Why buy Bordeaux en primeur?
by Tim Atkin
During Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1972, the Chinese premier Zhou Enlai was asked what impact he thought the 1789 French Revolution had had on the world. His reply...
Topic: Column
What do we mean by fine wine?
by Tim Atkin
“Wine doesn’t get much better than this”, a London-based wine merchant wrote on Instagram recently. Pictured above his comment was the cork from a bottle of 1959 Château Lafite-Rothschild, his...
The Future of Wine (1988)
by Ron Washam
When I first began blogging about wine back in 1988, there wasn’t even an internet. The whole world was like North Korea, except with dogs. That didn’t stop me from...
The HoseMaster of Wine’s Christmas wish list
by Ron Washam
Dear Santa, This Christmas, I don’t want anything for myself. I have everything I need, Santa. A cellar filled with the great wines of the world, and Oregon wines, too....
Deluxe redux
by Tim Atkin
Serendipity is part of the pleasure of owning a wine cellar. Unless you’re the kind of person who keeps a log of every bottle that’s down there – I’m as...
Signing Off
After almost three years, 25 columns and more than 30,000 words, I’m sad to say, I’m getting off here; this is my final column for timatkin.com. The decision has not...
Calm down, dear
by Sarah Abbott MW
And those who are beautiful,who can contain them?Rainer Maria Rilke Remember this! No amount of Bacchic revelling can corrupt an honest women.Euripides, The Bacchae Last week a wine trade colleague...
Blind Review of Jon Bonné’s “The New Wine Rules”
by Ron Washam
I wanted to read Jon Bonné’s latest wine book, “The New Wine Rules,” but I have a new rule myself. I don’t read books about wine rules. Books about wine...
Wine clubs: what’s your tribe?
by Sarah Abbott MW
“I have a mind to join a club, and beat you over the head with it.” Groucho Marx As a child, I was often at my nan’s for the Methodist...
Semillon: the naked grape
by Tim Atkin
When I was younger, fitter and considerably trimmer than I am now, I took part (twice) in a wine trade version of The Full Monty for charity. The name of...
Wine is Just So Depressing
by Ron Washam
It’s just so hard to learn about wine. I try and I try, but, frankly, it’s depressing. Really depressing. I guess that’s just the way of the world right now....
Lidl takes the low road
by Tim Atkin
It was a familiar scenario. Offer Brits what seems like a bargain and they’ll form orderly queues at 6.30am on a Bank Holiday Monday. To be fair to those early...