Beaumes de Venise
Crab brains and Cabernet
The last twenty metres of road aren’t yet tarmacked on the way to He Jin Zun winery in Ningxia, northern China, so we get out and crunch over the gravel on foot. Consultant winemaker David…
2017 Rhône Report – results now live
Is 2017 a great Rhône vintage? The shortest answer is 'sometimes'. No vintage is 100% consistent but 2017 is particularly variable, oscillating from the phenomenal to the undrinkable. It was a very…
Decanter article on sweetness in wine
The Mosel Valley in Germany - home of some of the finest sweet wines in the world
Here's a recent article that I wrote for Decanter on sweetness in wine - how do you know how sweet your wine will be before you pop…
I’ve made a wine documentary for BBC’s Inside Out!
Despite the fact so many of us regularly drink and enjoy it, wine rarely features on UK television. So I’m really pleased to be part of a 10-minute documentary on the historic 2018 vintage in…
Undeniable class
Imagine trying to buy a bottle of Burgundy if appellations didn’t exist. You’d have the producer, the vintage, maybe a brand name. But with no agreed village boundaries, let alone Premiers or Grands…
Wine bar chains: missing link
Davy's Boot & Flogger, London Bridge
The UK is home to over 400 branches of Nando’s. Greene King runs over 3,100 pubs and restaurants. There are over 2,300 Costa cafes; 12 in Chelmsford alone. We…
The future of wine: trend predictions from the experts
New amphora at Clos du Caillou in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
In the 1990s, we drank Aussie Chardonnay. In the 2000s, it was Pinot Grigio. The 2010s have been mostly pink or sparkling. So what’s next?…
Urban wineries: capital ventures
When London's first urban winery opened in 2013, I was cynical. But London Cru is still going strong, having since won multiple awards for its wines and gained listings in Michelin-starred…