Fiona is away for the weekend with friends, so I’m a lone parent for a few days. [It’s normally the other way round.] Remarkably, I’ve managed to get younger son…
An incredible Barossa Shiraz – one of the best ever?
I was blown away by this wine. I’ve tasted lots and lots of Barossa reds, and of those, this is perhaps the best – or at least very close to…
Scores for wines: it’s getting silly
On balance, I’d rather have scores for wine than not. In a critical assessment of wine, given that we have such an impoverished language for tastes and smells, a score…
Seresin’s incredible six-pack: 2007 Pinot Noirs
Biodynamic Marlborough (NZ) producer Seresin is making some pretty serious wine these days, and with this thrilling line-up of Pinot Noirs from the 2007 vintage, they’ve demonstrated that the Marlborough…
Cos Frappato at Terroirs, a nice end to a busy day
It has been a long day. It began with a Bernard Magrez tasting and lunch at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, which was very impressive (write up to follow). Then I…
Roc des Anges: a serious white from the south of France
A remarkable white wine, made from centenarian Grenache Gris vines, plus a bit of Macabeu and Carignan Blanc, grown in amazing white quartz and black schist soils in the Roussillon….
Looking across to Porto from Vila Nova
Did some staff training for London restaurant Hakkasan today. The subject? Sherry and Port. It was a fun session, and we finished with the 1985 Taylor, a Port that’s now…
Study linking off-licences to violent neighbourhoods – flawed conclusions?
There’s a news item on The Drinks Business website reporting a study in the USA, presented at the AAAS meeting (one of the USA’s most important cross-disciplinary scientific conferences) showing…