Had a remarkable lunch yesterday. It was hosted by Keith Prothero with guest of honour Bertus Basson, star South African restaurateur (Overture at Hidden Valley). It was held at Chez…
In Portugal
So, I am on holiday. In the Algarve, Portugal. It’s very hot and sunny, and we are in close proximity to water, which is a good start. I am with…
A brilliant, affordable Austrian red
Here’s a really nice Austrian red at a great price. Just the sort of wine I love to drink. It has personality and freshness. Pittnauer ‘Pitti’ 2011 Burgenland, Austria A…
Dr Loosen Red Slate Riesling
I’m giving away the fact that I’m a wine trade person (of sorts, do journalists count as wine trade?) by pimping another Riesling. We wine trade folk love Riesling, but…
In pictures, a photoshoot at Denbies
So I spent this morning with the lovely crew from The Sunday Express S Magazine for a photoshoot, which took place at Denbies, the largest vineyard in the UK. It’s…
Segmenting the wine market helps us to see more clearly
On this blog, one of my recurring themes is market segmentation. [Aside: I probably have lots of recurring themes. In fact, I probably repeat myself incessantly. Sorry.] We can’t really…
Some interesting wines at cricket
On Friday I spent the afternoon playing cricket. Yes, more play. Less work. Still striving after the elusive balance. It was for the Wine Trade XI, against a touring Aussie…
Muscat and Moscato
Just had to do a Sunday Express column on Moscato, which gave me a chance to try a few different ones. I’ve included Muscat here, as well as what we…
A big night out at the chief’s!
Feeling a little tired after a wonderful evening at the chief’s last night. The chief is Harpers editor Richard Siddle, who convened a gathering of chums to eat and drink…