I tried these new releases from Dog Point, another of the leading wineries in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, where I’m staying for a while. They are such characterful…
A mixed case of reds from The Wine Society
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…
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…
Pyramid Valley Vineyards Kerner Estate Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2007
In addition to making their own highly-regarded estate wines, Pyramid Valley have also made a series of negociant bottlings from interesting vineyard sites across New Zealand, and this Pinot Blanc…
Discovering new old varieties in southwest France with Plaimont
If a highly paid marketing consultant had come to Plaimont a decade ago, they might have given the following advice: give up on these difficult-to-pronounce, unusual grape varieties with their…
A few days of gastronomic overload in Montréal
I can’t believe it took me so long to visit Montréal. Canada’s second largest city (with a population of 2 million, but double that in the metropolitan area), it’s a…
Catching the tail end of vintage at Norman Hardie, Prince Edward County, Canada
After some fun in Montreal (more to come on this), I headed down to Prince Edward County to catch a couple of days of vintage at Norman Hardie (I was…
What determines your taste? Why I disagree with Tim Hanni
Tim Hanni MW has become well known in the wine trade for his work on separating people into different groups according to their taste preferences. He has some interesting things…
An amazing meal at Houraiken, Nagoya, with Japanese wine
Hot on the heels of one of the most memorable meals of my life a few days ago in Tokyo, I had a very special experience last night, dining at…