Everyone wants to be a writer. At least, it seems that way. Few get to write for a living. But people so love to work with words that they are…
On the ‘relaxation’ of planting rights in the European Union
There’s been a lot of discussion on changes to the rules on planting new vineyards in the European Union. For as long as I have been alive, there have been…
2015, a year in pictures
January: a trip to the Ahr Valley, Germany. Pinot Noir country. Thanks Lars Daniels for being my travel companion. February: Zell Am Zee, Austria, for some skiing. Managed one day…
Analogue in a digital world
Vinyl isn’t dead. That is remarkable, on so many levels. Digital is better than analogue. So we are told. When CDs came along, the days of vinyl were fast running…
Some nice wines blind with dinner
Had another wine dinner on Thursday night. Andrew Thomas hosted, with Will Willis and Stuart Bowman-Hood. Alas fellow regular with this group, Joe Wadsack, wasn’t able to make it. [Here’s…
The rise of the lighter-coloured red wine
What’s the most interesting development in the world of wine? Single-variety Vinho Verde? Rosé in magnum? No, for me, it’s the rise of lighter-coloured red wines. And this is quite…
In Sydney, day 1. Grasped by the shoulder!
I have just arrived in Sydney, and while sitting drinking my first flat white of the trip, I jotted down some thoughts, prompted by the following lines in a book…
Wine media and the internet: are we drowning in a sea of mediocrity?
Recently, I discussed the way that the internet has changed the landscape of wine writing. I considered the impact on wine writers of an enormous increase in the volume of…
Advice to emerging wine writers: be known for something, but be careful
Would you like to be a wine writer? Are you already a wine writer, but would like to take the next step? Normally, I’d say you shouldn’t listen to advice…