2023 AWEsome Wines – out now!

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Wine Merchants

2023 AWEsome wines

2023 AWEsome Wines – out now! Hot off the Press! The 2023 AWEsome Wines booklet from the Association of Wine Educators (AWE) is out now. It contains 100 wines of excellent quality and value recommended by members of the Association.* After all these years, it’s still an inflation-busting price: free! What’s the catch? There isn’t one. We’re wine educators, so it’s …

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The World’s Wine Legends – Book Review

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Wine Tasting

Wine Legends

The World’s Wine Legends – Book Review The World’s Wine Legends is a new book by Stephen Brook, the subject of which is 100 of the world’s legendary bottles of wine. Stephen Brook is one of the world’s most prolific and awarded wine writers, with more than thirty published wine books, most of which I seem to own. Who better …

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2022 AWEsome Wines – available now!

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Wine Merchants

2022 AWEsome wines

2022 AWEsome Wines – available now! Hot off the Press! The 2022 100 AWEsome Wines from the Association of Wine Educators (AWE) is out now. It contains 100 wines of excellent quality and value recommended by members of the Association.* And after all these years, it’s still an inflation-busting price: free! What’s the catch? There isn’t one. We’re wine educators, so …

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Gin the Ultimate Companion – New Book Review

Paul Howard Articles, Beer & Spirits Reviews, Blog, Book Reviews, Recipes

Gin the Ultimate Companion

Gin the Ultimate Companion – New Book Review Gin, the Ultimate Companion is a new book by Ian Buxton, published on 7 October 2021. The subtitle is “the essential guide to Gins, Flavours, Cocktails, Tonics and More”, and, as we shall see, it lives up to this description admirably. It may be the only book on gin that you’ll ever …

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Wine Faults and Flaws: A Practical Guide. Book Review

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Hotels, Restaurants & Pubs, Wine Business, Wine Tasting

Wine Faults and Flaws

Wine Faults and Flaws: A Practical Guide. Book Review Wine Faults and Flaws is a brand new book by Keith Grainger*.  It took ten years to write and was published on 10 June 2021. This book does what it says on the tin and bridges the gap between heavy science and popular readability whilst retaining scholarship. You’ll find plenty of …

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New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia – Book Review

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews

New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia

New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia – Book Review The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia is now in a new 6th Edition. It’s a privilege to review this mighty tome, as I recall using the 3rd Edition of 2001 for the WSET Diploma exams. Twenty years on, that book, though still in use, has inevitably become outdated. Revisions mean this new Edition is …

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Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs – Book Review

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Italy

Italy Terroirs by Ian D'Agata

Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs – Book Review This article reviews a new wine book by Ian D’Agata, entitled Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs. It follows on from his indispensable previous book, Native Wine Grapes of Italy. Here D’Agata continues his focus on Italian native grape varieties. This time he shows how these can communicate a unique “somewhereness” in the wines made from them. …

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2020 AWEsome wines – Free Download

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Wine Merchants

AWEsome Wines 2020 AWE

2020 AWEsome Wines – Free Download Hot off the Press! The 2020 AWEsome Wines from the Association of Wine Educators (AWE) is out now. Containing 100 wines of excellent quality and value, it’s a free download here! Read on! What’s the catch? There isn’t one. We’re wine educators, so it’s what we do. AWE members are professionals that taste and teach wine. …

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Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois – Book review

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, France

Chablis, Rosemary George

Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois – Book review Chablis – it’s the best known white wine. And not just in the UK, which is still its biggest market, but worldwide. It’s so famous that many don’t realise it’s made only with Chardonnay grown in a small group of villages in northern Burgundy. Even though it’s a unique expression, Chablis is …

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Silly Tasting Notes and Neuroenology

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Wine Tasting

Faces - silly tasting notes

Silly Tasting Notes and Neuroenology It might seem obvious, but the taste of wine occurs in the human brain. Indeed, there is a good deal of scientific research that’s gradually revealing how this works. A terrific book called Neuroenology, by Gordon M. Shepherd, explains this in detail. So why also include the Silly Tasting Notes in this article? Well, once the taste …

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