I had to choose between taking a 7am flight from Heathrow or catching the 6:55 am Eurostar. No brainer. Why would anyone want to go to Heathrow when you can jump on the Eurostar and be in Paris in 2 hours? Not to mention, skipping the hassle and expense of getting to Heathrow. Did I mention that you also get a lovely Continental...
read moreDenise, would you like to come round to mine on Saturday for dinner? I can never resist a dinner invitation, especially if it’s from a good friend and so I found myself, on time for once, on the doorstep of my friend Luiz’ house with a bottle of the new Freixenet rosado sparkling wine, the Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut in hand....
read moreLast week I was touring the vineyards of Burgenland in Austria as part of the EWBC and at one point we were tasting the wines of Eisenburg, eastern Austria. One of the producers described his wine as having boysenberry fruit characteristics. At which point, one of the fellows in my group wondered aloud, “What does a boysenberry...
read moreI always imagine ambassadors to be outfitted in what the English call Morning Dress with top hats, tails and spats, possibly sporting monocles, much like the little guy that is the mascot of the board game Monopoly. Having attended the 2010 Champagne Ambassadors Award dinner recently, I was sorely disappointed to see not a tail,...
read moreSome people think that wine has a time and a place. That it should be properly presented, poured and reverently appreciated either around a dining table or more appropriately in a solemn proper winetasting. Happily, Justin Howard-Sneyd, MW, doesn’t think that way. Which is why me and Mr DrinknEat (Nathan Nolan) found...
read morePop up bars. Pop up restaurants. Pop up shops. Ho-hum. How about something a bit more interesting? Like a pop-up winery, perhaps? Michael Paetzold has done just that in the hills of Roussillon. I found myself slogging up a hill on a rather gray and chilly day in the Roussillon last week to...
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I stayed at a Hotel du Vin for the first time a few weeks ago. When we were shown to our room, I was a bit surprised to see upon entering a claw-footed bathtub at the foot of the bed. A bit taken aback, I asked the porter, um, does this room have a proper bathroom as well? Actually, all the superior rooms and above at all the...
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A nice way to end a meal is with a sweet wine and what better way to end Italian week here at Winesleuth then with a bit of Moscato. Not any moscato mind, but Moscato di Scanzo, a red sweet wine that comes from the hills of Bergamo. The Moscato di Scanzo was recently given it’s own DOCG (in 2002) and is the first DOCG of...
read moreThey call them viticoltori eroici (heroic winemakers) and looking from the valley floor up to the steep slopes above us, it seems most appropriate that any winemaker who chooses to plant his vines on the slopes of the foothills of the Alps deserves that moniker. We were driving through the province of Sondrio, in the AOC of ...
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In yesterday’s post I mentioned that we were going to be staying in a 17th century Italian villa. I was wrong. We stayed in an 18th century Italian villa. I really should pay more attention to my notes. I was looking forward to a bit of rest and relaxation after all that sparkling rose at lunch. As we wound through the...
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