Tried these three at The Sampler. Guigal’s single-vineyard Côte Rôties, known colloquially as the La Las. These are often thought of as the ultimate expression of Côte Rôtie, and they…
Spoiling pleasure: why we should be angry about the UK Chief Medical Officers Alcohol Guidelines Review
Today, the UK government has controversially published revised guidelines on safe drinking levels which see the recommended limits for men fall to 14 units a week, down from 21. The…
Video: New Year’s Blind Champagne Tasting (lite)
For the last few years, a feature of new year’s eve has been a blind Champagne tasting with my brother in law Beavington. This year we couldn’t meet up, but…
Pearl Morissette Chardonnay 2012 Niagara, Canada
This is interesting. It’s a Chardonnay from Canada’s Niagara wine region, made by the talented and slightly controversial Francois Morissette of Pearl Morissette. I’ve reviewed his wines in the past…
On the ‘relaxation’ of planting rights in the European Union
There’s been a lot of discussion on changes to the rules on planting new vineyards in the European Union. For as long as I have been alive, there have been…
Properly old vine Zinfandel: Precedent Evangelho Vineyard Zinfandel 2013
I’m not a massive Zinfandel fan. It tends to make the sort of wines I dislike: very rich, jammy and obviously fruit dominated. But I’m open minded and I’ll always…
Wine predictions for 2016
What do I know? I’m a wine journalist who travels the world, asks lots of questions, and has a slight obsession with interesting wine. But my love for wine means…
Dinner at Noble Rot with Coche, Clos Rougeard, Quintarelli, Roulot, Bachelet and Mugnier
Just before Christmas I had one of the most enjoyable dinners of the year. Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew of Noble Rot invited Neal Martin and I for dinner at…
Gamay focus 18, G Spot Vin de…France 2014 Beaujolais-Villages
This wine is from France Gonzalvez, who works in Beaujolais. Even though it’s labelled Vin de France, it isn’t. She uses Vin de … France because of her first name,…