I’ve just spent a very enjoyable couple of days in Bordeaux. The first was a free afternoon (I walked and walked), followed by dinner; the second a big tasting of…
Visiting Château Marquis d’Alesme, Margaux, for the opening of a grand winery
Last night I was one of a group who visited Château Marquis d’Alesme on the occasion of the opening of their new winery in Margaux. The estate, which has 15…
Gamay focus 20, Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2014 ‘N’
This is one of the most famous of all Beaujolais. It’s from the estate of the late Marcel Lapierre, now run by his son Matthieu, who has now been involved…
Top eating out in SF: State Bird Provisions, Aatxe, Prospect and The Slanted Door
I’ve been a couple of times to San Francisco in the past few weeks and eaten out well. Here are four favourites. State Bird Provisions is just brilliant. If you…
Extended tasting note: Domaine Lucci Spring Red 2015, natural goodness from Anton
I haven’t done an extended tasting note for a while. These are notes that attempt to look a little deeper at a wine, putting the drinking experience in context. This…
Why private label/own brand is bad for wine
There are few absolutes in the world of wine. The words ‘sometimes’, or ‘often’, or ‘may be’ usually need to be appended to statements such as the title of this…
Latest Douro wines from Dirk Niepoort, and his brilliant Mosel collaboration with Kettern
At ProWein I caught up with Dirk Niepoort, and took a look at his Douro wines, and also a new project from the Mosel that he’s involved with: a collaboration…
Some reflections on ProWein 2016: bubbly Brits, grower Champagne, Canada, Provence and Grenache
ProWein is a massive wine and spirits fair, held each year in Dusseldorf, Germany. It’s enormous. 6200 exhibitors, and 55 000 trade visitors. I’ve just returned, and these are some…
California, day 5, in Napa
The final full day of our California trip was a little less frantic than the rest of the itinerary, with just one lunch visit and one dinner visit. This left…