When I was in Canada last month I had a chance to watch Viniserve’s mobile disgorging line in operation. Disgorging is a vital stage in the life of…
Chapel Down Kit’s Coty wines, including the £100 Coeur de Cuvée
These are some new releases from Chapel Down, one of the UK’s largest wineries. Chapel Down make very good sparkling and still wines, and they fulfil an important function: they…
Benjamin Bridge Brut 2011 Nova Scotia, Canada
Had another opportunity to try this beauty. I visited Benjamin Bridge last year, and I’m really impressed with what they are doing. These wines have very high acidity, so they…
UK sparkling wine sales continue to soar
New data released today show that in the last 12 weeks of 2016, in the run up to Christmas, 45 million bottles of sparkling wine were sold in the UK….
Canadian wine at the Vancouver wine fest: sparkling wine
There’s a buzz around sparkling wine at the moment. Sparkling wine sales account for 11% of global wine sales and this market is growing by 4.5% annually. And it’s something…
Two interesting NZ wines at Shop Eight, Christchurch
Had a lovely evening with a few colleagues at Shop Eight in Christchurch. These two wines were really interesting. The alternative face of New Zealand wine. Cambridge Road The Naturalist…
Two lovely fizzy Italian reds
Fizzy red wines. Not mainstream, I know, but I quite liked these two examples from Italy. They’re being sold by a retailer new to the UK, Tannico. Paltrinieri Lambrusco di…
Three from Hoffmann & Rathbone, impressive English wines
Really enjoyed these three from Hoffmann & Rathbone, a high-quality negotiant operation based in Sussex. Hoffmann & Rathbone Classic Cuvée Brut 2010 Sussex, England 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10%…
Hambledon Classic Cuvée Rosé
Hambledon is one of the most exciting of all the English sparkling wine producers. They’ve just released their first rosé, and it’s really impressive. Hambledon Rosé NV Hampshire, England 12%…