Unsung grape heroes     I’ve got so used to friends telling me they only drink Sauvignon Blanc or Aussie Shiraz now, that I am always pleasantly surprised when someone tells me they have actually tried, and enjoyed, something else.  One of my friends tried Mourvedre at a tasting we went to together a few … Read more →

To insure, or not to insure…       Decanter reports that independent growers in France have asked the government whether they can underwrite a scheme whereby they will be insured against the effects of poor vintages. It is true that winemaking is an unstable business – we know in England better than anywhere that … Read more →

Good versus Evil It is with some trepidation that I am about to admit what I am about to admit. And many of you will judge me harshly for it – and you will be right to judge me for it. But you weren’t there – so just read the whole blog before you judge … Read more →

Happy (belated) Grenache day!   If you are a follower of the wine press you cannot have failed to notice that Grenache has been the grape on everyone’s lips and in fact 21st September was International Grenache Day wherein wine industry insiders all got together, talked about Grenache and drank a great deal.  As a Grenache enthusiast, … Read more →

Join me on the 12×75 diet!   Diets really bore me and I love food, so sweating it out at the gym is really the only option I have for fending off obesity.  But every now and then a new diet craze comes along that I want to try – Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Dukan.  … Read more →

Claret Jam.  It’s the future.  I’ve seen it.   As the blackberries have recently come out in our village, I was looking on the internet earlier for a recipe to make use of them; most years I either forget to pick them or else forget to do anything with them and end up sticking them … Read more →

Innovations in the wine trade and the modern Luddite movement Decanter.com’s poll this month asks whether we would buy sparkling wines sealed with a screwcap rather than a cork, following the news that Australia’s Taylors winery has released their first sparkler with a shiny Stelvin closure.  Undoubtedly this will cause even more of a divide … Read more →

Competitive Claret drinking   I know I’m not alone in saying that the Olympic Games made me feel very proud to be British.  They also inspired me to buy a mountain bike and train for a half marathon next year.  Unfortunately at 35 and no sporting ability whatsoever, I don’t think I will be making … Read more →

Is wine tasting subjective?   Having devoted an awful lot of my adult life to wine tasting, I am regularly jealous of people who seem to have a really natural instinct for it.  Experience and commitment to learning has made me reasonably good at it, but every now and then I will encounter someone who … Read more →

Fifty shades of girly wines   As I was looking for some wine-related inspiration on the internet earlier today, I became distracted by the rather incredulous story of the women’s refuge boss who is urging women to burn their copies of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ on a giant bonfire on November 5th.  Comparing Mr Grey’s … Read more →