There are certain rights-of-passage conversations that take place as we make our journeys in life. Which football team do you support? Where did you grow up? What was your first...
Read More
One woman and her corkscrew
Like antlers on the wall, old Punch cartoons in the downstairs loo or a second-hand copy of Catch-22 in a student’s bedroom, the corkscrew in my handbag has been the...
Read More
Killing the canary
“Phew. What A Scorcher!” I’m old enough to remember June 1976, when we had 15 consecutive days above 32°C. The Sun’s headline captured some of the excitement I felt as...
Read More
Challenging Convention
The Japanese saying, “He who runs after two hares will catch neither”, explains the nation’s resolute pursuit of quality. It not unusual to hear of a chef in a family...
Read More
Why consumers like Chenin Blanc more than Riesling
Where was the Riesling? Johann de Wet shrugged sheepishly and said he’d brought five Robertson Chardonnays to taste instead. “We only make 6,000 bottles of Riesling these days,” he admitted....
Read More
Why You Shouldn’t Care Much About Wine
It’s funny how things change. Not so long ago in Greece, everybody would chip in to tell me what’s the right way to drink wine, as befits a place where...
Read More
Lunar Pebbles, Lederhosen & Birthday Suits: The Weird & Wonderful World of Eccentric Winemakers
England and Kent wicketkeeper Alan Knott was known for his odd behaviour; he’d warm his hands under the hot water tap before going on the field, always wear a long-sleeved...
Read More
It’s Time To Rethink Wine Criticism (But Not Like That)
Like his fellow Athenian New Comedy playwrights, Menander is not a household name today, but there is one saying of his that his modern compatriots still use: “After the oak...
Read More
Island of discoveries
“You’re joking,” said María Hontoria, the oenologist from the governing Cabildo de Tenerife. “I thought everyone from the UK had been here.” Her surprise was justified. Nearly six million tourists...
Read More
When is a rosé not a rosé?
Among the first five wine appellations ever to be minted in France were two of the finest terroirs of the Rhône: Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Tavel. Fast forward 83 years and Châteauneuf...
Read More
In praise of Retsina
An English acquaintance of a certain age, likes to bring up Nana Mouskouri every time we meet. He appears to find her not only an endless source of amusement, but...
Read More
A review of The Battle for Wine and Love, or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
Alice Feiring is a woman of strong opinions. A New Yorker with a background as a dance therapist, she writes a wine blog called In Vino Veritas and contributes to...
Read More