One of the things I love about London is discovering all the little hidden away places that are tucked down the many little alleyways and mews amongst the busy streets of the city.You just never know what hidden gem you’re going to run across, a carefully manicured garden, a centuries old pub or even a lovely Italianate...
read moreBack in January, I wrote a short post about BYOB and the lack of it in London. Little did I know what a response I would get and what a *ahem* thirst there was for it here in London. Fast forward 6 months and a new club has just been founded here in London to address that very problem of the lack of BYO in our fair city. Now, I...
read moreJohn Duval’s last vintage at Penfold’s was the Grange 2002 but like most winemakers, he couldn’t bring himself to retire and when Ventisquero heard he was leaving Penfold’s they snapped him up to be a consultant, as they were just beginning to launch their syrah making venture in Chile. John has produced two...
read moreIn Italy, it’s commonplace to find enomatic machines in wine shops but the trend is still catching on here in London. There are only a few places I know of that have those machines on tap, so to speak. The Sampler in Islington and Kensington Wine Room being the two I can name off the top of my head. And now I can add Bottle...
read moreThe wine trade in general is quite male dominated but it didn’t really hit me until I was invited to have lunch with John Duval, ex-Penfold’s,winemaker of Grange, at Apsleys in the Lanesborough Hotel, Central London to taste his wines from his latest venture with Ventisquero wines of Chile. I was, um, slightly late so...
read moreMy move to Dalston and the opening of Tsuru Sushi in nearby Bishopsgate were purely coincidental but I’m sure glad they happened at the same time. Tsuru has become one of my fav local eateries not only because they do delicious and affordable sushi and katsu curry but also because they have a small but exciting wine list....
read more