Following hot on the heels from my selection of 12 top whites from The Wine Society tasting, here are notes on 12 top reds. There’s some great drinking here: these…
Walking the Abel Tasman
This weekend Nat and I headed off to spend a couple of days walking the Abel Tasman Track, a stunning route at the top of the South Island. To do…
A mixed case of whites from The Wine Society
Just been looking through my notes from the recent tasting put on by The Wine Society, which is one of the very best places to buy wine in the UK….
AA Badenhorst Dassiekop Steen, a thrilling South African Chenin
I’ve spoken of my love of Adi Badenhorst’s Dassiekop before: it’s one of my favourite Chenins. I brought a bottle to New Zealand and shared it with friends. It was…
In New Zealand (for a very long time)
For the last week I have been in New Zealand. It’s my fourth trip here this year, and it will also be my longest ever: I’m staying here until the…
Moss Wood Amy’s 2015 Margaret River, Australia
2015 was a very successful vintage in Margaret River, by all accounts, and this Bordeaux-style blend from Moss Wood is quite beautiful. It’s also relatively inexpensive for the quality. While…
My birthday bash with lovely wines and even lovelier people
I had a big birthday recently. I’m not going to bore you with some intense post on time, ageing and pseudo-profound thoughts on how age brings more than it takes…
The wines of Ricci Curbastro, Franciacorta, Italy
As a fan of sparkling wines, I was pleased to get the chance to meet Riccardo Ricci Curbastro and taste through his wines, at a masterclass hosted by Vini Italiani…
How oak barrels are made: visiting Tonnellerie de Mercurey, Burgundy
I recently had the chance to visit Tonnellerie de Mercurey, a leading barrel manufacturer in Burgundy. Barrels are pretty important to wine, because even though they are an old technology,…