A while back I reported on a visit to Portuguese winery Quinta de Sant’ana in the Lisboa region. I was particularly impressed by their Pinot Noir, which showed lovely elegance…
International Wine Challenge Day 1 – fun at the Barbican
For the next two weeks I’m going to be filling the role of ‘panel chair’ at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world’s largest blind tasting competition. For a freelancer…
Natural Chenin and Queijo de Serra da Estrela – yum!
Wine and cheese. Not always a great match, but here’s a combination that worked well. Queijo de Serra da Estrela is a fantastic cheese from Portugal. It’s made in the…
Bordeaux: past performance cannot be used to predict future performance
It’s the time of year when, once again, the attention of the wine world is focused firmly on Bordeaux, the world’s most important fine wine region. There are a number…
A pair of Hamilton Russells
I’m a great fan of taking time to get to know wines. Most of the wines featured here on this blog have been drunk, as opposed to those brief sniff…
Organic in the Douro: Terra Prima and Altano
Organic viticulture in the Douro is not all that common. However, things may be changing. Two organic wines that have recently reached the marketplace are Symingtons Organic version of Altano,…
Visiting Constantia (2): Steenberg
The second visit in Constantia was Steenberg. Part of the Graham Beck empire, they are one of South Africa’s most celebrated producers, especially well known for their whites (including Sauvignon…
A remarkable Chenin Blanc
This is a superb wine. Now almost 7 years old, and developing beautifully. At 13% alcohol, it’s not one of the overblown, ripe styles. Instead, it’s fresh, ripe and textured…
Cherry blossom, moss, liverworts and The Ned
A lovely spring day here. The cherry blossom outside our house is out, and it’s beautiful. We took RTL and FFS down to Windsor Great Park, where they had a…