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John Key speaking at the opening of the Brancott Estate Heritage Centre Last night was fun. It was the official opening of the new Brancott Estate Heritage Centre, which has recently been completed. The centre has been built on a small hill overlooking the historic Brancott Vineyard, where Marlborough’s first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were planted [...]
A big day yesterday. It began with a stroll down to the waterfront for some beers with Nick Stock and Iain Riggs (of Brokenwood in Australia’s Hunter Valley), but this morphed into lunch when Stocky successfully got us a table in a crowded restaurant by slipping a member of staff some $$$. His view is [...] I’m just waking up after my first sleep in New Zealand. After arriving at 7 am yesterday from London, I’m very proud that I managed to stay up until midnight, and slept through until this morning. I’ll need my energy: tonight it’s Wales v France, and I suspect a late night coming on. I spent yesterday [...] I’m now back from my first visit to Russia, which was a great experience and will be written up in full, in my usual anorak-like fashion. The last morning was spent at Abrau Durso, a sparkling wine specialist. It’s a house with some history, spanning back to 1870. Current production levels are a surprising 18 million [...] Had a little bit of time to look round the port city of Novorossiysk yesterday. Its seafront has been redeveloped very attractively, and there’s a huge old battleship moored in front of the promenade. This was followed by lunch at Cafe Prego, where as an alternative to their normal Italian fare, they had prepared a fantastic [...] I spent today in the Fanagoria winery in Russia. It’s a big operation, making a range of wines from 2500 hectares of vines. That’s big by any standards, but this Jacob’s Creek of Russian wine does a pretty good job, aided by consultant winemaker John Worontschack. Some food notes. Above, herring, onion and potato; below, sala, [...] Merlot So, after an 0335 alarm call, two flights and a car journey, I’m in a vineyard region in Russia. I’ve never been to Russia before. Over the next few days I’ll be visiting a number of wineries in a region with no official name. It’s probably best described as Russia’s Black Sea Coast. Frank Duseigneur My [...] Some pictures from yesterday. Great time of year to be in the Douro with vintage just starting. I’m in sunny Porto, heading off to the Douro today where vintage 2011 is just starting. So, snatching a few minutes on free wifi (all hotels should offer this) in the lobby, a brief account of last night’s dinner. It was at O Carteiro (55 Rua Senhor da Boa Morte), a traditional Portuguese restaurant. The food [...] Another day of relaxation under the blue Alentejo sky. We began the day with a cycle ride round the vineyard before breakfast, and since then we’ve spent the best part of the day poolside. Last night’s dinner at the restuarant here at Malhadinha Nova was really impressive. Starter of tuna tartare with wasabi ice cream was a [...] |
 This is the blog of wine journalist Jamie Goode, online since 2001. Feel free to nose around; your comments are welcomed.
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