The first time someone in authority takes your fingerprints is among life’s tiny transitional moments. I wasn’t under arrest, thank goodness; I’d just applied for a state liquor license. But...
The Liberal Arts of Wine
Wine’s Icebergs
Prompted by a brilliant series on The Rest Is History podcast, I’ve been reading Richard Davenport-Hines’ book, Titanic Lives. It’s a fascinating tale of class, wealth, emigration and, of course,...
Neither New, Nor A World
I live in Poland, which means my home is in Eastern Europe. Most of us would take this as a simple statement of fact, hardly giving it another thought. Many...
Anosmia Dogs and other failed Master...
One of the requirements for becoming a Master of Wine is an original and rigorous research paper of between 6,000 and 10,000 words. The words must be placed in sentences,...
Back to the future
Fine wines are timeless – that elusive combination of elegance, complexity and gravitas, plus ageing potential in spades. Their prices unfortunately are not. Top rank Bordeaux, Burgundy or mature Barolos...
A Sensorial Symphony
Vibrant. Rich. Exciting. Layered. Powerful. Complex. These words describe the third movement of Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major. They also describe a vintage Champagne of excellent quality. In...
Beards, wine and biodynamism
Pierre Weindel of Domaine de la Tour des Vidaux I was keeping my eyes out for deer’s bladders in the rafters or even the odd cow horn, but it was...
Don’t Over Think It, Just Drink...
My mum is a gardener and sometimes works with a friend and fellow gardener called Don who takes care of hard landscaping, hedges and tree felling. As you’d expect given...
Can AI Break The Mystique Of...
Another day, another outlandish claim about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will transform our lives. Last week the BBC News website claimed breathlessly that “AI… is now increasingly helping people buy...
