Wine sales, consultancy and education
When I began putting together thoughts for this latest post it was initially going to be a one-blog piece, however I soon realised that I had bitten off more than I could chew and in order to do it justice (and not bore you all with a 10,000 word essay!) I needed to break it out into a number of parts so I’ve decided to look at it regionally, splitting the country into two: the North and Central Italy,…
Rummaging around my wine collection I came across this bottle I had forgotten I had. Given it was from 2011 and bearing in mind Southern Hemisphere wines have vintage dates 6 months older than those from the Northern Hemisphere I thought we’d better open it. That’s not to say NZ Pinot can't be kept for a few years…it most certainly can...but given it was edging 7 years now what better excuse to crack it open?! Saint Clair is a…
I’ve always looked to M&S as a good port of call for High Street wine buys and after recently meeting Emma Dawson MW wine buyer at M&S I have explored their range further. My buy of the week is Tupungato Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 which also happens to be currently on offer with a 25% discount...a bargain £7.12. Tupungato is a northern sub region within the Uco Valley (south of Mendoza), the vineyards are high altitudes with have a…
A few years ago the thought of drinking English (or Welsh…mustn’t forget the Welsh!) wine was met with a bit of a chuckle and a shake of the head…boy how things have changed. Lying at a latitude of >50 degrees North our climate is just about at the margins of where grapes are able to be grown and ripened successfully (although Global warming is undoubtedly making things a tad easier) but today with regular improvements in production techniques and…
I admit I’m a big Pinot Gris fan and New Zealand make some tremendous wines from this versatile grape – and this wine made by one of Central Otago’s Premier Wineries: Mount Difficulty proved to be a little gem. Off-dry in style meaning there is a touch of residual sugar on the palate, it’s not sweet but there is just a hint of sweetness there making it a perfect match for slightly spicy food. On the nose (and palate)…