollsters, who can’t seem to win (or predict) a trick, emblematic of the similarities between both races. Why do we keep paying and/or listening to either?

No-one tipped the winner and most polls and punters predicted a close race. Well, one out of two ain’t bad, notwithstanding they were predicting other horses, one of which, mine, wasn’t even but why would you?

Guess you have to ask America. 9.4/10.

Robert Oatley Great Southern Signature Series Riesling 2023 (2024 out now), $23

This sounds like such a patriotic wine; it always makes me break into song…’Great Southern wine’. A very refreshing called during the race.

Nobody in the early days, both back in 2016 and this time, begrudged Trump’s ambition to ‘drain the swamp’, but few people imagined that the public service and administrative dead wood would be replaced by Elon Musk. Surely the American equivalent of giving the Duke of Edinburgh a knighthood.

However there was a silver lining to this

Clare or Eden Rieslings, which, like Wyoming and Maine, gives it bonus Riesling electoral college votes. 9.4/10.

Robert Oatley Magaret River Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, $23. Nestled somewhere in between the wine for the garbage and wine for Elon, this isn’t so constitutional and political black cloud - clearly anyone can become president and an example has been set for kiddies that lying, cheating, babbling nonsensical infammatory bullshit, being racist, sexist, misogynistic, Sinophobic and Islamophobic, stealing and committing crimes such as sexually assaulting women and denying them a termination when you go too far, is no impediment to becoming the leader of the gun that Elon wouldn’t be drinking it, if he was that sort of guy, but he’s more your Red Bull kind of megalomaniac. 9.3/10.

Robert Oatley Margaret River Signature Series Chardonnay 2023, $23

The hand that signed the chardonnay. Warm and friendly white that could handle all the democratic

United States, whereupon you instal a judiciary to pardon you. Doesn’t get any better, does it?

Actually, it does. Easily the best thing - okay, maybe the only good thing - to come out of the US election, and the Cup, was the opportunity to have a party at midday complete with Despot (We’re Eating The) Dogs, Presidential Pasties and Fascist Flans, all washed down with: if you weren’t throwing it at the TV last Wednesday. 9.3/10.

Robert Oatley McLaren Vale Signature Series Shiraz 2022, $23. Suitably solid stuff from the ‘Vale’, with all the warmth of Kamala and a modicum of the brash of the other contender, minus the orange hair thankfully.