When I pick up a Sauvignon Blanc it’s normally because I want something bright, fresh and lively, a wine that’s lived a totally clean and sterile life heading straight from stainless steel to sterilised glass bottles to my glass. I live a fairly norm-core life but sometimes I like to live on the edge, do… Read More »
I picked up this bottle from Waitrose, in a bit of a mixed bag of whatever took my fancy as I strolled around the aisles. When I got home I found alongside the mushrooms, squash, sweet potatoes and pomegranates there were plenty of plummy, blackberry flavoured wines in a decidedly autumnal selection of food… Read More »
This Bordeaux was picked up in a mini-spending frenzy at Lidl, the discount supermarket, which along with it’s German pal Aldi, is taking on the big UK supermarkets and gradually growing market share. Their approach is straightforward, we’ll sell you groceries cheaper than your big supermarkets, but you’ll have less brands to choose from, less… Read More »
My adventures in European style discounter shopping continue. Lidl has one big advantage so far, they sell salted pistachios in their shells by the scoop rather than in little mini packs, this makes them far more affordable, if not less scoffable. Surely they’re healthier than chocolate and you do have to put a little bit… Read More »
I do love Berry Bros & Rudd. It’s a delight to shop at as the staff are so enthusiastic. I generally stock up with a random selection of wines that I just don’t see anywhere else, and then pick up a few of their “own brand” wines from specific regions. These are not quite the… Read More »
Lurking around in a box of wines I’d planned to sort out I spotted this Margaux. Oooo Margaux, that’s out of my price range! This one would have been if I’d bought it in England, or indeed if I’d bought it at current exchange and tax rates, but luckily for me I didn’t. A… Read More »
We had a mini celebration this week, which required a mini-celebration wine. I was despatched to root around and find the perfect wine. I don’t do well under that kind of pressure. It wasn’t a fizzy situation, but I had no red/white bias to guide me. I wanted to make a good choice, not a… Read More »
Good Ordinary Claret is a fabulous name for a wine, there’s no ‘Old Fat Bastard’ or ‘Penguin Pride’ type marketing ploy here, it has a no-nonsense air about it. You want a Claret? A good ordinary one? Here you go! I feel like it’s the wine Carson from Downton Abbey would choose. It’s a medium… Read More »
We had a Clos Saint Vincent Saint Emilion 2002 at the weekend. It looked thick and dark, with an almost overpowering smell of fresh cut wood. The tannins were ripe and soft and the fruit did fight it’s way through with a forward guard of blackcurrants, but they did struggle. It needed a little time… Read More »
A strange challenge this week when I was asked to tell a friend everything I knew about Laithwaite’s. That wasn’t a huge amount, but it was more than enough for his purposes so I escaped with my wino reputation intact. Relating this story at the weekend, another friend fished out a bottle of Laithwaites Château… Read More »