The iPhone 6. I remember when it first came out. I was at an event and a tech journalist had one, before its general release, for review purposes. I had…
If you were a wine… wines as people
If you were a wine, what wine would you be? It’s an immensely silly question, but a fun one. It’s actually even more fun to ask a friend: what wine…
‘Down with wine dogma’ – a comment on the alcohol level debate
A friend alerted me to this blog post by the excellent Ray Isle, which contains an open letter by Californian winemaker Sean Thackrey on alcohol levels and wine. Thackrey is…
On beauty
This morning I was driving. And, as I usually do when I am driving, I listened to Radio 4. [If I were ever to leave the UK, I think one…
Tasting notes are really bad, aren’t they?
I think I really hate tasting notes. But I write them all the time. Have to. It’s a large part of my job. I don’t think my tasting notes are…
£5.32 per grape berry
Top wines are very expensive these days. It must make it tricky for anyone dealing with the production side: a small mistake could prove costly. You can’t afford to discard…
How not to lose your love for wine
Every now and then I meet someone in the wine trade who has lost their love for wine. [Maybe they never had it, but of all the trades to get…
How the London wine scene has changed for the better
There’s a good article in today’s Independent on the ‘Rock’n’roll’ sommeliers who are replacing ‘wine list dinosaurs’ in London’s restaurant scene. I’m not sure about the ‘rock’n’roll’ descriptor, but it’s…
If I were to set wine exams, I’d ask some rather different questions
If I were to set wine exams, I think I’d ask some rather different questions. Let’s think of a few. 1. Tell me about a wine that you once fell…