There is a new blockbuster film with a vineyard theme out on dvd now. It’s “A Good Ye ar”, starring Russell Crowe. The cast are: Russell Crowe, Albert Finney, Marion Cotillard, Abbie Cornish, Freddie Highmore and Didier Bourdon. Crowe plays Max Clifford, a London investor, who finds himself as the heir to a small French vineyard in an 18th Century chateau nestled … Read more
OK, picture this: it’s hot – so hot the thermometer is suffering from heat stroke and the dog looks as if it’s had one. You can’t find any solace in the shade and even the paddling pool is tepid. Are you tempted to put an ice cube in your glass of warm red wine? Don’t … Read more
Have you ever wondered why some wines give you headaches and others don’t? There is a minefield of information on this topic an d it gives me a headache just contemplating some of the rubbish that people have come up with to explain this phenomenon. I am not talking about the hang over headache that … Read more
There is a renaissance taking place in Tojaki. The Telegraph, Wine and Spirits Magazine and Decanter. com have all commented on the rebirth of this most ancient of wines. I used to get a lovingly bubble wrapped bottle of Tokaji for Christmas sent by my Grandfather; it was quite simply, delicious. Tokaji comes from Hungary and has been celebrated by … Read more
The British love a picnic – it conjures up lazy days under the hot sweet sun, but did you realise the French inv ented them? The origin of the word picnic is French (piquenique) and signifies an outing with food – similar to the word’s meaning in English. At these piqueniques, the people would all … Read more
I knew it would happen at some point and now www.decanter.com have reported that the US Government is planning to place labels on bottles of wine warning consumers of possible food allergens from eggs, wheat and fish. This topic is one of my soapbox favourites as I firmly believe that we need to know exactly what it is … Read more
Hangovers – we all hate them and we all have varying remedies for them. Some are passed down as ancient re medies, some are pharmaceutical quick cures and some are just plain “hair of the dog”. I will never forget my Grandfather downing a raw egg in the morning after a particularly vivacious evening on single malt … Read more
Did you realise that originally there were no white grapes? Grape vines only bore red grapes until 3 000 years ago. ABC Science Online has reported that Australian Scientists have discovered that white grapes evolved due to a lucky genetic coincidence. Dr Mandy Walker from CSIRO Plant Industry in Adelaide and her colleagues studied the genetics of … Read more
Have you ever wanted to turn water into wine? Believe it or not the technology is available to do so. It sounds like something from Star Trek but Nanotechnology is at our doorstep. Nanotechnology is the precision engineering of substances at molecular and atomic level. The Observer and The Guardian (http://www.observer.guardian.co.uk/) have recently reported on … Read more
Cremant d’Alsace is the sparkling wine that Champagne makers drink! If you haven’t tasted it yet you have a treat in store. Cremant d’Alsace Joseph Pfisner is traditionally made, a pale yellow colour with a dense, very fine mousse lasting to the last sip in the glass. It is very fruity on the nose with … Read more
