Wine in restaurants is a whole subject in itself. The obvious gripes are mark-ups and uninspiring choice. Some mark up is entirely reasonable – a restaurant rightly charges for the cost of holding stock, providing clean glasses, service and, sometimes, a knowledgeable and trained person. On the other hand, there is nothing more off-putting than
How to do wine in restaurants Read More »
A generation ago ordinary wine drinkers did not know the names of the grapes from which their wines were made. Now a days, that’s probably the main thing that they do know. Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Cabernet all have their mass of followers, they have become brands in their own right. And of these,
The world’s Chardonnay Read More »
Nicholas Belfrage MW, The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy. A regional and village guide to the best wines and their producers, Fine Wine Editions, Aurum Press, London, 2009 Nicholas Belfrage is a well-known figure on the English wine scene, a wine trader and author of the best general introduction to Italian wine. An
Wine, people, place: Nicholas Belfrage’s and Jon Wyand’s Tuscany Read More »
English cricket and the wines of Burgundy – especially the somewhat elusive reds – do share some things in common. After a summer of England beating Australia and taking a leading position after three winter Tests against South Africa, it was entirely in character that this Burgundy trade tasting should take place at the home
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These few pictures are some highlights from a visit in August 2007 with the British Institute’s Tuscan summer school. It was a great day out! Thank you to Margaret Leon, an American living in Umbria, for the photos. More information: on Serraiola, see the full write up on the page on the Tuscan Maremma. on
Serraiola – picture essay Read More »
Taking a break from writing the pages for my website on the Tuscan Maremma, it’s time to feature two Maremman wines, available in the UK and models of good (drinking) practice. The first is Podere 414’s Morellino di Scansano 2007 (Wine Society, £11.50). A little translation is required here: Podere is simply a farm or
Old style Chianti probably conjures up wicker baskets (in Italian – fiasco, which seems a little harsh) and thin, sharp wines. In truth much of the cheap, commercial wines of previous decades was pretty awful. Today’s wines are vastly better – quality wine making, vibrant if still sharp fruit, well judged use of oak-ageing in the
Port undoubtedly has an image problem. Like sherry and madeira, its success in previous generations has left it pigeon-holed in the officers’ mess or the Oxbridge high table. The vintage variety needs decades of cellaring – and who today has either decades or a cellar? High in alcohol, the slightly improbable combination of sweet and
Rediscovering Port Read More »
Aged wines are something of an acquired taste. They set up all sorts of conflicts. Unless you are very fortunate or rich, laying down wines for the future is only for the patient. Buying something that will be at its peak in 10, 20 or more years is extremely counter-cultural. Then, of course, there is
Being an orderly sort of soul, in general, I much prefer to go to a themed tasting, rather than a broad sweep across regions. Comparison is a very powerful tool but I would rather limit the field and try to learn a bit more about an area or grower in depth. Occasionally you get the
Zind-Humbrecht at Coe Vintners Read More »