Sherry, like Madeira, is best old. Very old. [The exception is Fino/Manzanilla, which is best young. Very young.]I’m trying two very old Sherries side by side tonight, both of which I’ve blogged on before. They’re both brilliantly complex, beguiling, thrilling wines, but there are some differences. …

Had an interesting tasting lunch today. Ben Smith from Bibendum invited me to join him, Vittorio Zoppi (export director of Bisceglia, http://www.agricolabisceglia.com/) and Marco Sabellico (editor at large with Gambero Rosso, http://www.gamberorosso.it/, pictured below) for an casual meal at a Gree…

Pinot Blanc is a wallflower grape that never gets much attention. Yet it can deliver really appealing wines. Tonight, two examples - one a cheap German from the Pfalz, the other from Luxembourg, freshly listed by Waitrose in the UK. Both are appealing, versatile whites with relatively modest price t…

Tasting notes:Nose of crushed red berries, pomegranate, pepper, and sageJammy textureLong finish of cranberry, plum, spice, and chocolateGrab that whether you see it! At $20 or so, it’s a tasty wine and not your ordinary Australian Shiraz. The crushed red berry aromas are mouth-watering and the f…

It’s one of those rare evenings in the UK that I just love so much. Warm ample, and still light sufficient, to sit outside even at 9.30 pm. And part of the reason it is so exciting for me that evening is that it’s the first instance in quite a while we haven’t been in a domestic clash setting.As reg…

One of the benefits of being a freelancer is that you can take the odd day off without worrying about eating into your holiday entitlements and soon after having to have a difficult conversation at home about why you can only manage one week by the seaside in August rather than the customary two. Ac…

Celebrating my wife’s birthday I took her out to a new place on the Maine coast Called “In Good Company.” I read about it in Down East Magazine which touted it as a tapas wine bar catering to your desires. When our waitress greeted us it was clear that she was there to actually serve us– a real …

Three shorts.First, a heads up. My extensive write-up from my visit to Craggy Range, which I reckon is one of the New World’s most critical wineries, is now up on the main site here and here.Second, an interesting piece on the BBC news site here regarding a new recycling facility that, for the first…

Notes on three high-end Sherries tasted with Fortnum & Mason wine station head Tim French. He’s developed an own-label range with Bodega Tradicion, and they’re really impressive. Fortnum & Mason Amontillado VORSThis is a 40 year old wine but it has so much vitality. It has a massively comple…

This Cotes Du Rhone has a sour cherry bouquet and a palate of white pepper with stern tannins accompanied by some nice flavors of tart raspberry/cherry and a touch of tar.With some breathing the tannins are still a bit chunky but the flavors blend very nicely with a fascinating touch of bananas in …