Covela is back. I was a fan of this estate, which was previously owned by Nuno Araújo (related to Pedro Araújo of Ameal), and which made really interesting wines from…
The Kalfu Sumpai wines from Chile
Kalfu is a new series of nine wines from innovative large Chilean producer Vina Ventisquero. They haven’t been released yet, but I got to try two of them. The Sauvignon…
Three lovely wines: Rousseau, Dujac and Cotat
So, the final instalment of my write up of Tuesday’s lunch wines. The great thing about sharing a bottle among four is that you get to drink a decent quantity,…
Nicolas Perrin Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2012
Northern Rhone whites are some of the unheralded stars of the wineworld. There’s a good story to this wine, too. Before around 1995, Jaboulet were one of the top producers…
The incomparable Yquem 1986
This was the star wine in a star line-up at Tuesday’s lunch. Just thrillingly good. Chateau d’Yquem 1986 Sauternes, Bordeaux, France Powerful, spicy and intense with lovely flavours of marmalade,…
Three lovely Rhones: two Chaves and a La Turque
Had a great lunch at The Glasshouse restaurant in Kew yesterday, hosted by Keith Prothero. In attendance: Malcolm Thwaites, Greg Sherwood and me. The Glasshouse is such a great restaurant….
Holiday in the Charente, France
For the last week I have been on holiday in France. A cousin’s wedding in Vouharte, in the Charente, gave us the perfect opportunity to get together as an extended…
So restaurant wine lists are too trendy?
So restaurant wine lists are too trendy? Sommeliers guilty of forcing their esoteric tastes on punters? Should restaurants give their customers what they’d like, rather than what they should like?…
Visiting Cognac producer Les Grands Pateurs
So, I’m on holiday with my extended family in the Charente, attending a family wedding tomorrow. It’s not wine country, really – although a few wines are made here, the…