I have often written of my passion for opera, and particularly the great Italian composers of Puccini and Verdi. Perhaps my love of rock & roll is less well recorded
Tannins are polyphenols, the primary source in wine being the skins of the grapes. Stalks also contain tannins of a greener, harder nature and nowadays are, with some notable exceptions, generally exc
The renaissance of English wine began in 1951, when Major General Guy Salisbury Jones planted a 1acre vineyard at Hambledon in Hampshire. Guy died in 1985, before English wine became so acclaimed....
Although I admit that I am fickle, in the last couple of decades I have fallen in love with north-eastern Italy and its wines. It’s not me getting older, but there has been a renaissance in quality.
To my mind and palate, Almaviva is the top Icon Wine of Chile. If ever there was wine that interweaves ripeness of the New World with the ' sense of place' of the old, this is the one.
I was thrilled to receive the coveted Prix de 'l'OIV (Oenology Category) at the awards ceremony held at the iconic Cité du Vin in Bordeaux on 30th September. The award was for my book 'Wine Faults...
Sharing perceptions of wine, by both consumers and professionals, has probably taken place throughout the 8000 years of wine history. In the decades following World War 2, various structured systems
In the very north of Italy’s Alto Adige (also known as Sűdtirol) there is a an old silver mine. No mining has taken place here for 50 years, but today deep in the mine and 4 kilometres into the ....
I have little doubt that the halcyon days of great wine trade fairs are behind us. The world’s largest fair, ProWein, saw visitor numbers fall this year to 38,000 from a 2019 figure of 61,500.
I was delighted to receive an award and make two presentations at the International Food Symposium and Gourmand Awards Ceremony held in Umeå in the north of Sweden from June 1st to 5th. Umeå lies wi
I have written elsewhere about my fascination with success, and the multitude of factors that have to come together to achieve it. Perhaps harder to define is just what is success, especially when we
I am often reminded as to how precarious life is. Somebody who is strong today can be gone tomorrow, on account of illness, age, or tragic accident. In life, I am fascinated by both success .....
