Wine sales, consultancy and education
I suspect that the theme for this blog may be met with a nonchalant shrug by many. The name sounds vaguely familiar, you think it sounds Italian but aren’t really sure? If, however, I was to say Chianti then I think the response would be more one of recognition. Yes, Sangiovese is Italian, although creditable versions are now being made as far afield as Australia and Argentina, it remains pretty steadfastly Italian. Hailing from Central Italy, its homeland is…
I could have chosen so many things for the letter ‘P’ but have decided to go with Picpoul de Pinet as it’s not a wine that is drunk widely, and given the lovely warm weather we have at the moment, it is a perfect accompaniment for alfresco dining (for those lucky enough to have gardens during the current lockdown that is). The grape Picpoul is actually a family of grapes: Picpoul Rouge (Red), Picpoul Gris (Rosé) and the one…
This is one of my favourite grape varieties and luckily for me, for some strange reason - aside from wine critics who adore it - the general public appear to be rather adverse to its charms and as a result it offers terrific value for money. I say “for some reason” but I know the reason (probably!) and you can blame those popular sweet wines (and I use the term loosely!) of the 1980s: Black Tower, Blue Nun, Liebfraumilsch….need…
Over the next couple of weeks in the run up to Christmas I wanted to talk about Fortified wines (by which I mean Sherry, Madeira and Port) as well as Dessert wines. It seems Christmas is often the only time of year when many of these wines get a run out, which I think is a bit of a shame. Hopefully these blogs will encourage a bit of experimentation and adventure. Sherry Anyone that only knows sherry as being…
The chances are if you ask the everyday wine drinker what their favourite red wine is, you will get one of two responses: Rioja or Shiraz. Very few would volunteer that Syrah is their favourite wine, yet Shiraz and Syrah are in fact one and the same. Many grapes have different names depending on where they are grown and originally Shiraz was the name coined by New World winemakers with Syrah (the grapes’ original name) used by the French…