Newton Johnson Family Vineyards are now producing some of the Cape’s finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from their own 15 hectares of vines. No less than three Five Stars in Platter’s Wine Guide 2016 says it all! Newton Johnson, Family Vineyards Founded by Cape Wine Master, Dave Johnson and his wife, Felicity (née Newton),…
This wonderful indigenous Greek grape variety almost died out- but has been very much brought back to life in this Domaine. A touch of Viognier here in its ripe apricot character and hints of mango and pear 2015 Malagousia, Domaine Gerovassiliou Thessaloniki in northern mainland Greece, is situated on the slopes of Mount Epanomi.…
2015 Bergerie de l’Hortus ‘Classique’ Blanc, Domaine de l’Hortus, Languedoc, France Domaine de l’Hortus is run by the Orliac family. The venture began in the 1970s, with Jean Orliac who began cultivating abandoned land parcels in the area and is now responsible for 60 hectares of vineyards. For a lover of rock climbing, the impressive limestone escarpments…
Steeped in history and boasting some of the highest planted vineyards in the Cape, Chamonix is set amongst 300 hectares of pristine natural beauty on the Eastern slopes of the Franschhoek mountains. Voted the best winery in South Africa in 2013 by the prestigious and highly respected Platter Guide 2014 Chamonix Franschhoek Reserve White Cape…
Made from a dynamic duo of grapes which combine perfectly to provide a superb mid-week wine, as well as great party drinking! 2015 Percheron Chenin Blanc Viognier This wine is made by Marinda Kruger-van Eck for Boutinot South Africa who are particular champions of the old bush vine Chenin Blanc, which still exists in parts of…
2012 Ben Ryé, Donnafugata (half bottle) Pantelleria is a small, volcanic island south west of Sicily. The Muscat of Alexandria is considered one of the finest clones of Muscat – whose vines thrive in the hot Mediterranean climate and volcanic, mineral rich soils. Ben Ryé is an arabic term for ‘son of the wind’, referring to…
2014 Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of Tuscany’s finest wines, the only white variety in the region to be awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantitia (or DOCG, for short!), Italy’s highest wine classification. San Gimignano is one of Italy’s finest old towns, famed for spectacular towers and ancient…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] I’m doing a BBQ tomorrow, and it will be raining. But that’s not going to stop me. I’m British, you see. Despite our dodgy weather, we are the BBQ kings of Europe, #Brexit or #Bremain. As the season begins, here are my tips for doing it right. The…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] The wonderful thing about the British weather is that we can confidently define the seasons, from April showers through to rusty autumn leaves and the bare-naked chill of winter. When summer comes around though, anything goes. One minute you’re sitting on a roof terrace hosing back…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] There has always been a close relationship between Champagne and the British. We are their biggest export market, buying almost a quarter of their output. The UK expenditure on Champagne is 75% more than the next biggest market, the United States – we buy over 30…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] I’ve long been of the opinion that crab is the tastiest creature to walk the earth and seabed (sideways). So yes, it’s my favourite food but even if it were not, I’d still recognise that it’s far tastier than lobster, and much cheaper as a bonus.…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] A thick new red book, virtually an encyclopaedia of pizza, has just been published called Where to Eat Pizza (Phaidon), by American author Daniel Young. Pizza is probably the most popular fast food around the world. It’s almost one of the most profitable as the ingredients are…
