Senses Working Overtime – how we taste wine We call it wine tasting, yet a glass of wine can engage with all our five human senses. Moreover, it uses up more of the human brain than most other behaviours. Most of us have these senses in working order, and normally we take them for granted. Other animals may have different …
Pedro Ximénez: Discover the Joy of PX
Pedro Ximénez: Discover the Joy of PX Pedro Ximénez (PX) is both a Spanish white grape variety and a particular style of super-sweet dessert wine. PX (the grape) is grown in many Spanish regions and occasionally elsewhere. However, the most outstanding examples of PX (the wine) are arguably from the inland Andalusian wine region of Montilla-Moriles DO. It’s some 45 …
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Serving temperature – what’s ideal for my wine?
Serving temperature – what’s ideal for my wine? “What’s the ideal serving temperature for my wine?” is one of the questions I get asked often. That’s usually followed up with “and what’s the best way to achieve it?” Both questions are important because the smell and taste of any wine are dependent on serving temperature. Consequently, getting that right heightens drinking pleasure …
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Jerry Cornelius, The Nature of the Catastrophe, Part 2
Jerry Cornelius, The Nature of the Catastrophe, Part 2 Part 2 continues the story of Jerry Cornelius’ wine tasting at Kensington Roof Gardens. Please read Part 1 first if you haven’t already done so. Otherwise, what follows will make even less sense. ————————————– Jerry slowly poured the first wine, Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal, 1900. He read out the label without pausing …
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The Nature of the Catastrophe, Part 1
The Nature of the Catastrophe, Part 1 The Nature of the Catastrophe is a short story featuring Jerry Cornelius. Jerry is a fictional character created by Michael Moorcock, editor and prolific author of both literary and speculative fiction. The character is an adventurer, time-shifter, and incarnation of the Eternal Champion, chosen to balance order and chaos in the Multiverse. Jerry is a sixties-style …
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Caol Ila. Try a dram on World Whisky Day
Caol Ila. Try a dram on World Whisky Day Pronounce Caol Ila as Cull-eela, Gaelic for the “Sound of Islay”. It’s the name of a distillery on the northeast coast of the Scottish island of Islay. Islay or eela, as the late Iain Banks once wrote, “does not rhyme with outlay”. Islay has the distinction of being one of the five …
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Goldilocks. Or, drinking Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Goldilocks. Or, drinking Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Any opportunity to try the wines made by the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) in Burgundy is the chance of a lifetime. Not only is this celebrated patch of dirt in the village of Vosne-Romanée regarded as producing the most outstanding red Burgundy, many consider it to be the source of the world’s …
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The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes
The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes When researching Biodynamic winemaking in Switzerland, I stumbled on an intriguing paper. A Swiss group of plant biologists and agriculturalists wrote Rediscovering Plants: Rheinauer Theses on the Rights of Plants. Warning, there are controversies ahead. And questions too. Here’s one, Do the Bushes Scream while my Daddy Prunes? Daddy walks the lawn; the grass …
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Tuscan Salad: Insalata di Fegatini di Pollo
Tuscan Salad: Insalata di Fegatini di Pollo Here’s a simple Tuscan salad recipe that’s cheap, quick and easy. I first tried it in a restaurant in San Gimignano while attending their Anteprima, where the new Vernaccia wines are previewed and judged. However, it’s also available in many UK Italian restaurants. While the English translation is Warm Chicken Liver Salad, that simply …
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Hix Oyster and Fish House – in Memoriam
Hix Oyster and Fish House – In Memoriam Over a decade ago, one of the many highlights of walking part of the magnificent South West Coastal Path was a stop-off in Lyme Regis and a chance to dine at the Hix Oyster and Fish House, a high-end restaurant established by Mark Hix in 2008. In short, it was both a …
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