Today was the Tesco press tasting, held at the Hospital Club in Endell Street. I headed there, fresh back from Cape Town this morning, after stopping off at home to…
Three lovely Rhône wines with dinner
Had a nice dinner last night with three lovely Rhône wines. I just love the Rhône. It’s inconsistent but can be so lovely. Domaine St Prefert Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc…
In St James, Cape Town, judging wine
For the last few days I have been in St James, Cape Town, judging wine for the Top 100 South African Wines competition. It’s the fifth year of the competition,…
A nice fine wine dinner with Burgundy, Bordeaux, Loire and South Africa
Last night we had a lovely dinner at Terroir, hosted by Keith Prothero. This is the restaurant on the Kleine Zalze estate, and the food was very good. The wine…
A fine wine braai at Klein Constantia with some great old wines
I’m in South Africa, judging the Top 100 competition. Last night we headed off to Klein Constantia, for a fine wine braai in the vineyards hosted by Hans Astrom (pictured…
Catching up with the new releases from Norman Hardie, Prince Edward County, Canada
I visited Norman Hardie in Prince Edward County in 2013, and was blown away by the wines he’s making. So it was great to be able to taste his latest…
Some highlights from the Wine Society
I headed down to Stevenage today for a tasting at The Wine Society. It was amazing: such good wines at really good prices. Here are a few wines that I’ll…
On raw tasting ability: is there a Messi of wine tasting?
As a Manchester City fan, it was a little uncomfortable watching last night’s game against Barcelona. The Catalans were much the better team, and had it not been for the…
Le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvée Azalaïs 2012, a brilliant Southern Rhône red
This was another Prowein discovery. It’s from biodynamic Vacqueras producer Le Sang des Cailloux. This is the domaine’s traditional cuvee and it alternates over a three-year cycle with the names of…