I have just written up a lengthy article on Waterkloof, the Stellenbosch winery owned by UK wine merchant Paul Boutinot. It’s a really great project that just beginning to hit…
Minimum Unit Pricing for alcohol: what’s the downside?
The UK is considering Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) of alcohol, with an initial level of 45 p per unit. Initially, I couldn’t see a downside, from the perspective of a…
Returning to my old university for a wine tasting
From 1986 until 1992 I spent six years at Royal Holloway University of London, first doing a BSc and then a PhD. Last night, I returned for the first time…
A few nice Portuguese bottles from The Wine Society
Ah, Portugal. One of my favourite wine countries. Here are three good bottles from The Wine Society that are affordable and tasty. Campolargo Alvarelhão 2011 Bairrada, Portugal This is brilliant. It’s…
On Andrew Jefford’s famous speech at the bloggers’ conference
I can’t think of many recent pieces of within-trade wine communication that have had such an impact as Andrew Jefford’s keynote speech at the recent bloggers conference, which he has…
Primitivo, Musar, Bordeaux and Rioja
Had some friends round last night, so four interesting reds went into decanters. These friends weren’t wine geeks, and I always enjoy seeing the way non-wine-nuts respond to wine. So, from…
Julien Sunier Fleurie 2010, a delicious, serious Beaujolais
This is a really good example of how Beaujolais is becoming SERIOUS. It’s naturally made, from organically (in conversion) farmed vineyards. It is from vineyards at almost 500 m in…
A superb Hunter Valley Semillon
This is rather good. It’s a Tyrrells exclusive for UK retailer Marks & Spencer, and it’s the real deal. Proper Hunter Semillon, just entering its long drinking window. It’s not…
Presenting natural wines to a curious audience
Just finished a tasting for the Oxford Wine Club. I presented nine natural wines, all sourced from Les Caves de Pyrene. I knew it would be a challenge, because some…