Book Review: The Modern History of Italian Wine There has been a revolution in the quality and availability of Italian wines. It tentatively began in the ‘60s and ‘70s and continues unabated. Yet what was unclear until this book was all the reasons behind it. Their interplay led to the transformation of Italian wine. Hence, the Modern History of Italian …
Wine Alchemy First Anniversary 11.04.17
Wine Alchemy First Anniversary 11.04.17 Today I’m celebrating the first anniversary of the relaunched Wine Alchemy website with chocolate cake and a glass of Banyuls* from Collioure in France. It’s a great combo! Firstly, the 11.04.16 relaunch seemed only five minutes ago. Since then, I’ve chronicled the best of the past year on this website with 80 published pieces on wine, food …
Knightor Trevannion. English Quality Wine from Cornwall
Knightor Trevannion. English Quality Wine from Cornwall I’ve been exploring English wineries recently; in Cornwall, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent. Trevannion is from a Cornish winery called Knightor. It’s less than five minutes drive from the Eden Project, near St. Austell. Only grapes grown in England and Wales can be used to make English Quality Wine. Hence the grapes are from Knightor’s Cornish vineyards, …
Campo alle Comete, Stupore. UK Exclusive!
Campo alle Comete, Stupore. UK Exclusive! The wines of the Bolgheri region, down on the Tuscan coast, excite me in a way few others can. Bolgheri has become a magnet for wine investment, and many famous Italian wine producers have expanded into the area. Bolgheri is primarily Bordeaux-blend land, where the Reds achieve a rare intensity and Sangiovese plays only …
Terre à Terre in Brighton – bohemian like me
Terre à Terre in Brighton – bohemian like me Terre à Terre in Brighton is possibly the finest vegetarian restaurant in Britain. It was opened in 1993 by Amanda Powley and Philip Taylor. Since then, their vision of fine dining has become legendary, a celebration of the ethical and sustainable, without meat or fish. It’s been six years since I …
Recipe: Spaghetti alla Norma, a real taste of Sicily
Recipe: Spaghetti alla Norma, a real taste of Sicily A big bowl of Spaghetti alla Norma is truly the essence of Sicilian cuisine. I first ate it in Ragusa many years ago. It’s a tomato and aubergine pasta heaven that forms a regular part of my diet. Hearty and healthy, it’s so foolproof to make that even I can do …
Book Review: The Oxford Companion To Cheese
Book Review: The Oxford Companion To Cheese Imagine the world without cheese. I wonder if you can. For me, that’s a vision of hell. If you feel the same way, then you really should invest in the newly published The Oxford Companion to Cheese. Billed as “the first truly comprehensive reference work dedicated to how four basic ingredients – milk, …
Sunday Lunch at The White Swan, Wighill
Sunday Lunch at The White Swan, Wighill Sunday lunch is the great British Food tradition for friends and family, regularly voted as one of the things that most define Britishness. We went to The White Swan at Wighill in North Yorkshire recently to see whether they could serve a Sunday lunch that could rival the essence of home-made cookery. The …
València – where ancient meets modern
València – where ancient meets modern This article is the third and final instalment in my Levantine trilogy. Having covered Utiel-Requena and Alicante, this time it’s about the city of València and the DO wine region of the same name. They blend ancient and modern Spanish cultures into something unique. It makes both of them places of contrast and essential …
Chateau Musar, Legend of Lebanon
Chateau Musar, Legend of Lebanon They say that any self-respecting wine writer should have an article on Chateau Musar, the legendary wine from Lebanon. So here’s mine. Lebanon Winemaking in Lebanon possibly started as far back as 7,000 BC, in Canaan and Phoenicia’s Biblical countries, lands of milk and honey. Phoenicians traded Lebanese wines around the Mediterranean, and then so did …