Continuing with our Christmas series of social engagements, today we had a really enjoyable family lunch with my parents and three siblings, plus my aunt, uncle and their kids, plus all the various sprogs. Quite a crowd in all, and it was good to see everyone. Cheerful mild chaos.Brother-in-law Beav…

Here we are on the brink of another New Year’s celebration and of course that means bubbly!First just a point of accuracy–“Champagne” is wine that comes from Champagne, France. whether it isn’t from Champagne, France, it isn’t Champagne.Now that, that’s out of the way let’s get …

This sparkling wine–and I use the words loosely, is plink from the get-go. Sadly, that is what tons of citizens identify with when they are asked whether they like “Champagne.” PLEASE–this is neither Champagne nor wine…Sure it costs less than $6 but it isn’t worth even that. You can find a dr…

Here we are on the brink of another New Year’s celebration and of course that means bubbly!First just a point of accuracy–“Champagne” is wine that comes from Champagne, France. whether it isn’t from Champagne, France, it isn’t Champagne.Now that, that’s out of the way let’s get down to…

Tonight we had some friends by who are not wine nuts. We drank some wine and they asked me what they ’should’ be getting. So I turned the question around and asked them what they thought. It’s always interesting to take in wine described by humans who haven’t got the baggage of a language for wine. …

Two Portuguese reds that evening. Different regions - the Douro and Alentejo - but sharing the same rather elegant font face for the name on the label (was the same designer employed?). As an aside, by the last few days I’ve been decanting all the reds I’ve been drinking. It seems to have worked qui…

Today I am at PBs house for the holidays. We put the Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc head to head against the Sebeka Sauvignon Blanc from the Western Cape of South Africa (also the 2006 vintage). We blind poured and were able to identify the wines immediately by their distinctive noses. The Kim…

Here we go , again! that year’s favorites listed as the ten best. There are few whether any really new vineyards listed here as they typically aren’t old decent to produce really great fruit. Some on that list have been established for years, a few dating back to the early and mid-1970s.1) Boushay g…

Christmas has come and gone, and it was a very good one, Chez Goode. We’ve spent three days, now, doing the Christmas family thing of walks, meals, games, films and modest excess. I haven’t blogged for a few days - I’d have been shot had I got my laptop out on Christmas day, and rightly so. [But I n…

To Cork or Not To Cork by George Taber is among the “must read” books for the wine enthusiast in your lift. (Amazon link here). Disclaimer: I was sent that book to reviewI am not personally one for non-fiction but that book hooked me from the outset. Unlike PB who reviewed that book as well here…