How does a second wine from a vintage widely regarded to be the worst of the decade shape up? I taste the Tourelles 2013 and discuss this question. And should…
Separating out the wine and the experience of the wine
There is the wine, and there is the experience of the wine. As writers and critics, when we assess wine, we try to do something unusual. We separate the two,…
Tips from a frequent flier
I fly a lot. I’m just about to get on another flight, this time to Hong Kong, via Munich on Lufthansa. Although I occasionally get treated to premium cabins, much…
Should wine scores be absolute?
Another article about wine scoring! It’s such a tedious topic, I know, but it’s an important one. Let’s recap: Scoring is flawed but it is useful. A tasting note without…
Commercializing social media, and being honest with readers
The landscape of wine writing has changed quite a bit since I first started earning money writing about wine. [This is a subject I’ve written about before here and here.] When…
What makes for a healthy, dynamic wine region?
I’m just preparing for a seminar on The New Faces of Beaujolais, and it has got me thinking about what it makes to create a healthy, dynamic wine region? As…
The dangers of negativity
One of the perils with my line of work is that it can be so easy to allow negativity to seep into my writing. I’m strongly convinced that negativity is…
Some red wine highlights from Bibendum
Following my round-up of white wine highlights from the recent Bibendum (major UK agent/wholesaler) tasting, here are some nice reds from their range. A few real gems here. Gal Tibor…
The importance of the stuff around wine, with reference to West Ham United
It’s not just about a liquid in a bottle. The stuff around it matters more than we realise. The BBC recently put together a short film about the effect on…