Like many in the UK wine trade, I started off in my wine career at Oddbins. I came to Odd after it’s heyday but it was still a great place to learn about wine both for us employees and the customers. Sadly, Oddbins couldn’t keep up with the times and due to years of neglect and mismanagement, went the way of the Dodo,...
read moreThe other night, after we closed up the shop, I persuaded my colleague Ayesha to go halfsies with me on the Cline ’06 Ancient Vines Mouvedre. I even talked her into doing a video tasting but she chickened out in the end so all you see is her hand. The Brixchicks out in Nor Cal recommended this wine on their blog....
read moreOne of the advantages of working in a wine shop has got to be customer tastings. Not only do we get to try the wines but it’s also a great opportunity to talk with our customers, to get an understanding of what consumers are looking for in their weekly wine shop. I also love the look on people’s faces when they try a...
read moreWhat is it about a magnum? There is something very seductive about a magnum to me. Maybe it’s the pure heft of the bottle, the size of it (although I’m not a size queen) or maybe it’s just because it’s not something you see everyday. Whatever it is, my eyes light up whenever I come across a magnum. Magnums...
read moreSometimes I forget that I live in Europe. England can be so very familiar, what with the same language, McD and Gap on the corner, American shows on tv . But this morning I was feeling particularly Continental. Not English, Continental. I think it had to do with the tram I took to work. I usually take the train but I stayed over...
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