Refocussing 2020: wine tasting trips in perspective
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- Published: 29 March 2020 29 March 2020
It is mid-March and after several weeks of gambolling about our flat here in London, I have finally nested in the far corner of the spare room. It now is apparent that this could be my fixed base for the next couple of months depending on the progression of the pandemic, COVID-19.
Wine tasters beware: loss of smell (Anosmia) is an early symptom of C-19 infection
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- Published: 24 March 2020 24 March 2020
The Ear Nose and Throat Society of the UK (ENT UK), a prestigious group of specialists in this part of the body, are reporting that there is a potential for COVID-19 to show first signs infection with anosmia, also known as smell-blindness.
Recovering from [untested] COVID-19
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- Published: 23 March 2020 23 March 2020
When the symptoms started to show, we had already been distancing ourselves from others for a couple of weeks with only a couple of excursions and one dinner with friends. I had also moved my office back to home to reduce travel. But as the reports started to show the rate of spread and the increasing death toll, the rationale behind not catching it early and being a spreader oneself became too great to ignore.
An aperitif by the coliseum
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- Published: 05 March 2020 05 March 2020
As COVID-19 conspires with the grimmest of winds and rain to force a societal retreat behind our own front doors, the word ennui springs to mind. The muddle of displeasure is pierced when Natalia hands me a large bulbous glass of a liquid I do not recognise.
How wine corks are proven to support biodiversity & natural ecosystems
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- Published: 25 February 2020 25 February 2020
My wine smells funny?
Closing a bottle with cork significantly reduces the carbon footprint of wine packaging and helps sustain vital ecosystems.
Ten years ago there seemed to be a huge shift away from corks and towards screw-caps. One reason for this is wine taint, or what many refer to as 'corked' wine, where a bacteria - Trichloroanisol - gives wine a damp cardboard aroma and destroys the wine's pleasurable characteristics.
Artichoke pasta and very fine Pigato
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- Published: 17 February 2020 17 February 2020
Britain’s lamentable exit
On the eve of Britain’s official departure from the EU, my partner and I decided to explore a small town on the Italian Riviera where thewintry cold doesn’t feel so much like cold war bite.
I had warned my significant other that I would be having an inverse departure party, a release of the sanity valve if you like!
Biodynamic Old Vine Grenache, Yangarra Estate Winery 2017
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- Published: 17 February 2020 17 February 2020
Baby it’s cold outside and the climate inside calls for something that exudes an edge of luxury. This old vine Grenache suits perfectly well. Good modern style with a burst of pleasurable cherry, dark berry and spices, super-smooth tannin, polished length and clean finish.
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An aperitif by the coliseum
As COVID-19 conspires with the grimmest of winds and rain to force a societal retreat behind our own front doors, the word ennui springs to mind. The muddle of displeasure is pierced when Natalia hands me a large bulbous glass of a liquid I do not recognise.
Artichoke pasta and very fine Pigato
Britain’s lamentable exit
On the eve of Britain’s official departure from the EU, my partner and I decided to explore a small town on the Italian Riviera where thewintry cold doesn’t feel so much like cold war bite.
I had warned my significant other that I would be having an inverse departure party, a release of the sanity valve if you like!
Soave: volcanic wines with elegance and longevity
Sitting inside the ancient castle walls inside the town of Soave, a short drive from Verona in northern Italy, the unique slightly almond aroma of the indigenous grape, Garganega, rises gently from my glass. The castle sprawls up the side of an extinct volcano that gives the region its variant soil structures that mark out the better quality of Soave wines.
An American In Paris; Tanisha Townsend (@GirlMeetsGlass) discusses podcasts, Paris wine bars, & what she's drinking at the moment
Tanisha Townsend decided to move to Paris 4 years ago after regularly passing through the city en route to the world’s most famous vineyards. In fact, it was about 2 years ago at the Printemps de Champagne Bouzy Rouge tasting in Reims that I saw (who we shall now refer to as) GirlMeetsGlass chirpily speaking to her web followers on Snapchat.
Wine tasting in Galicia: The pilgrims search for Albarino
The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the final resting place of Saint James, rises out of the landscape, infested with antiquity. The rambling steep streets give way to shafts of dramatic light, emblazoned chapels, and tightly packed tapas bars, dusty, as old novels pressed together in antiquarian bookshops.
Interview: (Re)Defining the Entre-Deux-Mers, climate change & tasting with Stephane Dupuch
Driving into the Entre-Deux-Mers region from the north, the vineyards roll out like a bright green deep-pile carpet across the undulating land. It’s hard not to be excited about tasting wines with so much heritage, as we head to Chateau-Sainte-Marie to meet with 5th generation owner, Stéphane Dupuch.
