Nice way to spend a Thursday morning. Today I was one of the lucky band of tasters who got to experience Blandy’s finest Madeiras back to 1811. The wines were…
50 Great Portuguese wines, 2011
Today was one of the most eagerly awaited tastings in the calendar (for me, at least) – the 50 Great Portuguese Wines tasting. Each year, a journalist is chosen to…
Video: tasting schist – Torres Salmos Priorat and Tons de Duorum
Two wines with a common connection: schist.
Dinner at Francis and Bronwens with Huet, Laval, Niepoort and Donald
I normally try to keep this blog of the moment, but I’ve been busy of late, and I have lots to include. So I need to mention, after the fact,…
Port: why the Symingtons didn’t declare in 2009
Following up from my write-up of the 2009 Vintage Port declaration, Paul Symington contacted me to explain why the Symingtons didn’t make a widespread declaration of the 2009s, which I’m…
The 2009 Vintage Ports from Fonseca, Taylor’s and Croft
Went to a very interesting tasting this morning. It was the declaration tasting of the Vintage Ports from the Fladgate Group: Taylor’s, Fonseca and Croft. I really liked them. These…
Exciting new releases from Douro producer Conceito
Very impressed by these new releases from Rita Ferreira’s Conceito. They’re all really good. The Branco and Bastardo are probably my favourites, though. And the label design is just wonderfully…
A convincing Portuguese Pinot Noir, but will it get approval from the authorities?
A while back I reported on a visit to Portuguese winery Quinta de Sant’ana in the Lisboa region. I was particularly impressed by their Pinot Noir, which showed lovely elegance…
Natural Chenin and Queijo de Serra da Estrela – yum!
Wine and cheese. Not always a great match, but here’s a combination that worked well. Queijo de Serra da Estrela is a fantastic cheese from Portugal. It’s made in the…