We had a great time yesterday at my sister’s place, where a sizeable contingent of family gathered to celebrate the royal wedding. I was initially not intending to watch the…
Champagne Gosset Grande Millesime 1999
I’ve not tasted a lot of Gosset since a remarkable vertical tasting of their wines back in 2002. So it was nice to drink this rather good Champagne, the 1999…
The Wiseman ‘Study’ – cheap versus expensive wine
Much has been written about a scientific ‘study’ by psychologist Richard Wiseman which showed that people can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine. (See, for example, this report…
Dogs and vines
Today we were back to normal April weather after a little taste of summer. For the Easter holiday weekend we enjoyed consecutive sunny days with temperatures in the mid-to-high 20s…
Julien Sunier Morgon 2009: a serious expression of Beaujolais
I really like this. It’s a Morgon from Julien Sunier, who has been making his own wines only since 2008. He farms three hectares in Morgon, Regnie and Fleurie, working…
Bollinger RD 1999
Easter Sunday treat. The latest release of Bollinger’s wonderful RD, which stands for ‘recently disgorged’. In this case, the wine had been on its lees until January this year. This…
Esk Valley: a lovely Bordeaux blend from New Zealand
New Zealand reds are fast becoming their most exciting wines. Here’s a good one from a producer I visited a few years back, and it’s not overly expensive, at just…
Just the weather for German Riesling
We really should be drinking more German Riesling. It’s fantastic. Nowhere else quite does Riesling like Germany, even though I am partial to expressions of this variety from Austria, Alsace,…
One more day to go at the International Wine Challenge
So, my two week stint at the Intenational Wine Challenge (IWC) is almost over. Tomorrow is the last day of judging of the nine, and it has been a great…