Book review: Wine Production and Quality Wine Production and Quality is a book by Keith Grainger and Hazel Tattersall. They show how actions in the vineyard and the winery determine the wine quality. Quality means the style, price and taste of the market. The authors I’ve met Keith and Hazel through my former Association of Wine Educators and the Circle …
San Leonardo Rosso 2011 – my WOTY 2016
San Leonardo Rosso 2011 – my WOTY 2016 Gambero Rosso once described San Leonardo Rosso as one of the fifty wines that changed Italy. They have awarded their Tre Biccheri to it consistently, and it has become something of a legend in Italy. It’s from Trentino, which is a less well-known wine area. However, there are, as we shall see, some links …
Cristal – is it a Diamond or just Zircon?
Cristal – is it a Diamond or just Zircon? Cristal – in the rarified world of luxury, Cristal Champagne from Louis Roederer has no peer. No other equals its fame or reputation. Perhaps Dom Pérignon, Krug and Belle Epoque come closest. In any good Champagne vintage, Cristal will be up there with the best. It’s expensive, but there are far …
The Bonsai vines of Pepe Mendoza
The Bonsai Vines of Pepe Mendoza Alicante in Spain is now emerging as a high-quality wine region, led by winegrowers like Pepe Mendoza. Why is this happening now? Furthermore, how do his vines resemble Bonsai? The Alicante wine region Mention Alicante, and we usually think of the Costa Blanca and Benidorm. That conjures vistas of beach resorts and second homes. …
Veeno, an Italian Wine Café in the UK
Veeno, an Italian Wine Café in the UK It’s not every day that you encounter a genuinely different take on Italian food and wine in Britain. That Veeno manages this admirably is down to director Nino Francesco Caruso and his business partner Andrea Zecchino. They set up their small chain of 20* restaurants in 2013, starting with Leeds and Manchester. This …
Making a case for Christmas 2016
Making a case for Christmas 2016 In my recent Christmas Card, I suggested wines that’ll make your festivities go with a bang. I’m following my advice – here’s a case that includes wines that I’ll be drinking myself. Chosen with Christmas celebrations firmly in mind, there’s a dozen here. I’ve selected premium fizz from the £20+ range, and all the others …
Happy Christmas Card from Wine Alchemy
Happy Christmas Card from Wine Alchemy Here’s my Happy Christmas card to you. I like to get them done early! What does a vision of Christmas mean to you? Is it the smell of the tree, the glitter of the lights and the rustle of wrapping paper? A time for friends, family, old and young – new toys to play …
A grand stay at the Wensleydale Heifer
A grand stay at the Wensleydale Heifer The Wensleydale Heifer is a restaurant with rooms in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a transformed seventeenth-century inn at West Witton, four miles from Leyburn. From the outside, it looks rather like any typical traditional Dales pub. However, the inside is quite a different matter. The only clue to this before you enter is …
The magic of Caiarossa wines
The magic of Caiarossa wines Background Profile Caiarossa sits alone amidst unspoilt rolling hills in the Val di Cecina near the Tuscan coast. It’s a few miles north of the now-famous Bolgheri wine region. The blank canvas that was Tuscany’s coastal strip underwent a transformation a few decades ago. A slew of wineries and vineyards now occupy this previously virgin land, …
The Green Fields of France, for Remembrance Day
The Green Fields of France, for Remembrance Day Getting to Champagne from Britain is easy, and it’s quick once you get as far as Eurotunnel. Hence it’s become a regular pastime over the years. The excitement of exploring some of the world’s grandest wines is literally on the doorstep. But northern France and Belgium are also where millions died in …