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Morrisons: Champagne deals including Lanson Black label less than half price
Morrisons have slashed Champagne prices again. Subject to availability and a maximum purchase of three bottles per customer, Lanson Black Label NV is down from £31.99 to £15, Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label NV is £25, usual price £34.49 and Piper Heidsieck Rose NV is down from £29.18 to £20.
Continue reading...Heads up on a specialist in half bottles of wine
Posted Saturday 8th October 2011
Half bottles of wine are a rarity on wine lists, let alone shop shelves so those in search of modest portions take note. New online retailer Halfwine specialises exclusively in half bottles. The single bottle choice currently runs to around 30 wines, a mix of old world and new, from established producers. Owner Kevin Dilton-Hill tells me [...]
Continue reading...Jake Lazzari hand-crafted wine bottle stoppers: for the wine lover who thought they had everything…
Posted Wednesday 5th October 2011
Spending the weekend in Hay-on-Wye, I stumbled across Jake Lazzari’s hand-crafted wine bottle stoppers at The Lion Street Gallery. Very exquisite they are too so, if you were scratching your head about a present for the wine lover who has everything, perhaps one of his stoppers or the sci fi inspired Petrus Star X sculpture (below) [...]
Continue reading...Riedel about it! Georg Riedel on flutes -v- table wine glasses & a fine fizz tasting at Hush Heath
Posted Wednesday 28th September 2011
On Monday, I participated in the first of three English wine tastings this week hosted by Georg Riedel, wine glass maker and self-proclaimed “taste maker.” The name of the game was to identify the glass best suited to Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut Rosé from a choice of 16 (pictured below). Riedel is the consummate salesman, showman even, and [...]
Continue reading...Claret jugs – fowl play?
Posted Saturday 20th August 2011
Did these claret jugs caught anyone else’s eye this week? According to The Evening Standard’s caption, said jugs depict a pair of owls. Penguins, surely??!?!?!? Anyone twitching to set the record straight please do. And if they take your fancy and you’ve got a grand to spare, they’re part of Viscount Cowdray’s country house sale [...]
Continue reading...Wimbledon in a glass: the oh so english wines of Camel Valley
Posted Wednesday 29th June 2011
Last week I attended one of seven “Best of English Meet the Winemaker” series of tasting dinners being promoted at Artisan and Vine in conjunction with DrinkBritain, this one focused on the wines of leading Cornish producer Camel Valley. Early success Founded by ex-RAF pilot Bob Lindo and his wife Annie, they planted their first [...]
Continue reading...Heida hi! Swiss wines: a tasting with Chandra Kurt & Jean-René Germanier
Posted Friday 24th June 2011
They say variety is the spice of life and I’m all for it especially, as you know, when it comes to Portugal’s veritable treasure trove of over 400 indigenous varieties! In this spirit, last month I wandered off piste. Where? Don’t say I didn’t give you a clue – to Switzerland, or at least to a tasting with top [...]
Continue reading...English wine: a rosé future? Camel Valley’s Sam Lindo makes the case for still and sparkling
Posted Thursday 23rd June 2011
Last night I attended one of seven “Best of English Meet the Winemaker” series of tasting dinners being promoted at Artisan and Vine in conjunction with DrinkBritain. The timing could not have been better for two reasons. First, the winemaker in question was Camel Valley’s Sam Lindo (pictured with DrinkBritain’s Susanna Forbes and Artisan & Vine’s [...]
Continue reading...Simply the best? A round up of recent results
Posted Sunday 12th June 2011
With the exception of Tom Cannavan’s 50 Great Portuguese Wines, whose identity was revealed this month, May is results month. It sees the announcement of two of the world’s biggest wine competitions and Aussie specialist Matthew Jukes’ top tips. In case they’ve passed you by, click here for the results of Decanter World Wine Awards, here [...]
Continue reading...The route to Natural Wine Fortnight 9-22 May
Posted Saturday 7th May 2011
Natural wine fortnight starts next week and, in addition to the natural wine fair at London Borough market 15-17th May (see here for details), restaurants, pubs and bars up and down the country are getting involved - find out who and where on the natural wine fair website here. As you’ll see, all of them have agreed to carry [...]
