Thinking outside the shop

Some interesting things have been happening to the wine shop over the past few years. Evolutionary pressures appear to have pushed it into unexpected territory. Ten years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to buy your wine in a shop served by a 50-something-year-old man wearing at least one of the following: a bow tie, a freshly ironed apron and a faint air of disdain. Sure, such relics are still to be…

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Alsace: snow whites

Alsace has a split personality. Tucked behind the Vosges mountains in north eastern France, this region has been fought over with bordering Germany for centuries. It now feels like somewhere between the two. Pastel coloured timber frame buildings line the streets, giving villages a slightly surreal fairytale air. The local Alsatian dialect has more in common with Swiss German than French, and the…

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