The Wine Emperor’s New Clothes
by Peter Pharos
Once it enters your mind, the question becomes so persistent, so obstinate in its highlighting of an anomaly, that it’s impossible to remove. What if the Emperor’s weavers were telling...
Author: Tim Atkin
Never A False Note
by Wojciech Bońkowski MW
Wolfgang Amadeus composed to a genre, like every author in his era. A sonata consisted of three separate pieces, the first telling the story of tonal conflict between two contrasting...
Having Fun With Wine
by Tim Atkin
At first sight, it looked like a PR disaster. Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, was filmed falling off a paddleboard into Lake Windermere five times. He’s a...
A Natural High
by Barnaby Eales
In the Azorean psyche lies a shared history of inhabiting a place shaped by lava flows and volcanic eruptions. There is also the constant threat of earthquakes and storms, which...
A Wine Time Capsule
by Charlie Leary
In October 1972, New York magazine published a special issue on wine called the “Whole Grape Catalogue.” Noting that “the past few months have seen enormous growth in the New...
Dorothy Parker Wines
by Harry Eyres
For the past three years I’ve been serving on the committee of my local tennis club in west London. Calling it a tennis club is accurate up to a point;...
Just Another Luxury Product?
by Andy Neather
This year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign has attracted much controversy over release prices. But while a number of leading châteaux have made substantial cuts on what they charged for the...
The Weight Of Wine
by Margaret Rand
What constitutes high alcohol now? In table wines, I mean; fortifieds haven’t changed. But I recall the horror when reds started hitting 14%. Then 14.5%. And now? 14% seems quite...
A Classic In The Making?
by Rod Smith MW
After the excessive heat of 2022, the vintage 2023 marks a return to normality for Bordeaux. Had this vintage happened 30, or even 20, years ago, it would have gone...
Footprints In The Sand
by Peter Pharos
Given my fondness for wine writing, you won’t be surprised to hear I like other pointless discussions too. So I enjoyed the noise generated by a recent New York Times...
The Liberal Arts of Wine
by Charlie Leary
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...
Wine’s Icebergs
by Tim Atkin
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,...