I have just written up a Marques de Murrieta Rioja tasting, where we got to drink, among other lovely older wines, a bottle of Castillo Ygay 1925. It was remarkable….
Lunch at the Glasshouse, Kew
Back to one of my favourite places yesterday, for a lovely lunch. The Glasshouse, Kew, is worth a detour. The wine list is really creative and diverse, the service is…
Altano Organic Douro Red 2012, a brilliant bargain
This is a brilliant bargain! It’s a grown-up, proper Douro red for less than a tenner. The Symingtons are the largest organic farmer in the Douro with 126 hectares of…
Lunch at Mission E2 with some nice Californian wines
On Thursday I had lunch at one of London’s most exciting new wine destinations: Mission E2, the second venue from Sager & Wilde. It’s a beautiful space in a nicely…
Amazed by the 2014 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc, and why you should drink it young
I am quite amazed by how good the 2014 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc is. You’ll probably be amazed by how amazed I was, so from the outset, I’ll answer some questions…
Vidal Fleury Crozes Hermitage 2012
Regulars here will probably know that the northern Rhône is one of my favourite regions, and that I am crazy about cool-climate Syrah. It would be fair to say that…
Charles Smith The Honourable Riesling
I admit it: I hadn’t really heard the Charles Smith story until I read about him on the blog of a Canadian friend, Nicole, even though I’d run into a…
Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2012, a serious effort
This is a super wine. It’s a new launch from Bordeaux superstar Pichon Baron. Christian Seely describes it thus: ‘It is a second wine, made from grapes from the intermediate…
Iona Chardonnay 2013, a star from Elgin
My South African wine journalist friends have been raving about Elgin Chardonnay for ages. Do you know what? They may just be right. I’ve some good ones of late, including…