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Champagne Bruno Paillard

10 things I learnt at a recent tasting with Bruno Paillard in London (which Laura was very disappointed to miss, she does so like her Champagne fix): He does make some really very nice Champagnes, with the emphasis on elegance, purity and complexity.  Like many winemakers he also likes his wine to express minerality but […]

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The top is always out of reach……

    Felton Road wine tasting with Nigel Greening   Walkers and climbers know that the rise ahead very seldom indicates the summit – it is normally just another hill to be surmounted on the way to the peak.  A similar mindset seems to underpin the ethos at Felton Road. Despite producing one of New […]

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In The Pink

Thomas Pink on Jermyn Street was the venue for a recent tasting of top still Rosé wines from around the world. The event was hosted by myself and Jean-Christophe Mau whose Pessac-Léognan estate, Château Brown, has recently launched its first Bordeaux Rosé. A mix of merchants, press and Thomas Pink clients tasted over 20 wines, […]

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Vintage Port

Although my very first vineyard visit was to Portugal 30 years ago, my work does not often give me a chance to taste Vintage Port so, when an opportunity presents itself, I am delighted.  Consequently I found myself attending a tasting hosted by Joao Nicolau d’Almeida and Dirk Niepoort, representing the houses of Ramos Pinto […]

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Bordeaux Primeurs – 2012

Every year in April, the great and the good of the wine world descend on Bordeaux to taste the new vintage.  The sort of wine pilgrimage that other wine producing regions of the world can only dream of.  French wine producers are often accused of being poor marketers, but they have certainly hit the jackpot […]

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Sparkling Times

In the last fortnight, I have been fortunate enough to attend 3 different sparkling wine tastings. On the plus side, yes, I do have a rather tasty job. On the minus side, as sparkling wines make such perfect appetisers, I seem to have been permanently hungry. I have already reported on the English sparkling wines […]

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English Sparkling Wine

There was a time not so long ago when a tasting of 80 English sparkling wines would have been both impossible and something of an ordeal. Not anymore. Their success means that the number of producers of English Sparkling Wine has increased dramatically and, amazingly, quality has improved year on year too. So, when I […]