Now this is a wine I have struggled with in the past. I have found it to be excessively dominated by those green methoxypyrazine characters, to the point of unbalance,…
Vichy Catalan mineral water
In Spain last week I was introduced to Vichy Catalan mineral water. This is the most remarkable and tasty water I have ever experienced. It tastes a bit salty, but…
Champagne – a blind tasting of some top bottles, with surprises
The older I get the more I like Champagne. This makes me sound like an old fart, but it is true. Champagne rocks. It’s a very interesting drink, and it…
How restaurants might be more innovative
I eat out a lot. (Usually at other people’s expense, I admit.) So how restaurants work is something I think about often. How might they innovate more? How might they…
In Spain, at the Ecosostenible Wine conference
I am in Vilafranca del Penedes in Spain, at the fourth Ecosostenible Wine conference, where I have been a participant. It’s a technical conference examining organic wine production, sustainability and…
Stepp Riesling ‘S’
This is a pretty serious Riesling. It’s made by Gerd Stepp, from a single vineyard, Kallstadter Saumage, with loess and loam rich soils with a high limestone content, in Germany’s…
Wine critics and wine writers
On Friday I wrote a piece for Tim Atkin’s website on the future of wine writing, considering the differing roles of critics and writers. In it, I suggested that if…
Lunch with two great South African wines, and a good northern Rhône
Had a lovely long lunch yesterday. It was at Bread Street Kitchen, part of the Gordon Ramsay empire, located next to St Paul’s Cathedral. The dining room is huge. Really…
Judging at the International Wine Challenge, 2015, Tranche 1
For the last couple of days I have been at The Oval (one of London’s two major cricket grounds) judging in the International Wine Challenge. It’s the second year where…