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Champagne Tour: G.H.Martel & Veuve Clicquot - Part 3
Continuing on from day 2s events at Lanson and Pommery Champagne houses in Reims, the first port of call of the day was a slightly less early tasting at G.H Martel & Co for 11:30 followed by Veuve Clicquot later on. These guys are a slightly smaller house in the UK, although fairly big in the US. Their main production has now moved entirely to Epernay, where the house started in 1869, as they outgrew their Reims cellars and needed more space again to mature and produce their Champagne. Despite…
Award Winning Wines At Naked
We’ve always said that Naked make good, authentic wines thanks to their business model that invests in winemakers and puts them first. And the proof really is in the pudding. Naked’s Angels have helped catapult their winemakers to glory, bagging 4 Gold, 40 Silver and 74 Bronze medals at the International Wine Challenge, Decanter World Wine Awards and International Wine & Spirit Competition. These competitions put their wines directly up against some of the world’s most expensive too, so you know…
Sake
Sake is, contrary to popular belief, neither a wine nor a spirit in the technical sense, nor even a beer - it is it's very own category of fermented alcohol. It is made by fermenting polished rice, turning the starches into sugars which in turn then ferment into alcohol. In wine, the sugars in the grapes are already there without the starch into sugar process. In beer, the starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol processes happen in two steps whereas they occur at the same time in sake. Spirits are…
Wine52 Case Review: California
This month’s Wine52 case explores the sunny coast of California, a region that I personally love when looking for something big and juicy. But, there is far more to Californian wine than just this. Cold coastal breezes and morning fog temper certain growing areas in the region, allowing for cool climate, aromatic grape varieties and wine styles to be made too. This case is a perfect example of just that, with an interesting Alsace-style Gewurztraminer and Albarino exemplifying the more…
Champagne Tour: Lanson & Vranken-Pommery - Part 2
I thought that the Lanson tour was genuinely excellent. It really covered every base and allowed you to see far more than other tours we went on. You of course visit the cellars, but they go beyond this with a little bit of everything. Kicking off with a little bit of history dating back to 1760, through to Napolean, Queen Victoria’s granting of the Royal Warrant (now sadly gone) and Wimbledon, you get a good overview of the history of Lanson and the vineyards it owns all over the region. This…
Wine52 Case Review: Italian South
This month’s Wine52 case covers the Italian South, from Puglia to Sicily and more. The wines here are characterised by a warm climate and signature native grapes that give the wines a unique point of difference compared to the rest of Italy. This is the land of Primitivo, Sangiovese, Negroamaro, Aglianico and more. A selection of bold red grape varieties that reflect the intense sunlight right back into the glass. The rugged terrain of Sicily is even more dramatic, with plantings of local…
Champagne Tour: Taittinger and Mumm - Part 1
Usually, most people who go to Champagne spend a leisurely long weekend. They may have forgotten to book their cellar tours in advance, but you can still probably get on a few, even if it isn’t your choice Champagne house. Others from across Europe tend to drive around the Cru villages and visit grower houses to stock up on cheaper stuff without a brand name. But, if you’re anything like me, you’ll book a week off and cram 10 tours along with countless other stops in Champagne houses to try as…
La Maison Pommery
You'll know Pommery by it's royal blue label, but you may not know the huge mark the house has left on the region thanks to the legendary Madame Pommery. She created the first brut Champagne to meet with commercial success in 1874 which shifted the way we now drink Champagne today. Champagne was once pretty much only sweet, and whilst demi-sec and doux styles do still exist, brut and drier are the drinks of today, all thanks to one lady. Madame Pommery took over what was mainly a wool trading…
Waitrose Cellar Summer 2025 Wine Guide
For the first year in a while, it seems like it's going to be a good, sunny Summer, and so that's the perfect excuse for making sure you have wines to suit the occasion. Whether it is the opportunity to get the rust off the BBQ and find your excuse for some hearty red wine to match your grilled meats, a cool, crisp white for a warm evening or a nice midday weekend fizz, Waitrose Cellar have a fantastic selection to help you host and sip in style. Have a look below at my top picks from Waitrose…
Paul Jaboulet Wines
Domaines Paul Jaboulet Aîné was founded in The Rhone Valley in 1834 in the town of Tain L'Hermitage by Antoine Jaboulet and his sons, Paul and Henry. In 1919 they acquired the very famous Saint-Christophe chapel at the top of the renowned Hermitage vineyard. You'll have likely seen this crop up in pictures of Rhone vineyards without realising it! With the death of Gerard Jaboulet in 1997, the house saw its fortunes fall as the family business fell into disarray and the wine went downhill. It was…
