This May we celebrate all things English with rich offerings from nature such as asparagus, new Jersey Royal potatoes, wild garlic, spring onions and the first strawberries of the season. So, what better way to enjoy the month and welcome the long-awaited warmer weather, than with an array of wines which evoke Spring, starting with delightful glass of sparkling English wine.
By Luisa Welch, AWE Argentina’s winemaking history Argentina is famed for its bold and fruity reds, and rightly so. With its sunny summers and the snow-capped Andes mountains providing not just a stunning backdrop, but also natural irrigation, Argentina has become one of the most dynamic winemaking countries. Today, Argentina produces some of the best…
By Luisa Welch, AWE The picturesque Loire Valley region is not only known for its historical castles and abbeys, delicious food and gastronomical specialities, but also for its excellent wines. Located in a special corner of France along the country’s longest river, and part of the UNESCO World Heritage, the Loire Valley is overflowing with…
By Nick Adams Tis the season for soup for sure. This recipe below is one of my favourites, and is my homemade recommendation for the holidays. Nothing beats a great pan of vegetable soup: put in the pan some onion, leek, celery, carrot, black cabbage (cavolo nero is delicious in soup) garlic, borlotti beans, flat…
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…
“Sicily isn’t just an island, it’s a continent.” – Leoluca Orlando, mayor of Palermo In Sicily, I saw fields where windswept vines are shaped like bushes, often held down by stones. I saw vines that resembled the elegant branches of a harp; others that threaded along a wire in orderly rows like soldiers. I could also…
[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…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] I realise the reaction of most people to this title will be a head scratching “What the heck is leftover wine?”. But it can happen, especially after Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, after any entertaining, and of course, as I run a supper club (a home restaurant) I…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] Getting enough canapés to eat at a party is a battle. It takes skill, tactical know-how and cunning to get enough. Caterers usually do two to four canapes per person if it’s before dinner and eight to 10 canapes if it’s just drinks. Let’s speak frankly: this simply isn’t…
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”] German and Austrian wines have a slightly dodgy reputation – sweet white sickly wines like Blue Nun and Liebfraumilch – but this is a dated attitude. I’ve just returned from a visit to Berlin and Vienna where I drank German and Austrian wines with most meals and,…
