I have just written up the first two parts of a five part series on my sherry adventure in October, when I got to visit Jerez and helped blend the…
Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 2003
I remember the excitement of discovering that Oddbins were selling the 1997 version of this wine for just £5 for a half bottle back in 2001. This was in the…
Springfield Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Now this is a wine I have struggled with in the past. I have found it to be excessively dominated by those green methoxypyrazine characters, to the point of unbalance,…
Vichy Catalan mineral water
In Spain last week I was introduced to Vichy Catalan mineral water. This is the most remarkable and tasty water I have ever experienced. It tastes a bit salty, but…
Champagne – a blind tasting of some top bottles, with surprises
The older I get the more I like Champagne. This makes me sound like an old fart, but it is true. Champagne rocks. It’s a very interesting drink, and it…
How restaurants might be more innovative
I eat out a lot. (Usually at other people’s expense, I admit.) So how restaurants work is something I think about often. How might they innovate more? How might they…
In Spain, at the Ecosostenible Wine conference
I am in Vilafranca del Penedes in Spain, at the fourth Ecosostenible Wine conference, where I have been a participant. It’s a technical conference examining organic wine production, sustainability and…
Stepp Riesling ‘S’
This is a pretty serious Riesling. It’s made by Gerd Stepp, from a single vineyard, Kallstadter Saumage, with loess and loam rich soils with a high limestone content, in Germany’s…
Wine critics and wine writers
On Friday I wrote a piece for Tim Atkin’s website on the future of wine writing, considering the differing roles of critics and writers. In it, I suggested that if…