Wine52 Case Review: Robertson
Our latest case with Wine52 takes you on a sunny trip to South Africa’s Roberston. Located in the Breede River Valley wine region, conditions are warm and dry with irrigation access provided by the river, allowing for relatively easy grape growing conditions. Robertson is what is known as a district under South African wine law, which is basically a smaller area within a region. Unusually for South Africa, Robertson has limestone soils which is particularly renowned for making quality white…
Waitrose Easter Pairing 2025
Now with the bank holiday stretch on the horizon, Easter should be firmly in your sights. Not only is it the next holiday, but it’s also your excuse to crack open good wine and share it with the family. Oh, and a rather good chance to gorge on some chocolate. I’ll of course be focused on the vino at Waitrose that I recommend for your Easter feasts, but don’t overlook their exciting Easter eggs either! Have a look below at my picks for your wine pairings from Waitrose. They have an excellent…
Dark Horse Wines
Dark Horse is an award-winning Californian wine brand with a reputation that matches up to its wines. Their combination of traditional winemaking techniques with the latest winery equipment helps make their wine so good, and so popular. Behind the wines is winemaker Beth Liston, who set out to make an affordable wine that could acheive genuine quality. In a market full of mass-produced wines, this is an impressive feat to undertake. And one that they have managed. Dark Horse boasts enough medals…
A Rhone Valley Wine Tour
This has been a remarkably long time coming but the time to reminisce about two of the excellent Rhone Valley producers I visited in May 2024 has come. It was partly spurred by finding the Ferraton La Matinière Crozes-Hermitage on a restaurant menu recently, which was unfortunately out of stock! Still, at least you can get hold of it for a good price from retailers. But, the real thing you are here for, presumably, is the tour exploring Ferraton and Domaine Farge, the famous hills of Hermitage…
Chapoutier Wines
Chapoutier is a long-established Rhone Valley wine producer with roots going back to 1808, where it was first established as 'Calvet et Compagnie'. In 1883 it was bought by Rodolphe Delepine, and Marius Chapoutier joined the venture in 1897, where it became known as 'Delepine et Chapoutier'. Delepine retired in 1922 and Chapoutier took the reigns, creating a new winery at the foot of the famous Hermitage hill. Since then it has remained in family hands, with Michel Chapoutier at the helm who has…
Wine52 Review: Classic France
Our latest case with Wine52 explores Classic France, a country with two millennia worth of tradition and expertise in winemaking which still regularly tops the chart for sales in the UK despite all the new world competition these days. That’s testament to their wine industry. It is true that the French had to undergo a bit of a revolution a few decades ago as they were slower to adopt more modern techniques, particularly in traditional areas like Bordeaux. Whilst there are still some producers…
Laithwaites Vineyard Partners Tasting
Recently, I had the good fortune to taste a case of wines made by the Laithwaites Vineyard Partners thanks to their generosity and, frankly, well-warranted desire to show off how good their partners are. Their direct relationship with these winemakers makes all the difference and has allowed Laithwaites to create phenomenal, exclusive wines that you can help support too. The Laithwaites Wine Club is your opportunity to try popular parcels from their Vineyard partners. Simply sign up through our…
Alcohol Duty Changes February 2025: How Will It Affect Consumers?
On the 1st February 2025, our wondrous government decided that one of the best ways to raise tax in our struggling economy was to hit the average wine, beer and spirits drinker as well as every single hospitality establishment. As if hospitality hasn’t faced enough in recent years… Rising costs have rather been the theme since Covid but there are none quite so close to our heart as, of course, alcohol. Alcohol is taxed according to its ABV on drinks over 1.2% ABV. The initial increase on alcohol…
Wine52 Case Review: Thracian Valley
The Thracian Valley is one of the earliest haunts of winemaking, with origins stretching back to its Hellenic cultural wine heritage thanks to its fantastic climate for grapes. Located mainly in Bulgaria, the Western and Eastern parts of the valley also straddle into Greece and Turkey. This case focuses on the Bulgarian Wine scene, exploring some grapes you’ve probably never heard of let alone tried and giving you a great idea of why you should look further afield than the tried and tested wine…
What ever happened to Cava?
Do you remember when Cava was all the rage? The heady years before the public got a sweet tooth for cheaper, albeit less impressive Prosecco. Well, the days when it was top of the charts for bargain sparkling are long over – sales have in fact really plateaued since 2010. If you do a bit of digging beyond the few big brand labels out there (Freixenet I’m looking at you), you can get stuff that beats out the Prosecco by miles and is a much closer alternative to Champagne’s taste. But how did we…
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