Why It Works (But Not For Me) Post gig, back home, and I fancied a glass of wine. Nothing planned, nothing serious, just something to switch off with. I didn’t have anything in, so I pulled into a garage and picked up a bottle of Jam Shed Malbec. Not something I’d usually go for, but…
There are nights where you open a bottle and think, yeah this is nice. Then there are nights where everything just clicks. This was definitely the latter. I picked up a bottle of Jim Barry Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon as a bit of a midweek treat. Nothing too serious, around the £15 mark, but something…
Orange wine is one of those things you hear about before you really understand it. I’ve seen it mentioned more and more over the last couple of years in more of a fashion conscious sense, however when you look back at history and in particular read a book by someone like Oz Clarke, its a…
I finally got my hands on a bottle of Trimbach Riesling 2017 and decided to do it properly. No rushing, no distractions, just a good bottle and some food that would actually give it a chance to show what it’s about. I’d already had a Riesling from Hugel Riesling recently and really enjoyed it, so…
I picked this bottle up after seeing it mentioned by Tom Gilbey, who spoke highly of it and compared it to styles I’ve enjoyed before. That was enough to spark my interest, especially given how much I’ve liked wines like Viña Alberdi. What I got initially was exactly that. A pleasant nose, cherry pie and…
There’s a point in your wine journey where you realise you need a bit of direction. Not in a formal way. Not textbooks or exams. Just something to help you make sense of it all. That’s where I was when I picked up Thirsty by Tom Gilbey. I’d already had a few great wines at…
This was one of those bottles that catches your eye in Tesco and feels like it should be a safe bet. Petaluma is a recognisable name, Adelaide Hills is a region you trust, and at around £16 it sits in that space where you expect something a little bit polished without overthinking it. I went…
I’ve been looking forward to opening this one. A Chardonnay from Limoux, a region that quietly produces some brilliant value wines, and one that came with a strong recommendation. Expectations were there, especially after hearing it described as creamy, layered and full of citrus. So naturally, I poured a glass straight from the fridge and…
Tonight felt like one of those small but important moments in this whole wine journey. Not because the wine completely blew me away, but because it made me stop and rethink something I’d already scored. That’s when you know your palate is starting to sharpen. This was the Walt Pinot Noir 2023, picked up for…
I opened a bottle of E. Guigal Saint-Joseph the other night, one I’d been genuinely looking forward to. A proper Northern Rhône Syrah from the Saint-Joseph, and a chance to see what all the talk around peppery, savoury wines is really about. It went straight into the decanter. I had a burger planned for later…