Played wine trade cricket today. First game of the season, versus Fullers, at Chiswick Park. It’s such a pretty ground, quintessentially English and fringed with trees. The only problem: retrieving…
RAW and the London Wine Fair
I am almost overwhelmed. Since Thursday, I have been tasting almost continually. And two events in particular – the RAW fair on Sunday (above) and Monday, and the London Wine…
O-Port-Unidade
This is super cool. O-Port-Unidade is a charity Port, organized by Axel Probst, German fighter pilot and Port lover (his website is World of Port). 24 Port producers (with one…
Lunch with Dirk Niepoort, including the Poeirinho Baga and a Madeira from 1795
Dirk Niepoort is in town, so yesterday we arranged to have lunch at Kitchen W8. It’s been a while since I caught up with Mr Niepoort, who is one of…
Some Canadian wines you should probably try (part 2)
Some more Canadian highlights. They might be tough to locate, but they are worth the chase. Bachelder Wismer Vineyard Chardonnay 2012 Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara, Canada Thomas Bachelder is one…
Some Canadian wines you should probably try (part 1)
Thursday’s Canadian wine tasting and seminar at Canada House was a great success. Lots of energy and enthusiasm, great people, and some lovely wines. Here are some of my favourites,…
A day in the English vineyards
Spent the day today driving round English vineyards with two Canadian wine peeps, Andrew and Nicole. We visited three of the finest English producers, and each visit was quite special…
Lunch at Grain Store
Lovely lunch at my current favourite restaurant, Grain Store, today. The redevelopment at Kings Cross along the Regent’s Canal – where Grain Store is located – is looking good, and…
Limited success: the enemy of real success
My view is that limited success is the enemy of real success. Many wineries are selling enough wine that they just keep going with their current strategies, even though these…