On my recent trip to South Africa, I had dinner at the lovely, super-luxurious Delaire Graff, preceded by a tasting with winemaker Morne Vrey and marketing manager Katherine Harris. Morne’s…
A great lunch at Social Wine and Tapas, with Savart and Pignan
Charles Spence, the noted red-trousered Professor of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University wrote one of my favourite books of late, titled The Perfect Meal. I think I had a lunch…
Top new world fizz from Graham Beck and Josef Chromy
Super-impressed by these two sparkling wines from the ‘new world’ – specifically South Africa and Australia. They’re both available from UK retailer Marks & Spencer (I strongly suspect that the…
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…
Some wine with Ken Forrester
Had dinner with Ken Forrester and tried a few of his wines. Ken is the dude. Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage 2014 Stellenbosch, South Africa So impressed with this: inexpensive and…
The Breedekloof Chenin Blanc initiative
Before this tasting Breedekloof was totally off my radar. So it was great to catch up with three Breedekloof guys, Pieter Cronje, De Wet Lategan and Attie Loew to hear…
In Toronto, one night only
I was staying overnight in Toronto before flying home early morning. So I hooked up with Nicholas Pearce (above), a wine agent and negociant, for an evening. We started off in…
How to have a cool, happening palate. Advice from a master!
Scared of being labelled as an old-timer has-been with yesterday’s palate? Want to stay relevant in the modern world of wine? Want to be able to hang with the cool…
Washington State wine adventures, day 2
The vehicle the four of us are driving around Washington State is big enough to fit a hot tub in the back. It’s really, really big, and all the doors…