I’d been in Blenheim for three days before another big night at Scotch, the epic wine bar in town where it’s easy to rack up quite a spectacular bill if…
The wines of Lismore, Greyton, South Africa
Samantha O’Keefe must be pretty tough. She has a spectacular wine farm in the middle of nowhere, and she’s been running it pretty much single-handedly since the beginning, as well…
An amazing tasting of old Piedmont wines
On my last trio to South Africa I took a break from vintage and headed to the Swartland to catch up with buddies Ryan Mostert and Sam Suddons, who make…
Takaki Okada’s after-vintage hangi
I landed in New Zealand just in time to catch Takaki Okada’s (Folium Vineyard) after-vintage hangi. For the last few years Takaki has hosted this event. A hangi is a…
New rosés from Mirabeau en Provence
I’ve written before here about rosés from ambitious, innovative new negociant Mirabeau. Here are the latest releases: now four wines in the range, and they each have their place. Mirabeau…
Pierre Cotton, an exciting young winegrower in Brouilly, Beaujolais
Pierre Cotton’s family domaine is perched next door to the vineyards heading up the slope of Mont Brouilly. He’s one of the talented next generation of winegrowers in the region,…
Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino En Rama – 2018 release
I’m really enjoying this. It’s the latest release of the Tio Pepe Fino En Rama. Now produced every year, this is Fino sherry fresh from the cask, and it has…
The long-awaited first sparkling wines from Rathfinny, Sussex, UK
Today, after lots of anticipation, the first sparkling wines from Rathfinny were launched. It’s an ambitious project, and one that has been much talked about, and so it was great…
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: a great dinner celebrating this variety at Tredwells
Last night I went to a brilliant dinner at Tredwells. Food by the talented Chantelle Nicholson was paired with a fabulous range of 12 Sauvignons from New Zealand, selected by…