Portugal
Who Wants A Job For Life?
Any wine geek worth their salt loves a good barrel room. Ok, going on trip after trip wandering round looking at rows of neatly packed new barrels can get a bit tiresome after a while, but it’s the smell of the place and knowledge that all that lovely liquid is ageing away beautifully under the …
Planes, trains, and…er…trains to the Douro!
I went on holiday, years ago, to Sardinia. For one reason or another we spent the whole time driving round the island trying to “do Sardinia” in a week. Pinging it from Cagliari to San Pietro, up to Alghero, and across to Porto Cervo. I spent more time in the car than outside. And on …
Port Cocktails
Port producers are pretty terrified of turning into the next Sherry. The harsh truth of that is that Sherry producers, rather infamously, let their drinkers die on them. A new generation of drinkers doesn’t know what proper Fino sherry is, let alone how to drink it properly. So they’re having to invent new ways to …
Grape Treading
Wine making is full of old school traditions. Some are now on their way out as practicality, time, and – let’s be fair – hygiene have all had their say. But one tradition that remains in the production of some Port wines is grape treading. I’ve always wanted to have a go, and a couple …
Why Do We Mess Port Up In The UK?
One of the first things you’re told when you’re sat in your lecture room at WSET (wine exam board) HQ, eagerly waiting to tackle Port, is that most people in the UK drink it wrong. I’m not saying that they miss their mouth and tip it down their shirts, or that they stand on their …
Crossing Off The “Wine-o Bucket List” With A Trip To The Douro
Once you start really getting into wine, it’s not enough to just head down to the shops, buy a bottle, and get stuck in. You need to be there, you need to wander round the vineyard and soak it all up. Couple of reasons really, one is that you get to drink the wine with …
Crossing Off The “Wine-o Bucket List” With A Trip To The Douro Read More »
Getting Time To Get Your Brosé On
So the marketing guys and girls have come out with this term “Brosé”. It’s where rosé wines are starting to get guzzled by blokes as well as lasses. More power to it I reckon, I’m a rosé lover and proud! But why is it something that people still feel like they need to hush up? …
Get Into The Vineyards To Get Your wine Geek On!
I didn’t ever fall in love with the idea of wine by drinking an amazing glass of anything. I didn’t have a mate who had an amazing collection that they wanted to share the love with. I got into wine by going out on holiday to Piemonte in Italy and spending time in an insanely …
Get Into The Vineyards To Get Your wine Geek On! Read More »
Sandeman’s 225th Birthday Party
Some events you get invited to and you think “yeah this is going to be pretty good!” Unfortunately you go into some of them with that attitude and they disappoint. Luckily for me, and everyone who attended, Sandeman’s 225th birthday party’s London leg was not one of them. I thought it’d be great, and it …