The fourth day. By this stage, jet lag has dissipated and I’m fully into the itinerary. So I started the day with a quick run, had some poached eggs, and…
New Zealand, day 1: Burn Cottage and Two Paddocks, Central Otago
Two more visits on the first day in Central Otago. Burn Cottage is an interesting project. It was started by American Marquis (pronounced Marcus) Sauvage, and he hired a stellar…
Mark Haisma’s 2014s
Mark Haisma, Aussie ex-pat Burgundy micro-negoce showed his new releases yesterday. Here are my notes. As usual, please treat these scores as a very approximate indication of how much I…
The race to the bottom
An observation. Not backed by firm data, admittedly, but an observation of a trend in the UK’s wine market. There seems to be a race to the bottom, and it’s…
Champagne Krug 2002 and friends
Krug 2002 has finally been launched. On Tuesday evening a group of us gathered in a studio in Shoreditch which had, for a week, been turned into the home of…
Eulogio Pomares Albariño Crianza Oxidativa 2011 Rías Baixas, Spain
Eulogio Pomares is the viticulturist and winemaker at Zarate in Rias Baixas, Spain, and he has also his own project, Grandes Vinos Desiguales. He makes two wines, both from Albariño:…
Dinner at Noble Rot with Coche, Clos Rougeard, Quintarelli, Roulot, Bachelet and Mugnier
Just before Christmas I had one of the most enjoyable dinners of the year. Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew of Noble Rot invited Neal Martin and I for dinner at…
Christmas Grower Champagne: Legras Presidence 2007, Savart L’Ouverture and Selosse Initial
Three Christmas grower Champagnes. Quite lovely. Champagne R&L Legras Présidence Vieilles Vignes Brut Grand Cru Chouilly 2007 France Low dosage of 5 g/l, Blanc de Blancs. Very stylish, fresh, lemony…
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…