My Grape Escape

It’s English wine week, so why not seize the chance to try something new? Less than an hour from weary Waterloo I found myself in the English countryside. Apart from the expected quaint villages, sunshine, hills, farms and orchards, there were fields containing long rows of grape vines. Seyval Blanc, Bacchus and Chardonnay amongst others [...]

The producers and members of l’Association de Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion were in London last week to promote the wines of 2007 and 2008. With wine industry legends such as Stephen Spurrier, Gérard Basset and Jancis Robinson in the room, this was looking like a fairly serious tasting. Well, serious until I dribbled merlot [...]

“Sorry about the dates, sorry about the rain!” joked homeless 54-year old Viv Askeland as a small group of us huddled drenched on London’s South Bank listening to her recount the fascinating history of London Bridge. An American tycoon Robert McColloch bought the bridge in 1967 (or was it ’69?), thinking he was buying the [...]

The story of what I am declaring the 2010 ‘Judgement of London’, which took place in central London last week. On a recent chilly November evening in London a historic event took place. While naughty students tore up Westminster and stormed Conservative Party headquarters, a secret location tucked away behind the hustle and bustle of west-central London [...]

Having been exiled to the UK with work for a few months in my completely non-wine-related day job, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see what’s out there in terms of wine innovation and perhaps preview what might be the next thing to hit our lovely green shores. Do forgive me if [...]