Masters of Wine probably don’t often buy wine in a supermarket, not even a rather well-stocked branch of LeClerc in France. But that’s exactly what Martin Hudson did to demonstrate the remarkable range of wines which are made along the length of the Loire valley. So while his last tasting for Andover Wine Friends featured
Whistle stop tour of the Loire Read More »
Hyde de Villaine is a joint venture between Californian grape growers Hyde with vineyards in Carneros and Aubert de Villaine. What’s all the fuss about? Well, de Villaine is a co-owner of Burgundy’s (and one of the world’s) most famous wineries, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, though it has to be said that this a
In a blind tasting, there is the occasional moment when you put your nose in the glass and know what the wine is. When I say ‘occasional moment’ that’s what it is. The rest is the application of experience to the aromas, flavours and styles of wine – and most of us just don’t have
If you are of a certain age you will have a very clear memory of German wines – inexpensive, sweet brands (Blue Nun, Black Tower). And then suddenly these wines became deeply unfashionable – our tastes moved South to the sunshine of Spain, Italy and the New World. Liebfraumilch became the least cool drink on
Rediscovering German wines Read More »
Corked bottles continue to be a real problem. Some years ago I visited a fine new winery in Campania, Southern Italy, and over lunch in the spectacular winery restaurant had a corked bottle. I didn’t think about it anymore until at dinner we ordered the same wine in a local Naples trattoria and it was
To cork or not to cork … Read More »
I can remember being told years ago that there are basically two schools of thought about the importance of the right glass for individual wines. There are those who think that reaching for the right glass – the size and shape, the quality of glassware and the feel of the stem – is part of
Art of the (Riedel) glass Read More »
Grant Phelps, chief winemaker of Casas del Bosque, Chile, summarizes the amazing list of advantages which that country enjoys. He himself is not in the best of shapes, having flown in from the other side of the world and picked up some sort of bug on the way. But he quickly warms to his task
Cool climate Chile Read More »
Sometimes a small loss is difficult to get past. We’ve probably all had the experience of losing something inconsequential which then just bugs you. How could you have lost that pen, that diary, that favourite pair of scissors? You search once, you can’t find it. You search again, it’s not there. Either you have a
Andover Wine Friend’s summer party was held in the garden of our house on a warm July evening. This being England we were lucky – if it was 24 hours later it probably would have been raining. As it was it was a perfect evening, warm without being oppressive. And, as I forgot to take
Tasting in the dark 2 Read More »
Blind tasting sounds a slightly terrifying prospect. The phrase itself is slightly worrying, like ‘deaf skiing’ or ‘mute horse riding’. It’s not entirely accurate in that you can still use visual clues in the colour or viscosity of wine, but obviously not read the label. But it is a remarkably different experience. Rather than interpret
Tasting in the dark Read More »