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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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It’s warming up and as soon as the sun comes out, so does the rosé wine. I personally love rosé. Although it has to be the dry version as I’m not a fan of the sweet stuff (sorry rosé de Anjou, and don’t even get me started on white zin – ugh!). At the moment, I have in the shop the M de Minuty rosé from the...
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As part of my recent trip to Bolney Estate, we were invited to stay over night at Ockenden Manor. Ockenden Manor is a short 10 minute drive from Bolney and is an excellent base from which to visit the vineyard. After our wine tasting we drove over to the manor, which has a lovely very modern spa, available to hotel guests, in order...
read moreLast week I visited Bolney Wine Estate in Sussex to taste their 2018 vintages. While English sparkling wine seems to get all the press, English still wine is also getting better and better with every vintage. 2018 was an exceptional year, being one of the warmest on record, and that is reflected in the wines that Bolney showcased...
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