Wine Events, Wine Education, Journalist
WHEN I began this wine writing adventure I was determined I wouldn’t write a load of wine gobbledegook. Whatever a wine geek may look like, I didn’t want to look like them. I aspire only to have elbow patches on a corduroy jacket to soak up any wine spillages. But eek. In the past few weeks I’ve found myself talking […]
Some common wine facts explained and a taste of Madeira Read More »
WE ALL love a brand we can trust. Whether it’s a make of car you’ve always had or your favourite thick sliced white for chunky morning toast. It’s not much different with wine. I bet most of you have a bottle of choice that you seek out whether it’s for a Friday night takeaway or
Wine Press: Class acts from Chilean winemaker Errazuriz Read More »
DO WINE shelves groaning with chardonnay and pinot grigio piddle you off? Perhaps it is just me. Supermarkets must be selling what people want to buy. Or are they dictating the market? This came home to me on my two-week fondly remembered sojourn by the coast. I’m not one to leave myself short of wine
WHAT do three Masters of Wine, 100 wines, and the name of a football team have in common? The link is actually a new wine website where QPR is scoring very highly. It stands for Quality Price Ratio and only wines with a ratio above 90 – as chosen by three Masters of Wine –
Winetrust100: An online wine selection based on quality and price Read More »
If you haven’t tried German riesling for years because you think of that warm German wine on your corner shop’s bottom shelf, then think again. And now would be as good a time as any. The 31 Days of German Riesling campaign organised by Wines of Germany is in full flow. Author and wine critic
Wine Press: German riesling is a wonderful thing Read More »
What was going on in the world in 1997? A book about a schoolboy wizard hit our bookshelves, Pierce Brosnan enjoyed his second outing as a Martini-shaking secret agent, while Tony Blair became Prime Minister for the first time. Oh, and a Scotch whisky was laid down in Bourbon casks. Sixteen years on and the eighth
Balblair 97 whisky is delicate and “Bryan Ferry smooth” Read More »
In June 2013 I enjoyed a wonderful trip courtesy of Wines of Germany. I love German wines. Some stories can be seen here and here. Below is a gallery of pictures from the trip. [slickr-flickr tag=”Germany” descriptions=”on” type=”galleria” options=”autoplay:3000; imageCrop:true; carousel:false; transitionSpeed:1000; transition:pulse””]
Gallery: German wines in Rheingau, Pfalz and Baden Read More »
IF pinot noir grapes were teenage girls, they would constantly be told off by their mums. They prefer cool, moderate conditions but they aren’t really dressed for it to be honest. Their skins are thin, like flimsy little cardies and at the first sign of bad weather all sorts of temper tantrums can be had,
Painting a picture of the perfect pinot noir wines Read More »
I WAS very happy it was sunny in the garden so I made sangria. I should have been planting the petunias, but you can’t write a drinks column about petunias. With the garden fork cast to one side, I Googled for inspiration and discovered as many recipe variations on the sangria theme as there are Police
Making sangria is more exciting than planting petunias Read More »