The site for people who eat like a pig and drink like a fish
I love the wines of France’s Southern Rhône. The hot weather and terroirs there are capable of producing wines with incredible levels of fruit, alcohol and power. However, they are also capable of producing wines of incredible elegance and finesse. Both were on display recently at a tasting of Château de Beaucastel, one of the leading producers of the [...]
“Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul,” wrote Oscar Wilde in 1890. In 2013, the Arsenal celebrates 100 years in Islington. At the time of going to press, the club is making a fortune but the skinflint regime in charge isn’t prepared to invest [...]
London wine merchant O.W. Loeb recently organised a tasting tour of the wines of Mosel region of Germany, an area famed for its Riesling. So here are ten facts about Mosel Riesling and ten tasting notes on the wines tasted: Germany is the country that grows the most Riesling in the world and the Mosel [...]
Burgundy is a red wine-producing region that can be hard to get to know. I’ve struggled with it. Perhaps it is the large numbers of producers and appellations. Or maybe it’s the variation you see in the quality of the wines, based on the fact that pinot noir is a temperamental grape to grow. Though [...]
Just fifty years ago you could only find the Viognier grape in a 35 acre patch of the northern Rhone. Now, the grape is grown in virtually every major wine producing region throughout the world. Perhaps it caught on because Viognier produces such distinctive, perfumed wines. Descriptions of Viognier-based wines usually include apricots, peaches and flower blossoms. One [...]
Burgundy is ‘where it’s at’ for many wine lovers. The wines are often spoken about in hushed, reverential tones, which gives them a certain mystique. The region is relatively small in size and many of the wines are made from one of two grape varieties, pinot noir for the reds and chardonnay for the whites. [...]
Overindulged a bit in December and tempted by a ‘detox’ diet in the New Year? Well, don’t. According to the scientific experts at Sense About Science, detox has no meaning outside of the clinical treatment for drug addiction or poisoning. It turns out that the body is already equipped with an organ to remove toxins from the [...]
Txakoli is a lightly sparkling dry white wine from the Basque country. It’s made from the Hondarrabi Zuri grape and is low in relatively low in alcohol, with lots of refreshing acidity, apple and citrus flavours. For drinking young. Truly delicious, the perfect aperitif at Christmas, or at any other time of year! Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli [...]
Wine with meat is hard to beat, but meaty wine can be sublime! What about this number, which has a strong aroma of bacon? Stephan Tissot Chardonnay Gravieres 2010 is an organic wine produced by one of the leading wineries in the Jura, Eastern France. It’s a beautifully balanced wine, which in addition to delicious smoky [...]
