What a great afternoon. I went to Twickenham to watch England versus Australia, preceded by lunch in St Margarets. It was at a small BYO cafe, so two of us…
Nyetimber Sparkling Rose 2007: a new English wine
Very interested to get a chance to drink this new wine. It’s a pink fizz from one of the UK’s top sparkling wine producers, Nyetimber. This is the first Nyetimber…
A nice quote from 1947
I have an old wine book, recommended to me by a reader – it’s Ian Maxwell Campbell’s Wayward Tendrils of the Vine, published in 1947. It’s delightfully old fashioned, but…
Recently on the main wineanorak site
Some recent articles on the main wineanorak site: Sterhuis: nice wines from Stellenbosch, South Africa Amelia Park: an interesting new Margaret River producer Douro Family Estates: a new collaborative venture…
A memorable meal at Hakkasan, including an old Joguet
Dinner for the judges of the sparkling wine review was held at Hakkasan, the famed Chinese/fusiony restaurant. This was my first time here, so I was quite looking forward to…
The first day of the Sparkling Wine Review!
First day’s judging at the Sparkling Wine Review is underway her at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey. It’s a completely new sort of benchmarking exercise, and we’re very excited about…
Video: Tasting Veuve Clicquot Champagnes, part 2
Tasting Veuve Clicquot Champagnes with Francois Hautekeur, part 2 – the 1989 Cave Prive Rose.
Video: harvest in Rioja
Here’s a short film from my recent Rioja trip. It looks at the harvest at a couple of wineries. There’s a contrast between Finca Allende receiving their Graciano, and La…
Some thoughts on natural wine
I love natural wines. I’m also a scientist by training. Knowing what I know, I don’t understand how natural wines (here defined as wines with as little added as possible…