The Wine Detective Archives: November 2009
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26 November 2009
Cape crusades with Schalk Burger, Jean Daneel & Luddite’s Niels Verburg
Not a photo you’d usually associate with me or wine, but bear with me!
I’d timed my Western Australia trip so I got back for the annual South Africa “mega-tasting” in London but things didn’t go according to plan. I picked up a flu bug and, with a palate as dead as a dodo, no mega-tasting [...]
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26 November 2009
Christmas week, a very special meal deal
I guess it’s that time of year when there’s all manner of deals – hope some of you nabbed some Bolly from Morrisons! I’ve no wish to be an extension of others’ PR machines, but I’m a huge fan of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn whose wine list is as feted as this Michelin-starred restaurant’s [...]
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24 November 2009
Cullen Wines – a Penguin coup!
Here’s some bright and breezy, flag-waving news about Cullen Wines of Margaret River (Cullen restaurant pictured). Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2007 was one of my recent Wines of the Month (click here for my September review). This morning news has winged its way from Down Under that it’s been named the ‘Wine of the Year [...]
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24 November 2009
Portuguese wines – some (The) Capital food and wine matching!
Presented a superb tasting at The Capital in Knightsbridge yesterday for Waitrose Food Illustrated readers. Lots of positive comments about the wines, surprise about how good even modestly priced Portguese whites now are (take a bow Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde 2008 & Jose Maria da Fonseca Periquita White 2007) and some capital, of course, [...]
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19 November 2009
Bolly for £17.95 – more reasons to shop at Morrisons!
Just had a press release which is definitely worth sharing.
From 23 November and, until stocks last, Morrisons is slashing prices (to less than half) on a number of Champagnes and sparkling wines. Mega deals on non-vintage Champagne include Bollinger down from £35.99 to £17.95, Moet & Chandon from £28.88 to £14.39, Lanson Black Label from [...]
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10 November 2009
Worship at the altar of Alentejo?
Portugal’s UK market share still hovers around a measly 1%, though if you take a look at retailers’ lists, you can be sure that wines from the Alentejo region, which I’ve just visited, account for a fair percentage of them. Why?
A clue lies in one of its nicknames, “the Australia of Portugal.” The building pictured [...]
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6 November 2009
Waitrose firecracker deal & a “Chile” Christmas event
It’s nearly the weekend and here’s the heads up on a couple of press releases that merit your attention
Waitrose firecracker deal – 25% off wines and champagne across most of their range when you buy a case or more – ends 10 November. I’ve had a quick look at their website and, for [...]
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3 November 2009
Two top notch Coonawarra Cabernet vintages from Katnook
I’ve posted tasting notes of some terrific Australian verticals lately (de Bortoli, Shaw & Smith and Clonakilla). My wines of the month for November – Katnook Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 & 2005 - give you an opportunity for your own Oz mini-vertical because both are currently available from their UK distributor, Bibendum.
The double-barrel release marks Katnook’s [...]