I’m moving, to the Isle of Dogs in London’s Docklands, after a three year stay in the Kent town of Tunbridge Wells. You get to know a place quite well…
How do we tell our story? And why should we?
In the world of wine, it’s normal to go to a wine producer’s website and then read ‘about us’, where that producer tells us their story. And for us journalists,…
Fill your mind with words
I have a theory. If you want to be a writer, fill your mind with words. I’m not sure of this bit, but I think it really helps to read…
Expertise is underestimated by those who don’t have it
It’s a strange thing, but we often have a tendency to dismiss expertise, when that expertise is outside of our own field, or our own reach. I’ve noticed this with…
Back in Canada
I can’t quite believe it, but I’m back in Canada. Penticton BC, to be precise, in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, one of the world’s most scenic wine regions,…
Flying with the brakes on?
After a false start last summer, when we thought things were opening up (and I managed two trips, to France and Germany), I’m flying again for the first time. The…
Who are you writing for?
When I first got into wine, back in the 1990s, I discovered a book in a friend’s toilet that was to prove inspirational. It was Robert Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide,…
We lost our lives, and now we tussle with Stockholm syndrome
It’s late April in the UK, and things are beginning to open up, after a long lockdown. I had my first pint in a pub garden today, and it tasted…
Sonder: everyone has a story
Sometimes we need to step outside of our own perspective. This is true in our lives, but also in the world of wine. Each wine region has its own story….