I’ve visited many vineyards in northern Croatia over the years (read about Istrian winemakers here and here) but Stina winery was the first one in the south, off the coast of Dalmatia. Stina is located on the island of Brac, about a 50 minute ferry ride from Split. Brac Harbour I sell Stina’s white Cuvee in Dalston so I...
read more
Champagne! Most people consider champagne as a celebratory drink and only pop it open on special occasions. I, however, consider champange to be a wine just like any other, albeit with bubbles and it should be drunk with food (and cheese in particular goes very well) accordingly. The folks at Champagne + Fromage are also firm...
read more
Right before lockdown in March 2020, I was invited to Portugal to learn more about the food and wines of the country. It was all part of the AAPI and APPITAD groups efforts to promote the country’s agri-business. According to their information packet sent to me, its purpose is the following: Portuguese Food – Information to...
read more
Halloween is just round the corner but Fine Wines Direct already have Christmas in mind and invited me to participate in an online tasting earlier this week. They choose 10 wines that they think will be great for this holiday season. Fine Wines Direct are a small, independent wine importer based in Cardiff. They have a huge...
read more
Champagne Castlenau is a growers collective with vineyards scattered around Reims in the Champagne region. The collective was founded in 1916 and the name originates from a famous WWI hero, General de Curieres de Castelnau. That may explain its popularity amongst the diplomatic and military corps from the 1920’s onwards....
read more
I’m always on the lookout for wines from relatively unknown regions or varieties that have almost been forgotten. Red Misket is one of those grapes. It comes from Bulgaria and is enjoying a bit of a revival from two young Bulgarian winemakers. The Winemakers Petar Georgiev and Radostin Milkov have worked around the world; in...
read more
I met Alfredo right before all wine trade events, and everything else, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown, at a new wave Spanish winetasting here in London. What drew my eye to Alfredo’s stand was one bottle in particular, El Marciano. Now Alfredo himself is quite a character, very passionate about his wines and an...
read more
A few years ago, I started to hear the phrase ‘Pet-Nats’ making the rounds in the wine trade. As we have loads of natural wines here in London, I soon found out that Pet-Nat is short for ‘petillant natural’, a French term for wines that are naturally sparkling. It’s also known as the Ancestral Method....
read more
I was introduced to Sklep 58’s, The Kosmonaut rosé, by one of my wine suppliers, Viliam of Pandemonium Wines. Viliam specializes in wines from the Czech Rep. and Slovakia – he should, as he’s originally from Slovakia but spent 12 years in Prague. He started importing these wines because he wanted to spread the...
read more
Cataratto is often produced in bulk and sold as a cheap Italian white wine. Cataratto means ‘abundance’ in the local dialect, which is probably why it is known as a cheap and cheerful white. But when it is produced by small family run vineyards with the utmost attention, as the Bruchicello Cataratto is, it can be a...
read more
Although ‘orange wine’ has been around for centuries, traditionally produced in Georgia, Italy and Slovenia, it was not until 2004 that the term came into existence; when it was coined in a cellar in Sicily. Orange wines are also referred to as ‘amber wines.’ When I first tried orange wines, I was not...
read more
