From all the fuss, you’d imagine we’d never seen snow before in the UK. But for each of the last three winters, we’ve had a good dose of the white…
Super Portuguese white: Ameal Loureiro
This is a wine I like quite a bit. It’s a brilliant Vinho Verde, made from the Loureiro grape variety (not the more famous Alvarinho). Quinta do Ameal Branco 2009…
A brilliant, affordable Portuguese red
Get a load of this. It’s a really great Portuguese red, from the Dao region, and it’s brilliant value for money. I love the freshness, grip and definition. Quinta das…
Scion: a tawny Port from the 1850s
A great privilege to be able to try this tawny Port, dating back to the 1850s. Taylor’s have acquired two pipes of it (a pipe is 600 litres, but with…
The New Douro tasting 2008
Yesterday was the New Douro tasting at the Tate Modern in London. It has been going for a few years now, and it’s a great event. But it could be…
Dinner with Dirk Niepoort: projects at the project
Very interesting dinner last night with one of Portugal’s finest, Dirk Niepoort (above). The focus was on special projects that he’s been involved with, and – rather appropriately – the…
Vale Meão 2008: latest release from one of Portugal’s greats
Vale Meão is one of the great Douro estates, responsible for some fantastic wines since their first vintage in 1999. This is the latest release: the 2008, which is a…
Some superb single-quinta Ports
Vintage Port is one of the world’s great wines. It’s also relatively affordable compared with other great wines. But there’s an even better bargain in single-quinta Ports from shoulder vintages…
Running a Sherry and Port class
This morning I headed into London to run a Sherry and Port session for Hakkasan’s (high-end London restaurant) staff training. It was an interesting class, and I was introducing most…