Lately, I’ve been drinking some very good South African wine. S.A. wines used to be my whipping boy of wines. To say I was not a fan would be an understatement. I don’t know if it’s because of the World Cup or maybe it’s just we’re now getting better S.A. wines here in England but whatever it is,...
read moreKetel One Citroen and Square Meal set the month of May as the month to find the best bloody mary in London. I got a little cheque book in the mail which entitled me to two free bloody mary’s at 10 bars around Shoreditch/Old Street. The criteria was pretty easy, rate them on the cocktail and also on the experience. I’ve...
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 moreAfter a vintage vodka tasting this is how you might think you would see the world….. But in reality, it was nothing of the sort. To Russians, drinking is about being social not about getting totally shitfaced. Or so our host, Russian Leonid Shutov would like me and my fellow diners to believe as we got down to eating Russian...
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 moreWow! What else can I say. It’s fantastic that my little ol’ blog has been recognised by the all those winos in America. I’m one of the finalists in the 2010 Wine Blog Awards in the category of Best Graphics, Presentation or Photography. When I started TheWinesleuth, a little over 2 years ago, it really was a...
read moreMaker’s Mark is my first bourbon love. Extremely smooth with a faint chocolaty finish, I’ve even made the pilgrimage to Loretto, KY, to visit the distillery and see where it all begins. It’s a lovely place with a brook running through it, which is where they get the water to make the bourbon and everything is done...
read moreSummer is here! Whoop! We’d better enjoy it while we can here in Londontown. I got a bottle of Fresita the other day and decided to take it along to the first ever Club Sandwich Friday lunch hosted at my friend Sig’s (Scandilicious) house. What started as a simple rant on twitter as to why you can’t get a decent...
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