My modest harvest took place today under ideal conditions. Three varieties were picked. First, Pinot Noir. Nicely ripe, about 10% of berries affected by rot. Bacchus: unfortunately not very much,…
An excellent Indian lunch
It’s Friday, so Fiona and I had lunch out (she managed to secure a 3 hour gap between clients). We went, for the first time, to Indian Zest, a high-end…
Picking grapes at Yquem: this is crazy
Just seen this following video of the harvest at Yquem, the most famous of all the Sauternes producers. This is the first pass through the vineyard (1er trie) and the…
I now have a ‘smart’ phone
I have finally bitten the bullet, and got a smartphone. After years of just using my phone for making calls and texting, I’m now going to use it for emails,…
A great value, fairly serious Riesling
This is a strong contender for one of the best value whites of the year, at the discounted price of £7.99. It’s from a producer I reviewed a short while…
Lunch at Providores, focusing on Trinity Hill Syrah
Lunch at Providores today, London’s fantastic Kiwi-inspired restaurant. It was with John Hancock of Hawkes Bay producer Trinity Hill, and as well as John, in attendance were Ben Smith (of…
Running a Sherry and Port class
This morning I headed into London to run a Sherry and Port session for Hakkasan’s (high-end London restaurant) staff training. It was an interesting class, and I was introducing most…
Two superb South African whites
I’m getting quite enthused about South African whites of late. Especially the white blends. Here are two very good wines, both made by winemaker Ian Naude. One is a blend…
Video: Rippon, Central Otago, New Zealand
Here’s a short film shot on my visit to Central Otago producer Rippon. It’s a spectacular property. I’ve been playing around with my video processing, and this is now in…