I had the pleasure of meeting Jean-Marc Roulot yesterday. Roulot has established himself as one of the superstars of white Burgundy – the new Coche, if you will. The wines…
Binary thinking and bubble creation
It’s getting worse, I reckon. The world is being polarised. It upsets me when otherwise smart friends fall into the trap of seeing the world in binary terms. Good versus…
In Amsterdam, wine nice folks and wine
How impossibly beautiful is Amsterdam? I’ve only visited once, back in 1997, when the organisation I worked for as a science editor held a meeting there. Coming back, on a…
Wine bar crawling: Sager & Wilde, The Laughing Heart, Brilliant Corners
There is so much fun to be had in London these days. It has become a great wine city. On Friday night I joined up with PR person and emerging…
Loire adventure: Bernard Baudry, Chinon
Next stop on the Loire adventure was Chinon, with Matthieu Baudry of Domaine Bernard Baudry. The domaine was created by Bernard, father of Matthieu, back in 1975, and Matthieu joined…
Grower Champagne focus: Marguet Shaman 12
Champagne Marguet is run by fifth generation Benoit Marguet, and is a small house/grower based in Ambonnay. They farm their vineyards biodynamically, and have 8 hectares altogether, 7.3 in Ambonnay (Les…
Are we potentially much better at smelling than we realise? The curious case of androstenone
Androstenone is a smelly steroidal compound produced by pigs that is described as sweaty, urinous, and musky by those who can smell it. Depending on the version of the OR7D4…
63 Pall Mall: the exciting new wine shop from Berry Bros & Rudd
On Friday I went to the press tasting of high-end London retailer Berry Bros & Rudd, and it proved to be a great chance to check out their new retail…
Château Gruaud Larose 2000
Drinking this tonight. Whatever your preferences in wine, whether it’s for natural stuff, or new wave South Africans, or Kiwi Pinot, it’s always great to drink proper Bordeaux, picked at…