Claret is for collectors. It is quite rare to be able to buy and compare wines from a top estate that are ready to drink and which allow you to compare across vintages. The Wine Society’s recent offer of a small mixed case of Domaine de Chevalier offered just that. It made the perfect basis
Domaine de Chevalier–shining knight? Read More »
The UK is the biggest export market for Champagne, second only to, if much smaller than, the big home market. Of course, the big brands will make up much of the export numbers. Champagne is an expensive purchase and most people are going to buy something they have heard of before. But in many ways,
Growers’ champagne in the UK Read More »
The theme for the blind tasting group in Overton for February 2013 was nominally Germany. But as most people brought wines they already had in their collections, it turned into something of a Rieslingreise, a Riesling journey. Even though there were eleven wines, this was no bad thing as the variation in age, sweetness and
The world of quality wines continues to grow. Even France, the homeland of fine wine, is expanding its vinous borders, developing new areas where high quality and distinctive wines can be found. Historically Corsica has been famous for its turbulent political past (it has the misfortune to be in the centre of the much-contested Mediterranean),
Wines of a Mediterranean island: Corsica Read More »
February’s Bring a Bottle Club was off into unchartered territories … again. It was, however, the last time when we had some clues. The custom has been for each person to bring their bottle or bottles suitably shrouded but for all to know who has contributed each wine. This inevitably leads to inferences being made
Inferences true and false Read More »
Saturday’s Andover Wine Friends’ fine wine supper was based on a six-bottle case sold by the Wine Society as ‘World Class Pinot Noir’. The marketing worked perfectly – I duly bought the case and we enjoyed the wines. It was very good value at just under £140. But ‘world class’? I don’t think so. In
Pinot Noir – home and away Read More »
I am delighted and rather surprised to be awarded the WSET/Champagne Board’s 2013 Champagne scholarship as part of my WSET Diploma studies. Part of the surprise was that I did not know that the Wine and Spirit Education Trust gave scholarships, so I was a long way back when the scholarship secretary rang me to
Champagne scholarship 2013 Read More »
The Overton based blind-tasting group has long repeated the mantra ‘Can anything this good come out of South Africa?’ This rather patronising remark can now officially be retired after a splendid tasting which had only one rule – not too much Pinotage please. (Even that does not do justice to the best offerings from Kanonkop
Quality in South Africa Read More »
Guestblogger: Rob The final BBC1 of the year gave us some good wines and some interesting wines, and an interesting study in the importance of balance and the role played by acidity. Strangely no one spotted the first white. Attractive pale gold colour, strong yeasty, wet wool and lanolin nose, which carried through to a
Andover Wine Friends’ 5th birthday party was a splendid occasion. 28 interesting bottles brought by members on the theme of ‘5’s – lots of 2007s, a good smattering of 2002s, some 1997s and one glorious 1982. And it was a good mix of 16 original members who were there in 2007, plus those who have
Happy 5th birthday! Read More »