Had a lovely dinner with Dan Keeling at Noble Rot last night. The food was as good as ever, and the wines were just thrilling. I’ve rarely drunk as well,…
A lovely wine lunch at La Colombe, Cape Town, with Coche, Raveneau, Jamet and Montrose
It was great to catch up with Keith Prothero, Ryan Mostert and Sam Suddons on Wednesday for lunch at one of Cape Town’s most celebrated restuarants, La Colombe. It was…
Three lovely Rhones: two Chaves and a La Turque
Had a great lunch at The Glasshouse restaurant in Kew yesterday, hosted by Keith Prothero. In attendance: Malcolm Thwaites, Greg Sherwood and me. The Glasshouse is such a great restaurant….
Five eclectic wines at the DIAM Rioja conference
Today I gave a talk on social media and the wine industry at a conference in Logrono (Rioja) organized by DIAM, the closure company. Also speaking was José Penin, author…
Côte Rôtie, one of my great passions
I often get asked the impossible question. What is your favourite wine? For a wine professional, you can’t really afford to have a favourite. Let’s face it, the world of…
Northern Rhone series 20, the 2010s from Pierre Gaillard
I was fortunate enough to be sent some cask samples of the 2010s from Pierre Gaillard. He makes wine in a modern style, but avoids spoofiness and over-ripeness. In a…
Northern Rhone series 19, Ogier Belle Helene 2007
Normally, I’d shy away from a Cote Rotie aged in 100% new oak. But this cuvee from Ogier seems to be able to take it in its stride. It was…
Northern Rhone series 5, Jamet Cote Rotie 1999
This wine is a favourite of mine, and I’ve drunk it on perhaps a dozen occasions. Well stored bottles, like this one, are really singing now, but there’s no hurry…
A busy day’s tasting: IGP and Cote Rotie
So, today has been a busy day of tasting. It began with the IGP Top 100 tasting in Parson’s Green. Now IGP is what used to be Vin de Pays,…