Mood is a strange thing. I just woke up this morning feeling happy. Then the kids were nice. The sun shone. I went for a walk with the dog. Spring…
The Wanderer: impressive Shiraz and Pinot from the Yarra Valley
Two very nice wines from a new (to me, at least) producer in the Yarra Valley, Andrew Marks’ The Wanderer. The story of Australian wine isn’t actually about big brands,…
Video: harvest time at the spectacular Quinta do Noval, in Portugal’s Douro
Here’s a short film I shot at the spectacular Quinta do Noval, in Portugal’s Douro, during the 2009 harvest.
Wine photographs: Germany
Just been spending some time putting some of my wine photographs online (Photos from Germany: Part 1, Rheingau; and Part 2, Nahe). In my travels, I’ve collected quite a library…
Southbank Estate Sauvignon Blanc now at £3
Totally absurd price for what is a very good wine: I’ve discovered that Asda are now selling through their remaining stocks of Southbank Estates 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (an estate-bottled Sauvignon…
Easter Champagne: Mumm de Cramant
This is a gorgeous Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs (Chardonnay only) Champagne. It’s a little unusual in that it has 4.5 bars pressure rather than the usual 6 bars, but…
Sweet wine season, 12: Churchill’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port
There are two major styles of Port. The first is Ruby (a category including Vintage, Single Quinta, LBV, Crusted, Vintage Character and Ruby) – wines aged for a relatively short…
Epiphytes
Just been walking the dog on Hounslow Heath. Sort of hinting at spring, today, but still quite cold. The highlight of the walk was finding some beautiful epiphytes (a term…
A difficult day finishes well with Riesling
I don’t think Riesling will ever be fashionable, but I do enjoy it. Tonight I’m sipping a nice one from Leitz in Germany’s Rheingau, who I visited last May. It’s…