This is fabulous, and it’s cheap. It’s a £5.49 wine that has more than a hint of seriousness, as well as a lot of fun. Marks & Spencer Vin de…
Some Rhône treats
Quite a few impressive Rhône wines at yesterday’s Bunch tasting. Here are some I enjoyed a lot. Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage 2011 Northern Rhône, France Is this Graillot’s best yet?…
Rhone 2011, a pretty good vintage
It has been a busy day. I was leading a team at the Sommelier Wine Awards in Vauxhall until 3.20 pm, and then I hot footed it along the…
A superb, inexpensive Ventoux
Continuing in my theme of brilliant wines under £10, here’s a Ventoux that I was seduced by. It’s one of those wines that manages to hold the sweet fruit and…
A great day of rugby and Rhone wines
Continuing a rather sporty weekend, on Saturday I was a guest of InterRhone at the Twickenham double header. Two games of premiership rugby and a feed, with good company and…
Côte Rôtie, one of my great passions
I often get asked the impossible question. What is your favourite wine? For a wine professional, you can’t really afford to have a favourite. Let’s face it, the world of…
Syrah and Serine
I have just written up the wines of Eric Texier, who is doing some really interesting work in the northern Rhone. For me, his two best wines are both made…
Two lovely, affordable French reds from the Sampler
Two lovely southern French red wines from The Sampler. They’re some of the exclusive imports that they bring in. First, Domaine Rimbert Cousin Oscar 2011 Vin de France. 11.5% alcohol,…
Two brilliant 2010 Chateauneuf du Papes from Caillou
I really enjoyed these two brilliant examples of Chateaneuf du Pape from Le Clos du Caillou, a domaine with just 9 hectares in the appellation, as well as 44 hectares…