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 [...]
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 [...]
Importing your own wine
Published 26 September 2013
The text read: “Finally found missing piece to jigsaw: have way to ship wine to UK at amazing price. Could change face of wine buying habits across UK!”
That was the text that woke my wife up a few months ago. A chance encounter with a guy called Armond at a bus stop led to me firing questions and ideas at him like [...]
The perfect Summer glass?
Published 15 September 2013
What a fabulous summer we have experienced in the UK this year: many opportunities for picnics, barbeques and drinks in the evening.
But with these idyllic moments come wasps, flies in your wine, glasses knocked over or broken by the kids/dog, warm wine, etc. Thankfully, Vino2Go has solved all these first world pro [...]
Google Glass
Published 31 August 2013
No, Google isn’t bringing out a new range to challenge Riedel and Zwiesel; it’s their latest gadget that is getting the tech world in a frenzy.
I was lucky enough to be invited to play with one the other day, and it got me thinking: how might the wine industry use this tech?
Wearing Google Glass (the wire [...]