Recent Posts
Comedy enthusiasts and wine lovers alike might remember the film ‘Sideways’, the tale of two wine lovers on a stag weekend. No doubt the part that sticks in their memory is one of the lead characters voicing an angry refusal to drink Merlot. Naturally, the film won’t have done any favours for this dry, red wine. Who knows, a lot of...
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A few weeks ago I was in Champagne and paid a visit to the House of Laurent-Perrier. I always enjoy cellar visits but the ones in Champagne I especially like because they are usually carved out of chalk and full of all that lovely champagne! 🙂 The cellars of Laurent Perrier snake beneath the House for 10 kms and encompass not only...
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When one thinks of Spanish wines, Rioja immediately springs to mind but that’s not the only game in town. I visited the region of Navarra which is just north of Rioja last Autumn and found a diverse and exciting wine region. A region that is producing great value for money wines. Navarra has been producing wines for centuries...
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Last Autumn, I visited the region of Navarra in Spain. Navarra is a bit off the beaten path except for the annual St. Fermin festival, better known as The Running of the Bulls, which takes place through the streets of the capital of the region, Pamplona. Pamplona has a lovely Palacio in the main square as well as great medieval...
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Every time I go to Champagne, I discover yet another interesting producer. This time while visiting my friend Caro (who lives in Hautvillers), she suggested we visit small biodynamic producer, Champagne Charlot-Tanneux. The winemaker of Charlot, Vincent, is marked as one of the up and coming winemakers of Champagne so I was...
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Walking up to the House of Champagne Ayala, I was struck by the ornate and grandiose facade of the winery. Built after the 1911 Champagne riots, the winery is where everything happens at Ayala. Ayala can claim that they are one of the few houses where all the production occurs under one roof, from pressing to packaging, it’s...
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I’ve tried a few Israeli wines in the past and have always found them interesting and even a bit provocative, so my curiosity was piqued when Lueria wines offered to send me a few samples to try. The Lueria vineyards have been supplying grapes to some of the best producers in Israel for years but it was only in 2006 that they...
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I know I posted not long ago that I was only going to do one obligatory Valentine’s Day post but there seems to be soooo much love in the air, that I’ve decided to do another one. There’s so much hype and pressure around Valentine’s Day that honestly, you’ll need a glass of wine just to get through the day, never mind through...
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A few years ago, ultra brut champagne was all the rage and then it quietly fell off the radar and I hadn’t heard much since then. However, last night I was re-introduced to the pleasures of Laurent-Perrier’s zero dosage champagne (as well as Laurent-Perrier’s prestige cuvees) at The Westbury in Mayfair....
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In a previous post, I told you all about the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card and all the wonderful things that you can use your Starpoints for – such as hotel stays, flights, experiences, merchandise,etc. Well, AmEx and Starwood decided to really show me what you can do with Starpoints and that’s...
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