Extend your wine horizon beyond France
A lot of people in the UK buy French wine because they are familiar with the names and they are relatively easy to pronounce in restaurants (compared to, say Greek or German ones). Because of this ready market much French wine can be rather over-priced, so here are some alternatives to try: Muscadet – a…
Top Wine Shops
Congratulations to the following Sussex shops which were all in the top 25 of Harpers Top UK Independent Wine Merchants 2020: Butlers Wine Cellar South Downs Cellars Hennings Wine Merchants
Winery Visit – Chapel Down
Had the pleasure of a small group visit to Chapel Down across the border in Kent who were joint winners of the best winery in the South East at the recent WineGB awards. Tom gave us an excellent tour of the winery followed by a tasting of some of their excellent wines: Bacchus 2018 (still…
Vineyard Visit – Ashling Park
Had the pleasure of a small group visit to Ashling Park in Sussex who were joint winners of the best winery in the South East at the recent WineGB awards (which they also hosted). We saw the Chardonnay, Meunier and Pinot Noir grapes which will be harvested in the next few weeks and tasted the…
WineGB Awards 2020
Congratulations to our super Sussex wineries which achieved more trophy, gold and silver prizes than any other county. The full list of our winners is: Medal Producer & Wine Trophy Ashling Park Estate – Ashling Park Cuvée NV Trophy Ashling Park Estate – Ashling Park Sparking Rose NV Trophy Breaky Bottom Vineyard – Breaky Bottom…
Current Situation
With no tastings or events possible for the last few months the recent Wine of the Month recommendations have had to be taken from my own personal consumption. The restrictions enforced on us in recent months have had a terrible impact on the hospitality industry and on everybody’s health, finances and quality of life. I…
Perrin Cotes du Luberon – Wine of the Month June 2020
A straightforward wine to drink as an aperitif or to accompany a simple meal. A clear light straw-yellow colour with aromas of citrus fruit, pear, fennel and white flowers with a refreshing aftertaste. 10% of the blend goes in oak to give some flavour without overpowering the freshness. Grapes are Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc. I…
Raza Vinho Verde – Wine of the Month May 2020
I wouldn’t have said Vinho Verde was one of my favourites but this one is a great summer wine and my partner really liked it. It’s made from 50% Arinto, 35% Azal and 15% Trajadura, so grapes with which many people will not be familiar. The grape crop is picked manually into small boxes. The…
Bordeaux 1855 Classification
As wine buffs will know, red wines of the Bordeaux left bank are classified into five levels – from first to fifth growths. The classification was introduced for the Universal Exposition in Paris and was based on the prices for which the wines were sold at that time. There was no tasting and even properties…
Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP)
Wales has joined Scotland in having a minimum unit price for alcohol of 50p per unit. Units are a simple way of expressing the quantity of pure alcohol in a drink. One unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour. This…