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 […]

  This month’s theme, ‘Oops!’, was selected by last month’s winner the mighty talented Wine Kat, Kat Wiggins. Her winning post Possession – A Short Story is a joy to read and I recommend it you. Here’s my not too serious entry for October’s Wine Writing Challenge.     Things to do: Write an original blog on the theme of ‘Oops’ with no […]

“Cru Bourgeois” is one of those many French wine terms which sound unnecessarily complicated, but it is one that is certainly worth remembering and looking out for. It applies to around 250 (256 for the 2011 vintage) Médoc châteaux which missed out on the 1855 Classification but which still believe that they are a cut above […]

So, following some the world’s top Champagnes at the Moët Hennessy portfolio we continued with wines from the rest of the world. How on earth could Pelorus follow Moët Grand Vintage Collection 1993? It suffered a little being thus positioned in the tasting which is a shame because it should, in theory, be a good bet. The […]

 I’m hiding this wine brag under cover of a blog. I don’t want to sound boastful about being able to taste these wines,  I know exactly how lucky I am that I can. This was a tasting of the Moët Hennessy portfolio and to kick things off were Champagnes from Dom Pérignon, Krug, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart. […]

If I’m not tasting Bordeaux, then it seems to be Burgundy; if not French, then Spanish; so I have had to re-tune my palate in the last ten days to the pleasure (or, perhaps I should say, experience) of tasting a range of Barolos and wines from the Rhône valley. The Barolo tasting was a […]

On 17th September the Cru Bourgeois du Medoc Classification announced the chateaux which have been classified for the 2011 vintage.  There are 256 of them and you can discover who they are and much more besides here. For  insider information, check out our lady in Bordeaux’s blog at Insider Tasting.   We will be back to let you know of our […]

    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 […]

They know how to make wine in Bordeaux, they’ve been doing it for centuries. Grape varieties and vineyard sites were decided in the dim and distant past, viticultural and vinification practices were developed and then copied around the world, they’ve learnt how to use oak to its best advantage and the results have been held […]

Earlier this year I was invited to become a Dame de la Jurade de St.Emilion – think Masons but with wine and women, and without the handshake. I was honoured to be asked and despite the robes being red, so not my colour, I was quick to accept. I was to be intronisée (the literal translation […]