A Szechuan dinner in Oxford
A Szechuan dinner in Oxford This story is one which will, I hope, resonate with almost everybody who happens across this posting. I was in Oxford England, and it was the evening before a seminar at which I would attend. I was staying in ‘halls’ so in accommodation reserved normally for the academic population, but […]
Autumn 2025
Autumn 2025 Winemaker’s Comment Wow, I finally made the cover of the Newsletter! As many of you will be aware, our release newsletter features a different photograph from the vineyard, the winery, or the team each year. Along with creating some fabulous lunches; his ever thoughtful, restrained hand on the tiller; and designing the famous […]
On sharing plates….
On sharing plates…. I am not alone in being part of the campaign for the dissolution of sharing plates. Protests may not be yet parading towards parliaments, angry debates may not be filling television, though they are doubtlessly taking their share of social media rants, but there is a not insignificant share of the populace […]
On inconsistency…
On inconsistency… Do we want our wines to be inconsistent? The answer to that might sound easy, but it needs a little further exploration to come to an answer. The key point is that quality is not a single dimensional thing. If we are looking at two wines, thinking about which is ‘best’, the task […]
What do the following wines have in common?
What do the following wines have in common? Furst Hundsruck GG Spatburgunder Comando G Las Iruelas Tenuta della Terre Nere Calderara Sottana Thymiopoulos Earth and Sky Storm Vrede, Hemel-en-Aarde Five wines, five countries, five very talented winemakers, five special places. Five very special wines, without doubt. These are five wines that will bring a smile […]
On leadership…
On leadership… OK, it’s January, so in the UK all is dark, cold and grim. Actually, as I reluctantly survey the morning’s news, most of the planet feels dark, cold and grim, regardless of season. Maybe that’s just my mood: January Blues. But as an increasingly belligerent world flexes its muscles I’m thinking about what […]
Exclusive wine…..Is it OK for wine to be exclusive?
Exclusive wine…..Is it OK for wine to be exclusive? I am the first to concede that the wines we make aren’t cheap. But I can’t remember the last time I had a communication complaining the wines are too expensive. We’ve had a lot praising what good value they are. So, I’d like to strip back […]
Another day… another airport… another pile of CO2…
Another day… another airport… another pile of CO2 The depressing reality of my summer of wine in Europe. Here I am, sitting at Heathrow waiting for a flight to Zurich. In three days time I’ll be back here, waiting for the Madrid flight. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Yes, we are flying much […]
Spring 2024
Winemaker’s Comment – Spring 2024 Over the last four months Nigel and I have been busy visiting several of our markets: conducting various events including tastings at retail shops; winemaker dinners at fine restaurants; importer and distributor staff trainings as well as private customer events. Despite the long hours travelling, hotel life and laundry management […]
Autumn 2024
Winemaker’s Comment – Autumn 2024 As many of you will now recognise, there’s always a tone of relief in our autumn newsletter. It’s the conclusion of another vintage; the end of the long hard days – every day for several weeks. It’s when about 90% of our winemaking activity occurs and is always the most […]