I feel privileged to be part of the wine trade. You meet so many great people. This picture captures one of the reasons I love my job. It was taken…
Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir 2009
I do like Kiwi Pinot Noir quite a bit. Here’s a really good one from Gibbston Valley, who I visited a while back. Christopher Keys, the winemaker there, is doing…
Northern Rhone series 2, Chapoutier Chante Alouette Hermitage Blanc 2007
Continuing my exploration of the Northern Rhone, wine number two is also a white Hermitage. It may seem an odd choice. Shouldn’t I have gone to Syrah? But I want…
The coming wine war
There’s a clash of cultures in the world of fine wine, and before too long it could become a war. On the one hand, we have the fine wine establishment,…
Northern Rhone series 1, Cave de Tain Hermitage Blanc Au Coeur des Siecles 2007
I have decided to start a short series of posts on the wines of the northern Rhone, a splendid and unique place for growing wine grapes. Not only is it…
Down in Somerset
So we spent today down in Somerset. It was elder son’s school’s summer fare. Because he’s at an agricultural school, there was a distinctly rural feel to events. As well…
Video: Syrah and Shiraz – northern Rhone and Barossa
Here’s a short film of me tasting two contrasting wines. Both are from the same grape variety, but one is a Syrah (Jean-Luc Columbo Crozes-Hermitage Les Gravieres 2008), the other…
An outsider’s perspective on beer marketing
Yesterday I headed over to the wilds of Southwark, to talk about beer marketing. Someone wanted to know my perspective – as an outsider – on beer. So it got…
Video: my Vinexpo experience
So here it is! A film of my first experience of Vinexpo. Just over three minutes of sights and sounds from the world’s largest trade fair!