A heads up for a remarkable charity wine dinner in aid of Pebbles, the South African childrens’ charity with a strong connection to the wine trade, to be held in…
The debate on wine writer ethics
Fiona Beckett, in The Guardian, is the latest wine writer to opine on winewriter ethics. I like Fiona – but find this piece a little annoying. There’s the totally unnecessary…
At the Tesco press tasting
Off to Millbank today for the Tesco press tasting. Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket, is also one of the globe’s biggest wine retailers. So it’s important for many consumers that…
Why I love the wine trade
I feel privileged to be part of the wine trade. You meet so many great people. This picture captures one of the reasons I love my job. It was taken…
The coming wine war
There’s a clash of cultures in the world of fine wine, and before too long it could become a war. On the one hand, we have the fine wine establishment,…
Down in Somerset
So we spent today down in Somerset. It was elder son’s school’s summer fare. Because he’s at an agricultural school, there was a distinctly rural feel to events. As well…
My Vinexpo experience
I’m just on my way home from Vinexpo, a huge wine trade fair held bi-annually in Bordeaux. I’d heard a lot about the fair in advance of my visit. Most…
Lectures, talks, seminars and tastings
I’ve been a freelancer for 40 months now. It has gone better than I’d have anticipated, but I’ll admit that I haven’t done a lot of planning with regard to…
Off to Vinexpo tomorrow
I’m getting ready to leave for Vinexpo tomorrow. It’s a huge wine fair, held every other year in Bordeaux. It sounds slightly daunting, and it’s my first time there. I…