Spotted today while walking through London: a blue plaque commemorating the location of the Portuguese embassy back in the 18th century, and the residence of the Marquês de Pombal while…
Tourónio, an impressive Douro red
I love the Douro, and I’m delighted to be going out there again in a couple of weeks. So much is happening, in the relatively new region for table wines….
Video: tasting three Gewurztraminers
So, here’s a short film. I taste three different Gewurztraminers – from Alsace, Chile and Hungary – and talk about them.
Wine communication: the elephant in the room
With all the discussions about communicating wine that are taking place of late, there’s one factor I don’t see mentioned very often. The elephant in the room is this: As…
Goodbye: Gary V leaves the world of wine
So, Gary Vaynerchuk has left the world of wine. After 1000 episodes of winelibrary.tv (which he retired from earlier this year), and then 89 episodes of the daily grape, the…
The 50th vintage of Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz
Early in my wine drinking journey, I was heavily influenced by the Penfolds bin series reds – 28, 128 and 389. Grange, although cheap by today’s standards at £35, was…
Cricket with Marcillac and Kiwi Pinot Noir
So, today was another day of cricket. I’m well aware that I’ve spent a fair bit of time this summer playing and watching cricket. Too much? It’s a close call….
Do wine books have a future?
With all the attention on the internet and social media, it would be easy to assume that there is no future for wine books. But I love books. I love…
Northern Rhone series 12, Saint Peray time
Saint-Péray is a tiny appellation in the south of the northern Rhône, consisting of some 62 hectares of vines planted on granite overlaid by limestone, silt and loess soils. It’s…