PLUS, THE NEW WINE TRUST 6 & 12 SEALED CASE LISTINGS & OFFERS by Nick Adams “Quality is not an act. It is a habit” – Aristotle I do hope you all were fit and well and were able to enjoy the Christmas and New Year celebrations – and indulge in some good wine. I…
Fish is at it’s very best in the winter It’s easy to forget that in the winter, many fish and shellfish are in plentiful supply (and at their best) with the following particularly good and sustainable examples: Sea Bass Farmed Sea Trout Brill Turbot Lemon Sole Plaice Gilt Head Bream Hake Monkfish Mackerel Mussels Oysters…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine At some point many wine drinkers will think about and consider investing in “finer wine” – maybe because they have fallen in love with a certain grape and/or region. This may also be because they have a special event or anniversary in mind, or simply “for the hell of…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine What are International Varietals? It is estimated that there are potentially up to 10,000 different grape varieties in the world which technically can make wine. Of these the Grape & Wine Research Development Corporation records a database of 1,271 being actively used in creating and blending different styles of…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine. As part of the occasional series of Blogs under the banner “Off The Beaten Track” I come to one which might just be about in the deepest elephant grass for many wine drinkers – Madeira. And what makes this such a paradox is that – pre Covid – nearly 500,000…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s new report (summary) has sent reverberations around the world and set politicians and scientists into an understandable frenzy. For weeks now details have been well publicised of the excessive and unprecedented temperatures in both the Western USA and Canada. And just recently Italy (Sicily) recorded…
by Master of Wine, Nick Adams. This blog has nothing to do with the physical construction of the said item, but how anyone can put together a collection of wine and enjoy the benefits from this exercise. And it gives me the chance to outline a new development with WineTrust and the web site offering…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine So often the dancing partner with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot produces an array of wine styles at all prices. And to put this into context, paradoxically, it is the main grape behind the most expensive Bordeaux wines of the whole region. A grower’s favourite, but it has not always commanded…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine. It is estimated that 90% of all wines produced are made, bottled, and consumed within 2 years. Here the value of the wines’ styles is all about freshness and fruit and immediate (primary) flavours and pleasure. For a relative handful of wines, the opposite is true – these examples…
‘Off The Beaten Track’ Part Three By Nick Adams, Master of Wine Frankly, Sherry should not be considered “off the beaten track” as it is one of the finest and most traditional wines of the world – and has been exported to the UK since 1340! For many reading this though I imagine sherry is…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine A classic scene of a Champagne cellar where the magic of bubbles happens and the wine ages. It all starts when a solution of dissolved sugar, wine and yeast are added to the base wine blend (as outlined in Part One). This is called the liqueur de tirage in…
By Nick Adams, Master of Wine. It is absolutely fascinating how bottle fermented sparkling wine is made. I could have committed this to prose and included a few pictures but felt that the subject matter in block text might become a tad dry. So, in line with the earlier visual blog on how white and…
