Posted by peter | August 18th, 2010 (by peter)
Continuing the theme of our ‘And finally…’ compilations, three news items have caught my eye over the last few days.
With two of them, I didn’t know whether the appropriate response should be raucous mirth or head-in-hands bewilderment.
And with one, there was both laughter and tears – but the latter were a direct result of the former. (If you’re in need of a really good wine-related belly laugh, fast-forward to the end of this piece for the link.)
First up, then,
read more
Posted by peter | August 10th, 2010 (by peter)
The joy of wine can often be found in the most unexpected of places.
Take this video, for example.
People often make the mistake of thinking that the world of wine is an earnest but largely humourless and unimaginative place, peopled by sour-faced paysans, hard-nosed salesmen and pretentious quaffers.
But a brilliantly kitsch video, starring an Anthea Turner look-alike in pixie boots and a tap-shaped USB, which downloads wine direct from your computer?
Comic genius.
(Don’t worry
read more
Posted by peter | July 26th, 2010 (by peter & susie)
For those readers who think we’ve sunk into some sort of wine-soaked morass, or become wrapped up in newborn-baby bliss – think again.
While admitting that there is at least a grain of truth in both these charges – we have been busy on the wine front, and certainly revelling in the family fun – things have been as eventful as ever.
We’ve actually been taking advantage of this time to do some work under the radar (including quite a few tastings, which we’ll
read more
Posted by susie | June 29th, 2010 (by susie)
Here’s an article of mine on the wonderful subject of the best rosé champagnes to drink this summer.
There’s something for everyone, from big names to great bargains from lesser known growers. Yes it’s hedonistic but we need something to take our minds off the football…(plus you can use it to get into training for our Celebration of Champagne course on Sunday 17th October 2010!)
It originally appeared in the June 2010 edition of Decanter, and is
read more
Posted by susie | May 27th, 2010 (by susie)
Stop press…
A quick note to let you know that English Wine Week 2010 kicks off this Sunday and runs until Saturday 6th June.
Don’t forget to look out for local vineyards, wine merchants, farm shops, delis, hotels, pubs and restaurants taking part in the celebrations and offering tastings, special menus and other wine-fuelled delights.
It’s a countrywide campaign to highlight English wine – and a great excuse to try a glass or two of the nation’s finest vinous
read more
Posted by peter | May 20th, 2010 (by peter)
What do you get if you cross fruit cake and Wensleydale with a jeroboam of Belle Epoque 1995 and a French blimp?
It sounds like an ungodly union.
But all these things could be found in close proximity this week at the London International Wine Fair, which took place in the cavernous Excel exhibition hall in Docklands.
It’s a gigantic event, equivalent to an aircraft hangar pumped to the rafters with booze and hot air.
This monumental gathering of the wine world takes place every
read more
Posted by susie | May 19th, 2010 (by susie and peter)
St. Joseph ‘Les Chaponnes’ 2008, Sainsburys, £10.99
Just about to hit the shelves of your local Sainsburys is this fabulous Northern Rhône red.
It was shown last week at the Sainsburys Spring press tasting and it’s a wine that blows you away with its typicity, harmony, and sheer value for money – especially when you consider what you often end up paying for pretty tasteless examples of St. Joseph.
The problem with St. Joseph is that it produces an awful
read more
Posted by peter | May 12th, 2010 (by peter & susie)
We’ve been doing our sums lately.
Our calculations run as follows: in the last three and a half weeks we’ve run three wine courses, welcomed a total of 77 people through the Winchester Wine School’s doors, cracked open 122 bottles of fantastic wines, and munched our way through 30 squares of Montezuma chocolate and 41 jelly beans.
This inaugural season of courses have proved a fantastic launch pad for the Winchester Wine School, with much fun had and loads of
read more
Posted by peter | May 7th, 2010 (by peter & susie)
Château Doisy-Daëne Sec 2007, AC Bordeaux Blanc, 12.5% (Various outlets including Tanner’s, £15.40)
When we did our tasting course last weekend for Master of Wine students, one participant later tweeted: “Your tutors raiding their cellar; that’s dedication”.
There were indeed several wines we featured over the course of that weekend which had come from our own cellar.
We needed high quality classics, benchmarks of their type, often with a bit of bottle
read more
Posted by peter | May 4th, 2010 (by peter)
There’s no doubt that these are tough times for Australia’s wine community.
It’s almost been a perfect storm.
First up, the economics have been against them of late, what with the global slowdown and some pretty disadvantageous exchange rates in key markets like the UK.
This has coincided nastily with a now endemic overproduction. Put simply, Australia has just been too efficient and too market-focused for its own good. A decade ago they couldn’t grow fast enough; now
read more
