For the last four days I have been in Nova Scotia, Canada. My primary reason for visiting was to take part in the Atlantic Wine Symposium, but I also had…
Michelle Bouffard on Canadian wine at MUST 2017
‘We don’t live in igloos and polar bears are not our best friends,’ began Michelle Bouffard, in her talk that introduced the audience to Canadian wine. ‘We have rattlesnakes.’…
José Vouillamoz on grape varieties, at MUST 2017
It was great to hear José Vouillamoz present at MUST. He’s a plant scientist with a special interest in grape varieties, and this was the subject of his talk. He…
Binary thinking and bubble creation
It’s getting worse, I reckon. The world is being polarised. It upsets me when otherwise smart friends fall into the trap of seeing the world in binary terms. Good versus…
Loire adventure: Bernard Baudry, Chinon
Next stop on the Loire adventure was Chinon, with Matthieu Baudry of Domaine Bernard Baudry. The domaine was created by Bernard, father of Matthieu, back in 1975, and Matthieu joined…
Loire adventure: Taille aux Loups, Montois, with Jacky Blot
We finished our appointment at Puzelat and headed to Amboise. It was a beautiful sunny evening, and we were quite excited, because we were staying in a castle right in…
Loire adventure: Clos du Tue Boeuf with Jean-Marie Puzelat
This was quite a visit at Clos du Tue Boeuf. I’ve met Thierry Puzelat before, and I’ve tasted these wines a bit. They are brought into the UK by Les…
Dinner at 67 with uncle Erni
Gareth Birchley of Berry Bros & Rudd (and Come Dine With Me fame) convened a small dinner. Birchley, who was described by Telegraph wine columnist Victoria Moore as ‘a boisterous…
The new releases from Château d’Esclans, star Provence winery
Tasted through the new releases from Sasha Lichine’s Château d’Esclans in Provence. This winery has been a remarkable success story because of its very smart strategy. High quality wines, with…