Some great visits today. All in beautiful sunshine. Once again, pictures will have to suffice. Words will come later. The day began with a visit to Neil Ellis’ new cellar…
In South Africa, day 1
Tired, now, after a great first day in South Africa. I landed this morning, had a quick refresh, then hit the road. Too tired to do proper write-ups now, so…
A lovely, affordable Hunter Semillon
Very nice wine, this. Hunter Valley Semillon is a unique style of wine. Pale, fresh, light in youth, yet ages brilliantly. And it comes from a very warm wine region….
Managing a wine retail brand: comparing Majestic and Berry Bros & Rudd
Yesterday I was contacted by a brand consultant who is doing some work for a wine merchant. He wanted to pick my brains. The conversation got me thinking about brand…
A brilliant Kiwi sparkling wine from Huia
I recently wrote up the 2004 Huia Blanc de Blancs. Very favourably. The 2005 is the current vintage, and the good news is that this is also exceptional. Huia Blanc…
Pfaffl Hundsleiten, a brilliant Austrian Gruner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is one of my favourite white grape varieties. It’s pretty much restricted to Austria, although New Zealand has now started paying attention to this variety, which has a…
Big fat gypsy wedding and the Andre Simon Award
Yesterday was action packed. After travelling into London for a client meeting, it was back home, in time to witness a remarkable spectacle. Have you ever seen the Channel 4…
Dinner at le Mange-Grenouille, Saint Aignan sur Cher
Another nice dinner, this time at le Mange-Grenouille in Saint Aignan. No frogs: just some delicious wines and really impressive food, including a really nice pigeon and one of the…
Dinner at Le Bon Laboureur, with nice Loire wines
I’m in the Loire, with Tim Atkin, Sam Harrop and Annette Scarfe. We’re here to judge Loire Sauvignon, and last night we were joined by some Loire growers for a…