Continue reading...Wine Behind the Label, new 8th edition: taste Australia and get yourself a discount
Posted Friday 6th May 2011
The new, 8th edition of Wine Behind the Label is out, for which I updated and augmented the Australia and Portugal chapters with new entries. By way of a taster, the updated Australia chapters are available to sample in their entirety for free! My 3 weeks Down Under last autumn provided plenty of inspiration, as did the [...]
Continue reading...Last chance saloon to enter the Amateur Sommelier of the Year Competition!
Posted Friday 29th April 2011
Forget Wills & Kate – and get your skates on! Tomorrow is the deadline for entering Piper Heidsieck’s and the Academy of Food and Wine Service’s Amateur Sommelier of the Year competition, launched by Decanter.com. The competition is open to any budding amateur wine experts and runs in parallel with the 2011 Piper-Heidsieck UK Sommelier of the Year competition [...]
Continue reading...Through the keyhole: Sir David Frost auctions fine & rare wines including 1853 & 1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild
Posted Monday 25th April 2011
He’s famous for being the only person to have interviewed the last seven Presidents of the United States and the last seven Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and, how shall I say, in a less high brow moment, hosted “Through the keyhole” – a gameshow where the panel were given a video tour of a mystery [...]
Continue reading...Happy Easter! The Wine Detective unlimited – no password required
Posted Friday 22nd April 2011
Within eight months of revamping my website, it was as full to the brim with information as the Landmark Tutorial was with fine Aussie wine (pictured). Unexpectedly and somewhat urgently, I had to upgrade my server space this week! In celebration of this virtual gigabyte milestone, I’ve decided to “unpassword” all my regional reports which, [...]
Continue reading...Heads up on some classy new listings on tasting this weekend at Great Western Wines
Posted Saturday 16th April 2011
Last year, leading UK importer Enotria acquired Great Western Wines. In celebration of their newly expanded wine list, they’ll be showing over 50 new listings from the Enotria Range this weekend at Great Western Wine’s newly expanded Bath wine shop. The free drop in tasting includes wines from esteemed producers such as Henschke, Trimbach, Thelema and Planeta. See here for [...]
Continue reading...Viña Morandé Gewürztraminer Reserva – perfect with aromatic Thai food
Posted Thursday 14th April 2011
At the weekend I had a real yen for Thai food, perhaps because spicy food is out of bounds this week – I’m judging for Decanter World Wine Awards all week, chairing the Portuguese table wine panel. Also to compensate for a distinctly un yum yum (dire in fact) takeaway we had from our local award [...]
Continue reading...Hot off the virtual press: The Wine Detective Facebook page
Posted Tuesday 5th April 2011
Just to let you know The Wine Detective is on Facebook! Check out my page here, which streams my blogs and tweets – it’s a one stop shop front for The Wine Detective. I hope you like it - if so, please do “like” it!
Continue reading...Suffolk fine wining and dining tips: The Great House, Lavenham & The Crown, Stoke by Nayland
Posted Saturday 2nd April 2011
In March, I posted a blog with tips for food and wine lovers based on a fantastic “shorthaul for Londoners’” weekend I spent near Whitstable, Kent (see here). Last weekend I headed a similarly short distance north and east of London to Suffolk to spend a weekend away with my folks. Here’s some more hot [...]
Continue reading...Have a good Good Friday at the Harrow, Little Bedwyn
Posted Sunday 27th March 2011
On Good Friday, 22nd April, also Friday 29th April, one of my favourite restaurants, Michelin-starred The Harrow at Little Bedwyn (AA Restaurant of the Year), is offering a free glass of Jansz Premium 2005 Vintage Sparkling Cuvee from Tasmania with both lunch and dinner. The Harrow’s exceptional wine list brought the restaurant to my attention. They have a [...]
Continue reading...Artisan & Vine’s “Natural Heroes Meet the Winemaker Series”
Posted Saturday 26th March 2011
London-based wine shop and wine bar Artisan & Vine is planning a series of meet the winemaker tastings built around its natural wine focus. The aim is “to taste some exceptional, characterful wines, presented by some genuine, enthusiastic people, in a relaxed and beautiful environment.” Who can argue with that? Thus far the line up [...]
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Posted Thursday 3rd November 2011
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