Picking The Right Moment

by Kate Lofthouse
Pharrell Williams, Kate Moss, and a soil expert walk into a bar… and share a bottle of Moët. Not my wittiest opening, but that’s because it isn’t really a joke....

Chasing chimeras

by Kate Lofthouse
‘No, I don’t agree with this Kate’, award-winning wine writer Andrew Jefford replied to my question: are tasting notes a form of poetry? As I write this, cringing, I know...

The Dirty Stuff  

by Kate Lofthouse
When you imagine the grape harvest, what do you see? Green vines jewelled with clusters of plump golden grapes, planted in long rows bordered with grasses and wildflowers? Perhaps the...

Uncomfortable Truths

by Kate Lofthouse
Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life. These words, borrowed from Dickens, capture some of the glamour and sparkle of Champagne, its decadence and luxury. It is a...

Wine, Ale And Witch Trials

by Kate Lofthouse
The cat lady is finally experiencing a phoenix moment. Ever since J.D. Vance’s regressive comments resurfaced, about America being run by ‘a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable...

Translation, Treachery And Terroir

by Kate Lofthouse
I think of winemaking as a form of translation. Product A (grapes) is transformed into Product B (wine). Very simple, really. As you will know, traditionally, translation involves the conversion...