Some thoughts about perfectionism. Generally speaking, this is an undesirable trait. There are some people who you would quite like to see perfectionism expressed in: for example, your neurosurgeon, your…
Broc Cellars Valdiguié 2012
This is a lovely wine. It’s made from the Valdiguié grape variety, a rather unremarkable variety from southern France that once was popular in California because of its disease resistance,…
The first wines released from urban winery London Cru
So, the first vintage of London Cru’s wines are bottled and will soon be on the market. [Read my report on them from last year.] I visited this – London’s…
The Marathon du Médoc
So I ran the Marathon du Médoc yesterday for the second year. it was the 30th anniversary of the race, so even more than usual there was a party atmosphere….
Keep on running
I wrote last year about how I’d begun running. The good news is that I have managed to keep it up. And I’m just about to get on a plane…
Pressing under nitrogen, the Inertys system
One of the things I saw in Provence was the way that many of the wineries are projecting the juice by pressing in the absence of oxygen. Pictured above is…
On the road in Provence, some pictures
I’m currently on the road in Provence. It’s a beautiful time of year to be here. Harvest has just begun in many areas; in others it is a week or…
The Lidl fine wine sale, full notes on all the wines
Lidl have just launched a fine wine offering. Titled the ‘Lidl Premium French Wine Collection’, they have purchased a large quantity of decent French wine and are selling it at…
Thymiopoulos Xinomavro
This is fabulous. It’s made by Apostolos Thymiopoulos for Marks & Spencer from biodynamically managed vineyards, and it’s a wonderfully approachable, drinkable example of the lovely Xinomavro grape variety, one…