Published 30 May 2014
“Elegance.” That’s the one word to sum it all up: the wine, the food, the hotel.
I was invited to the Northall restaurant, located within the Corinthia Hotel, for an evening with Barone Ricasoli (pronounced Ba-rhone-ay Rick-ass-oh-lee). I assumed this meant that the hotel’s chefs had created a tasting menu to accompany t [...]
Ricasoli’s Elegance
Published 30 May 2014
“Elegance.” That’s the one word to sum it all up: the wine, the food, the hotel.
I was invited to the Northall restaurant, located within the Corinthia Hotel, for an evening with Barone Ricasoli (pronounced Ba-rhone-ay Rick-ass-oh-lee). I assumed this meant that the hotel’s chefs had created a tasting menu to accompany t [...]
“Blow into this tube”
Published 25 April 2014
A friend of mine had a new “toy” at work: a Dräger Alcotest® 5510. He’s a university researcher who focuses on sports nutrition and is about to embark on a study of how alcohol affects performance.
But, before he got started, I persuaded him to allow me to run a far less scientific test on a couple of [...]
Tell me a story
Published 29 March 2014
At a recent meeting of venture capitalists, I met Damjan Obal. His product, edgartells.me, helps you tell your story. It’s fantastic in its simplicity.
You take up to 7 photos (or other images), overlay some words and it stitches together a beautiful little video which is then featured on their site but you can also em [...]
Buying locally
Published 28 February 2014
I’m impressed. Having been asked to pay attention to some supermarkets for a new project (more about that soon), I have found some pretty good wines in unexpected places; I’ve also been disappointed in wines from some ‘premium’ shops.
Probably the most impressive is the Co-Operative. Although their range is far smal [...]
Sensorist
Published 16 January 2014
Do you have any wine that you have laid down to age? Where are you keeping it? Please tell me it isn’t :
in the cupboard next to the boiler
in the kitchen
in the shed/garage/other outside (uninsulated) building
Wine does not like excessive temperature – low or high. Cork does not like temperature fluctuations. Pape [...]
A miracle cure?
Published 14 December 2013
I think I drink sensibly. I try to have 4 nights a week when I don’t drink and make the 3 nights I do drink start on Thursday or Friday. When I do drink, I try to make it of good quality and make sure that I share it with my wife.
But I know that sometimes it doesn’t work out as expected. A second bottle is sometim [...]
Wine matching help
Published 28 November 2013
How to match wine to food is one of the first questions people ask me. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to pass on all the information they need in a few minutes: you either give a few suggested pairings (e.g. Malbec with steak, Pinot Noir with lamb) or you try to give them some rules (e.g. match the richness/weight o [...]
Oddbins’ Twitter account hijack...
Published 21 November 2013
“Socks and boring books are out. Fizz and frolics are in!” ~ Mother Christmas
Oddbins’ marketing team has ditched the usual Christmas nonsense and gone for humour and real magic this year: recruiting Mother Christmas and a close-up magician to spearhead their Christmas 2013 campaign.
For the rest of 2013, Mrs [...]
Desseauve + Bettane Wine Experience
Published 22 October 2013
Since 1996, the two respected wine critics, Thierry Desseauve and Michel Bettane, have been the writers of The Guide to The Best Wines of France (Le Grand Guide des Vins de France). This weekend (25th & 26th October 2013) sees their second Desseauve + Bettane Wine Experience hit London.
Hosted in the Saatchi Gal [...]
The Gang’s All Here
Published 11 October 2013
The Wine Gang (L to R): Tom, Jane, Anthony, Joanna, David
Hundreds of wines to taste all in one place is a few hundred good reasons to go to a Wine Gang Christmas fair this year. But add in the discounts on wines, “wine walks” and masterclasses, and you know it’s going to be a great day out.
The Wine Gang is m [...]